Thread by @GailSimone

I have a weird theory that sounds incredibly goofy but might actually be significant.

It involves Bronson Pinchot.

Okay, this is a bit silly sounding. But I think it might actually also be meaningful, so bear with me (no pun intended).

If there are holes in this theory, happy to hear them. But I think I'm onto something.

It's about movies we loved as kids.

Here we go.

I think we have almost all experienced it if you have a soul at all. We've all had a move we loved as a kid or teen, that when we watch it a decade or more later, we find really cringe-inducing moments. It may be misogyny, it may be racism, transphobia is weirdly common...

...but the one that shows up just over and over in even the most well-beloved action and comedy movies is a pretty rough strain of casual homophobia.

It's in a ton of the movies that meant a lot to so many people in the 80's and 90's. Just drive by meanness for laughs.

There's almost never a gay character in these movies that ISN'T seedy or the butt of a joke. Sometimes, there isn't even a gay person, but the very idea of queerness is mocked in an otherwise wholesome and charming film.

The 'other' is brought in for a cheap laugh, then bye.

And because we loved these films, we want to give them whatever pass we can.

But even in Bill and Ted, they call each other a homophobic slur for a quick laugh. It adds nothing, it's just brought up and discarded.

Okay, but here's an interesting thing, and it seems completely innocuous and maybe even irrelevant, but I'm not sure. It might have played a significant role in changing that trope.

It's Bronson Pinchot.

Bronson Pinchot was a virtual unknown when he was cast for a bit part in Beverly Hills Cop. Originally, there were two characters to play against Axel Foley in that art gallery scene, but Pinchot so clearly stole the scene that they dispensed with the other guy altogether.

He almost quit the project due to production delays.

The script for BHC was famously muchly improvised, including Bronson Pinchot's pieces, as Serge, the art gallery worker under Axel Foley's friend's managership.

I recently watched a YouTube video showing every scene shared with Axel and Serge in the BHC films.

And I think they may have subtly (and without credit) changed the game for the portrayals of gay men in action comedies.

Hear me out.

Serge could have easily been the cringe-y stereotypical gay man that we saw in a thousand movies, OR he could have been the subject of much cheap eye-rolling by the lead, SUPER HETEROSEXUAL male character.

But he's not either. He's charismatic and caring and funny.

We laugh WITH him, not at him, and when he shows up in the otherwise much lesser sequel, it's a huge delight, like an old friend showing up.

He's cultured, funny, accepting, and we like him instantly.

But the even more interesting thing for me is...

...AXEL likes him instantly.

Now, let's have context. This is Eddie Murphy. He was the biggest thing on television in a decade. He had the #2 song that year. He's in the #2 film after Indiana Jones. He sells out concert halls in minutes. He is the biggest thing on the planet.

More than that, he is a young, fearless Black man, people are hanging on his every word. He is almost the idealized version of masculinity at that time, the entire movie is him beating the shit out of people or shooting people or going to strip clubs.

I love Eddie Murphy, I love Beverly Hills Cop, but I haven't seen it in years. So I was ready to cringe in the YT video of his interactions with Serge, it's been a long time and representations have changed.

But the cringe never happens.

Axel never mocks Serge, is genuinely delighted by him. In the sequel, he couldn't be happier to see him, they have a huge friendly hug. Serge is impressed with Axel's new look and asks him to do a catwalk spin, which Axel does, and seems genuinely tickled at Serge's compliments.

Now, I ask you, how easy would it have been for Murphy to make fun of Serge, like he does almost every other character in the film, including his best friends?

But he doesn't. The scene is played as two people who just immediately enjoy each other's company.

There's a different scene with a more stereotypical Damon Wayans (I just want some bananas), but again, he doesn't make fun of the character.

Badass movie star, just off of 48 hours, twice treats the gay male character like a human being worthy of civility and respect...

Now, there's a later scene where Axel plays a stereotypical gay boytoy kind of character to get into Victor Maitlin's swanky club. It's not great, but it doesn't feel quite mean-spirited...others may disagree.

But the point is, I wonder if this little performance (which is over-the-top for sure, but also charming and delightful) made a bit of a stealthy difference in how gay male characters could be presented in action films made for a 'mainstream' audience.

I will also add that Billy Rosewood meets up with Serge and ALSO seems genuinely touched by Serge's kindness, rather than repulsed as we still see sometimes today in films.

And that is my theory for the morning, Bronson Pinchot may have made something truly groundbreaking but that also went largely unnoticed because it's a cameo in an action movie, rather than the usual Oscar-bait.

Sometimes the cool shit is right in front of you.

Am I wrong?

Tell me how.

:)

PS. I do get that Murphy was not always this lgbtq-friendly in other films and his stand-up.