I'm going to watch Hamster and Gretel on Disney Plus because it stars Michael Cimino, who 1) played a gay character on Love, Victor and 2) has a jaw-dropping physique.
Let's have another look at that physique.
The premise: 9-year old Gretel and her pet Hamster have superpowers and fight kid-friendly villains, to the consternation of her teenage brother, Kevin (Michael Cimino!). I'll be reviewing the episode "Saturday Homecoming Fever," where the two go to a dance, in case there are any background/supporting gay characters.
Scene 1: Kevin at school, complaining to his bff Fred (a girl) that everyone calls him "Minivan Kid." They head to lunch, where Lunch Lady criticizes Kevin for being weak.
Principal announces that votes for the Homecoming King are in: it's Hunter Campbell, a hot guy who is sitting with a male and a female friend. Fred has been voted Homecoming Queen; she chafes against the gender-stereotyping, beats up the principal, and abdicates. Hunter Campbell also abdicates, since he is in love with a non-popular girl. So they'll choose a new prom king and queen at the Disco-Themed dance tonight.
Kevin thinks that tonight will be his opportunity to re-brand himself and stop being called "Minivan Boy." "Nothing can go wrong!"
Scene 2: Brother and sister supervillains escape from prison and check local events for something to ruin. How about a high school dance?
Scene 3: Fred, Gretel (the superpower girl), and the Hamster playing video games, when Kevin enters in his disco costume. He's been practicing disco dancing all day. "Nobody will call me Minivan Boy after tonight!"
"I can't wait to become a teenager!" Gretel exclaims. "That's not happening -- we're a cartoon," the Hamster tells her.
Scene 4: Kevin enters the gym, fields greetings of "Hi, Minivan Boy," and asks the Girl of His Dreams to dance. Only two other couples on the dance floor: boy-girl and girl-girl.
Uh-oh, a slow dance! He rushes to get some punch to bolster his courage.
Meanwhile, Fred, Gretel, and Hamster get an emergency alert on their cell phones: two 1970s costumes have been stolen from the Boogie Bargain Bin! Obviously supervillains are plotting to destroy the dance. They decide to go undercover to save Kevin's big night.
Scene 5: The supervillain brother and sister enter the gym in 1970s costumes, then take them off to reveal their supervillain outfits. They disrupt the dance with a food fight. Now there is a boy-girl couple in the foreground and a boy-boy couple in the background, dressed like Shaft and Austin Powers, but you have to freeze-frame to see them.
Kevin and his date try to save the day by challenging the supervillains to a dance battle. They do Saturday Night Live moves. the Hustle, and Disco Inferno. Meanwhile, Fred, Gretel, and Hamster enter in 1970s disguises. The Shaft-Austin Powers couple are visible to the left.
The supervillains lose the battle, but refuse to leave the dance; they begin tearing down streamers and crash the sound system. While Fred helps with the evacuation, Gretel (in a disco ball) and Hamster subdue them.
Scene 6: The students waiting outside the school. The principal announces that since the sound system was destroyed in the fight, the dance is over. Kevin pulls up in his minivan, now equipped with a disco ball and music. Some aliens in a flying saucer provide the flashing lights, so the dance can continue in the parking lot! Now it looks like all boy-girl couples.
The principal names Prom King and Queen -- not Kevin and his date! The end.
Beefcake: None.
Heterosexism: The Kevin-centric episodes are mostly about trying to impress/ talk to/ win The Girl of His Dreams. Yawn.
Gay Characters: Maybe Fred. A surprising foregrounding of a girl-girl couple at the dance.
Multiculturalism: Interviews emphasize that Kevin and Gretel come from a blended family, with Mom from Venezuela. No evidence in this particular episode.
Hamster and Gretel: No connection to the fairy tale. The uber-Germanic "Gretel" is an odd name for someone with American-Venezuelan parents. Did they come up with the title first, and then look for a story to fit?
My Grade: Meh. I'd rather look at Michael Cimino in a towel.
I was just drooling over him in the 2019 horror movie, "Annabelle Comes Home." He was fully clothed throughout the movie, and around 18 at the time it was filmed. From what I've heard he's gay friendly, and has a nice personality.
ReplyDeleteHaving a Germanic name does not automatically make you German...parents have picked names from different cultures for their children for years. It won't be odd if Gretel isn't German. For example, my name is Gertrude but I'm Ghanian. No relation whatsoever, except my parents loved the name.
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