{"document_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoiler_Alert_(film)"}
2022 film by Michael Showalter
Spoiler Alert is a 2022 American romantic drama film starring Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge as two lovers, one who watches the other's final months before his death from terminal cancer. The film, based on the 2017 memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello, is directed by Michael Showalter and written by David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage. Parsons plays Ausiello, and Aldridge plays his lover Kit Cowan who dies of cancer.

Spoiler Alert was released in the United States on December 2, 2022, by Focus Features.

Plot

The film opens with Kit Cowan dying in the arms of his husband, Michael Ausiello, following his 11-month battle with terminal cancer. The story, told through Michael, details their 14-year relationship leading up to Kit's death.

In 2001, Michael, a writer for TV Guide, is brought to a gay nightclub by his best friend in Manhattan. There, he meets Kit, a photographer, and the two instantly connect. As they begin dating, Michael struggles with his insecurities of being formerly overweight and not being attractive enough for Kit. Kit reveals that he had an affair with a man at the gym. They both admit their fears of being in a long-term relationship since neither of them had been in one before, but they decide to continue dating each other. During their first Christmas together, Kit gives Michael his own closet space at his apartment, inviting Michael to live with him.

In 2002, Kit gets an appendectomy. His parents, Bob and Marilyn, come to Manhattan. Not out to them, Kit asks Michael to "clean" the apartment of anything gay and all evidence of their relationship. Upon returning to Kit's place, Marilyn grows suspicious of Michael. After she incessantly interrogates the two men, Kit comes out to his parents and reveals that Michael is his boyfriend. While initially upset that Kit could not admit this to her, Marilyn is accepting and welcomes Michael. Michael and Kit continue their relationship and get a townhouse together. During their second Christmas, Michael invites Kit to lie under the Christmas tree with him as he did when he was a child and explains it was always a fantasy of his to do it every year with his partner.

In 2013, Michael and Kit develop complications in their relationship as their sex life deteriorates. Michael spends too much time with his company TVLine and becomes an alcoholic; Kit struggles with a marijuana addiction and infidelity, and Michael suspects he is having an affair with his coworker, Sebastian. Their therapist believes they now resent each other but still love each other too much to end it, and suggests that they separate to reassess their feelings. Kit moves out, but the two remain in their relationship. During their Christmas party, Kit begins showing signs of health concerns and learns he has a tumor in his rectum. Michael, still traumatized by his mother's death from cancer, lets Kit move back in.

In 2014, Michael and Kit learn from their oncologist that Kit has a rare form of stage-4 neuroendocrine cancer, and Michael supports Kit as he undergoes a failed round of chemotherapy and, soon after, radiation therapy. 11 months later, a seemingly recovered Kit goes on a vacation to Ocean City with Michael, Bob and Marilyn, but his health worsens, and the oncologist reveals that the radiation treatment has failed and Kit has six weeks left to live. That night, Michael apologizes for not letting Kit know how beautiful he was due to his fears of being left for a more attractive man. Kit apologizes to Michael for having an affair with Sebastian. After Michael smokes marijuana with Kit for the first time, Kit proposes to Michael and they marry the next day. Michael and Kit spend one more Christmas together, during which Michael has a dream of himself and Kit growing old and lying under the Christmas tree.

In 2015, Kit is taken into the hospital. There, Michael allows Sebastian to say goodbye to Kit. As Kit is dying, Michael fantasizes of interviewing Kit as if he were a departing actor whose character is being killed off, where Kit expresses gratitude for his past and is looking forward to the future. Michael asks Kit what he should do, and Kit replies that he will have to figure it out. Back in reality, Michael thanks Kit for giving him a family and tells him it is okay to go. Kit dies with Michael and his parents with him. Michael continues to be a part of Bob and Marilyn's lives after Kit's death. Michael prepares to leave New York for Los Angeles, and although he is nervous to start this new journey he remembers how brave he was to begin his adventure with Kit.

Cast

Production

Production began in December 2018, when Jim Parsons signed on to produce and star in the film and Michael Showalter signed on to direct it. In July 2021, Ben Aldridge was cast as Kit Cowan. In September 2021, Sally Field joined the cast playing Kit's mother, Marilyn. Principal photography began in the fall in New York City.

Release

The film was released for a limited release by Focus Features on December 2, 2022, before releasing across the United States a week later on December 9, 2022.

Home media

Spoiler Alert was released on Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes on December 20, 2022.

Reception

Box office

The film made $679,690 from 789 theaters in its opening wide weekend, finishing in 10th.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 84 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "It can be frustratingly uneven, but strong performances from a talented cast help Spoiler Alert stay on the right side of saccharine." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". PostTrak reported 91% of audience members gave the film a positive score.