A few years ago, Hollywood fell in love with a niche romance genre – the sick-flick. Many films were released to rave reviews, including The Big Sick and The Fault in Our Stars. The sick-flick appealed to a large audience for its oftentimes relatable and cathartic subject matter. Losing a loved one is no laughing matter, but through cinema, topics of love and loss can be explored in a healing manner. That’s where Michael Showalter’s newest film Spoiler Alert comes in.

Based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, this film promises a gay romance filled with heart. The sick-flick genre has seen LGBTQ+ stories before, but not one quite like this, and not as part of the sick-flick genre that has recently returned to popularity. Films exploring life with cancer, recovery, remission, and loss take on a complicated balance between hope and fear.

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In Spoiler Alert, it’s clear from the start how the story ends – but just because the hero dies at the end, it doesn’t mean the journey has to be a sad one. Filled with love, hope, dreams, and the inevitable loss of them, Spoiler Alert is a gay love story set in a modern era that shows every facet of the queer experience.

Spoiler Alert: The Plot

Following Michael and his lover Kit through the last eleven months of Kit’s life, Spoiler Alert stays true to its title by not hiding any details about the film’s ending. However, there is much to enjoy in this feature adaptation of Michael Ausiello’s memoir, despite the ending being clear from the start. As Kit fights against cancer, his relationship with Michael deepens, and there is plenty of life left for them to enjoy during the film’s runtime.

Coming from the director of The Big Sick, Spoiler Alert is sure to be a well-executed sick flick from an experienced creator. Not just a sick flick either – Spoiler Alert is a fantastical romance story about finding joy in the last months of one’s life. Early reviews of the film detail fantasy elements that whisk audiences away from the hardest moments. For a film that is, at its heart, a queer love story, this strategy feels kind for an audience tired of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.

Spoiler Alert doesn’t hide the tragedy of its ending, which allows it to explore all the joy that can be found even in the grim reality of a loved one’s imminent death.

Spoiler Alert: The Cast

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Spoiler Alert features a star-studded cast fit for a film with heavy subject matter. Jim Parsons, best known for his role as Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, will star as Michael. Photographer and long-term partner Kit Cowan will be played by the talented Ben Aldridge, best known for his work on Fleabag and Our Girl. The film also features the acting talents of Josh Pais (Joker), Allegra Heart (Dickinson), Jeffery Self (You’re Killing Me), and Tara Summers (Mercy Street).

Of the cast, many are LGBTQ+ or have acted in queer films before. Jim Parsons came out in 2012 and married his partner of 14 years in 2020 – similar to the story of Michael and Kit in Spoiler Alert, who were also together for 14 years. Having Parsons in the lead role gives the film the emotional depth it needs to depict such a long-term and loving relationship on the screen. Co-star Ben Aldridge recently came out and will be acting in another gay role in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming queer horror film Knock at the Cabin. Jeffery Self has also starred in several LGBTQ+ films, including the hilarious Gay of Thrones. We love to see LGBTQ+ actors cast in queer roles!

Behind the scenes, Spoiler Alert also has an incredible creative team. Director Michael Showalter takes the helm after his previous success in the sick flick genre with The Big Sick. David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage wrote the screenplay, adapted from Michael Ausiello’s memoir. Long-time collaborator of Showalter, cinematographer Brian Burgoyne is behind the camera on Spoiler Alert. With a cast and crew this talented, we’re sure Spoiler Alert will be a touching adaptation of Michael and Kit’s last months together.

Release Date

Spoiler Alert is set to release on December 2nd, 2022, to a limited number of theaters in the United States. After the first week, on December 9th, the film will receive a wider release across the country. If you can’t find a theater screening near you on the 2nd, keep an eye out for it to arrive later in December.