2023 Oscar Contender Marc Shaiman On Scoring the Heart Beneath the Bravado for ‘Bros’

Composer Marc Shaiman knew scoring Nick Stoller’s Bros was going to be a milestone in his career. The 7-time Oscar nominee is a fan of romantic comedies, but Bros is the first studio film released theatrically with queer men at the center. Not only is Shaiman a contender for Best Original Score, but he co-wrote “Love Is Not Love” with co-screenwriter and star, Billy Eichner. There is a triumphant quality to Shaiman’s music, whether he is providing the music for the return of a beloved, magical nanny or a trio of wives enacting revenge on their former spouses. For someone who has been in the business for as long as Shaiman has, imagine what it feels like to score a love story featuring people you identify with for the first time.

There is a personal, gorgeous touch to Shaiman’s score of Bros. Eichner’s Bobby Leiber is aggressively and passionately smart, and he lets the world know it if he doesn’t agree with you (Carrie Underwood did block him on Twitter for a reason). Shaiman’s music feels like he is underscoring Bobby’s heart by dancing across the piano in a very New York City-sounding score. It’s almost as if Shaiman knew how to take Bobby’s bravado and capitalize on how we all, at the end of the day, just want to be loved.

At the end of Bros, Bobby does something shocking: he performs an original song about how queer love is different than straight love. It’s honest, open-hearted, and absolutely true. It feels like Shaiman and Eichner literally reached into my chest and pulled out something I didn’t know that I was feeling. And it’s funny. Shaiman’s music is the definition of nimble. It makes is chuckle and smile at how self-aware it is, but then he goes right for the gut. That is always groundbreaking.

Bros is now playing in theaters.