Hulu's movie Fire Island is a New York vacation spot that has long served as a haven for the queer community and that's where Joel Kim Booster's Noah and Bowen Yang's Howie head with their friends for a week of fun. In addition to starring in the movie, Booster also wrote Fire Island after being inspired to create a queer version of Pride & Prejudice when he read the novel at the titular vacation spot.

Pride & Prejudice is considered a must-read by many literary scholars and has served as a template for many modern romance stories. The novel follows the Bennet sisters (primarily Jane and Elizabeth) as they search for proper suitors in early 19th-century Hertfordshire, a county in southern England. The novel has been adapted for the screen numerous times, including a 1940 film and a 1980 television version. Pride & Prejudice adaptation is a particularly popular version of the novel, but Fire Island presents an interesting alternative.

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Ultimately, Fire Island isn't a typical romantic comedy or a straight adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Updating Austen's source material for a modern queer context (and shifting the location from England to the Fire Island) allows for some changes that freshen up the source material and present an LGBTQ+ story that bucks many of the trends around queer stories being told onscreen. Still, there are plenty of things that stick out about Fire Island and will remind well-read viewers of the classic novel. From the characters themselves to plot points that mirror the events of Pride & Prejudice, Booster's screenplay deftly weaves in its source material inspiration while updating things to represent the societal changes that have occurred in the 200-plus years since the publication of the novel. Here's every Pride & Prejudice reference in the movie and how Fire Island differs from it.

Fire Island's Opening Pride & Prejudice Reference Explained

Fire Island Pride and Prejudice

Booster's Noah narrates Fire Island and the Hulu movie begins the same as Austen's novel. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that, a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," says Noah, quoting the first line of Pride & Prejudice. Of course, Noah can't help but comment on the "hetero nonsense" of that line while he rushes to get dressed and make it to the Fire Island ferry on time. As he's packing, a brief glimpse of a paperback version of the novel is also shown, setting up viewers to look at the movie through the lens of Austen's novel while the quote serves as a nod to the socio-economic dynamics of the characters that will be explored throughout Fire Island.

Fire Island's Pride & Prejudice Characters

Charlie, Will, and Braden in Fire Island

The main cast of Fire Island represent some of the key figures from Pride & Prejudice. Like Elizabeth Bennet, Booster's Will is witty (and a little bit snarky), very intelligent, and fiercely independent. Noah's best friend Howie serves as the Jane of Fire Island and their connection mirrors that of the closeness of sisters Jane and Elizabeth. The rest of the Bennet sisters are rounded out by Howie and Will's friend group. Matt Rogers and Tomás Matos' boisterous pair Luke and Keegan mirror sisters Lydia and Kitty while pragmatic Max (Torian Miller) completes the sisterly squad as Mary.

Howie and Noah's respective love interests also mirror those of Jane and Elizabeth. Charlie (James Scully) is a stand-in for Bingley - both are wealthy, immediately friendly, and just generally charming. Howie and Charlie connect immediately upon meeting each other despite the misgivings of those around them. In contrast, Will is Fire Island's version of 's Mr. Darcy. Initially perceived as unfriendly, arrogant, and distant by Noah, there's much more underneath the surface as Noah gets to know Will.

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Fire Island's Pride & Prejudice Plot References

Fire Island Cast

There are plenty of moments in Fire Island that directly mirror some of the events of Pride & Prejudice. Early on in Austen's novel, Jane gets caught in the rain and becomes sick because of it, forcing her to stay at Netherfield (Bingley's house) to recuperate. This is directly referenced in Fire Island when Howie drinks too much at Charlie's beach house and stays the night while Charlie takes care of him. When Noah comes to check on Howie, Will finds himself attracted to Noah and the care he shows for his friend, much like when Mr. Darcy finds himself attracted to Elizabeth when she comes to check in on Jane. Like Elizabeth, Noah is unaware of Will's growing attraction and respect for him.

From there, Fire Island loosely follows the plot of the novel and, like ), updates it for the modern era. One side plot sees Luke hook up with Dex, a handsome but nefarious character who is a stand-in for Wickham. Unbeknownst to Luke, Dex films their hook-up and posts it to his OnlyFans. Will and Noah confront Dex, convincing him to delete the videos and rightfully berating him for violating Luke's consent. This mimics the Lydia and Wickham plot, which sees Lydia marry Wickham despite him having ruined her reputation. Instead of Luke's reputation being ruined, though, his friends defend him and Fire Island uses this moment to examine consent rather than shame Luke for what happened. Other moments from Fire Island that reference Pride & Prejudice include Will and Noah fighting in the rain, a recreation of the scene where Elizabeth and Darcy do the same. After this fight, Will writes Noah a letter much like Darcy does for Elizabeth.

Fire Island Ending vs Pride & Prejudice Ending

Joel Kim Booster in Fire Island

The ending of Fire Island loosely follows that of Pride & Prejudice. Charlie eventually reconciles with Howie, expressing his attraction to him in a climactic moment on the dock. Similarly, Will and Noah come to an understanding and share a kiss, finally expressing their feelings for each other. Of course, Fire Island doesn't end in marriage for either of the characters as, unlike the novel, the movie takes place over the course of a week rather than a longer period of time. Still, its ending is fitting for the genre and promising for both of Fire Island's main characters. Like many adaptations of classic novels before it, Fire Island is certainly a worthy update to its source material with a queer spin that expands on Austen's themes in a way that any fan of Austen's work can appreciate.

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