I do not usually like to watch a tearjerker, but this movie handles the audiences so well (considering that it is based on a true story), it’s easy to tell how cathartic telling this story was to the author and how graceful he is in presenting it to us in a way that somehow also comforts us as much as it comforts him.

Michael Ausiello (Jim Parsons) is a TV journalist, suffering from his own frigidness and insecurities as a “former fat kid”, who meets Kit (Ben Aldridge), a dashing, seemingly confident man on a night out and they hit it off quickly, as Kit’s best friend immediately tells Mike that he is Kit’s type. The two quickly end up in an exclusive relationship, after Kit finds out about Mike’s Smurfs collection, which doesn’t turn him off and they both realize they want to take their relationship to the next level despite their misgivings. After Kit gets sick, his parents insist on coming to see him and during that visit finds the courage to come out to his parents, who are very accepting. This catapults Michael and Kit’s relationship, and they move in together, share holiday traditions and are just in love.

During a Christmas dinner, we find out that Kit and Michael have separated due to relationship problems. Due to Michael overworking, personality differences and life in general, their relationship takes a toll and their couples therapist tells them that they have come to resent each other but still love each other enough that they aren’t willing to end the relationship, hence they should separate and give each other space. During their separation, Kit discovers a tumor and is later diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Michael stands by him during his sickness and treatments. Although the two had separated, it is clear that no love had been lost, and their bond was stronger than the issues they were facing. As Michael nurses Kit, while they knew how terminal his cancer was, they are still able to mend their relationship, address their issues, including the fact that Kit slept with a coworker that Michael was always suspicious of, and heal their wounds while accepting the situation they were both in.

Spoiler Alert manages to show the real and raw aspects of life, and the story transcends gender or sexuality. It shows how love in its purest form can bring people together and all the obstacles that may have seemed like mountains turn into little mole hills. You are able to maneuver them looking at the big picture. In this case, ensuring that Kit got all the care and love he could. Michael even brought Kit’s “lover” to his deathbed to provide him with a closure. In spite of Kit’s sickness, he gathers strength and gets married to Kit as a way to solidify their love, showing how much they had managed to come back to one another against the odds.

Michael, due to childhood trauma, has a coping mechanism in which, whenever he gets uneasy or nervous, he imagines himself in a sitcom, which makes heavy moments much more lighthearted and he is able to deal with them. Even at Kit’s deathbed, which has to be the worst possible experience, being with your loved one as they literally die, this coping mechanism is used by Michael to find closure and come to terms with having lost the love of his life. This method of coping allows the audience not only to find comfort in a lighthearted moment but also assures us that Michael will be ok, and that he will cope with life after Kit, as he has done since childhood. Michael’s fear was always that Kit would break his heart, and even though it does happen, he was able to love and found a new family through Kit.

This movie makes you cry and comforts you at the same time. It’s so beautiful, healing, real, and it draws you in from beginning to end. A must watch and a classic.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Peacock, Amazon Prime