"Best Foot Forward": Boy negotiates middle school with a prosthetic leg, a h*ng ad, a bodybuilder brother, a gay buddy, and no annoying girl-craziness

  

Link to the n*de dudes

We just dumped Peacock in favor of Apple Plus, so now we can watch Best Foot Forward (2022), based on childhood experiences of  "Paralympian, comedian, author, disability advocate, and Halloween enthusiast" Joshua Sundquist (underwear photo on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends) 

Focus character Josh has been home schooled since he lost his left leg at age nine, but he finally convinces his parents to allow him to start seventh grade in public school.  He faces the standard junior high problems of friends, math tests, soccer practice, movie night, and school dances.

Josh is played by Logan Marmino, fifteen years old in 2025 and thinking about college.  Maybe Johns Hopkins?

He's an accomplished athlete, competing in Paralympics track and high school basketball and baseball.  Plus surfing and skateboarding. 

When showrunner Joshua Sundquist invited him to audition for Best Foot Forward, he had no acting experience, not even a school play.  And he doesn't really seem interested in an acting career -- he hasn't appeared in anything since. Sports and disability activism keep him busy.

While Josh is experiencing the joys and hassles of junior high, Dad and Mom (Stephen Schneider, left, Joy Suprano) have B plots of their own, like when they tried to order two pizzas, and accidentally ordered twenty. "Sometimes older people can't see the order screen very well," the delivery guy explains, to Mom's consternation.

Stephen Schneider may be best known for a five-minute long n*de fight scene in The Righteous Gemstones, but he has 37 acting credits on the IMDB, including several tv series reviewed here: You're the Worst, Broad City. and Nobody Wants This, 

Josh's younger brother Matt (Roger Dale Floyd) mostly tries to help, or feels left out when Josh gets all of the attention.

Roger Dale Floyd, 13 years old in 2025, has appeared in The Walking Dead, Doctor Sleep, Greenland, and Stranger Things.  He is a junior bodybuilder, interested in promoting fitness among teens and tweens. 

In Greenland (2020), Roger and his Mom and Dad (Gerard Butler, left) must flee cross-country to safety after a comet-Apocalypse.  Whoops, they forgot to bring his insulin. 

N*de Gerard Butler on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

Josh makes two friends, Kyle (Peyton Jackson, left) and Gabriella (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss).

Peyton Jackson has 14 acting credits on the IMDB, most recently Pet Investigators (2025), about three teens who crack a pet-theft ring.  The baddies are played by former teen idols Sean Astin, David Faustino, and Corin Nemec, and the hunk by Mike Markoff (on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

I have bad luck with junior high and high school comedies.  They invariably present their male characters as absurdly girl crazy, their every action designed to meet, impress, or win Girls! Girls! Girls!: "Let's join chess club -- there will be girls there!  Let's buy a new skateboard -- we can use it to get girls!  Let's jump out of an airplane -- maybe a girl will see us!"

I'm reviewing the "School Dance" episode with my "heteronormative erasure!" complaints ready.

Review after the break

Scene 1: Josh is all excited for the dance coming up: "It will be the best night of our lives!"  His friend Kyle is not excited, and Gabriella isn't even planning to go: she's busy with her helicopter parents' after-school activities.  Wait -- none of them try to get dates, and there's no mention of The Girl of His Deams.  Could this series be lacking "Girls! Girls! Girls" heteronormativity?

But: Dancing!  It will be epic!  None of them try to get dates; could this series be lacking in the usual "girls! girls! girls!" heteronormativity?

Scene 2: At home, Josh is getting ready, while his parents gush around him: "This is a big deal."  He thinks it will be like in the movies, with a balloon arch and a big bowl of punch. "Tonight's gonna be perfect.  It has to be perfect!"  No girl?  I'm not complaining -- this is magnificent!

Brother Matt doesn't want to go, but his parents convince him that it will be great. "Your mother and I met at a school dance."

Scene 3: Josh, Brother Matt, and Friend Kyle enter the dance.  Josh complains about the decor.   They approach a girl passing out punch, but don't flirt with her -- Josh complains about the punch.   But the biggest problem: No one is dancing.  The Principal/DJ explains that no one has danced at a middle school dance in years.

Josh won't accept this.  Maybe if he starts it out?  He asks a boy to dance. 

 

Repeat: Josh asks a boy to dance!  

Nope, not into it. Maybe you're not his type, Josh Baby.

Then he asks two Dungeons & Dragons players at once, a girl and a femme boy named Eli.  "Sorry, my charisma points are not that high."

Eli is played by Liam Kyle, who has also appeared in Fairly Oddparents, the short Sissy, and The Santa Clauses (like Succession, but with reindeer).  I'm guessing that the actor is gay, and probably the character, too.

They say no.

Then two girls.  Nope.

As a last resort, Josh asks his younger brother Matt to dance.  He'd like to help, but doesn't think it will work: "Nobody's gonna start dancing just because Matt Dubin's dancing."

Josh grabs the mic and give the school an inspirational speech.  Nope.

Matt does some break dancing.  Nope.

Josh retreats to the library to sulk.

Scene 4: His friends find him.  He explains that he wanted tonight to be like in the movies.  "You're putting too much pressure on yourself.  So what if it's not perfect?  You'll have lots more dances."

Josh explains that this might be his only dance.  He lost his leg to cancer. He won't be officially cancer-free for five years.  Until he's sure, "every first might be my last."  

 Scene 5: They return to the gym, and Matt's professional moves have done the trick: everyone is dancing!  The three friends join them.  They dance alone or in small groups; I don't see any couples. 

Beefcake: Other than Stephen Schneider, Kurt Yager, who plays Luke (left and below).

Gay Characters: Best friend Kyle gives off some strong gay vibes. 

Heterosexism: None.

My Grade: They could have actually mentioned LGBTQ people at some point, but...no girls! girls! girls! heteronormativity?  An A regardless.

See also: Knox Gibson: Australian swimmer, model, "Hunger Games" baddie, disability advocate. With some n*de co-stars and random twinks

Everybody Loves Greg: Vincent Martella grows up, plays Phineas, dates some guys. With some d*cks and Skyler Gisondo

Mason Cook: The "Speechless" star turns bohemian-hipster, and shows us his biceps and d*ck

Stephen Schneider: Heterosexual love interest, heterosexual into pegging, h*ng sleazoid, diversity dad