“I had no idea Legos could be gay,” said a friend of mine
when he caught a glimpse of the first season DVD of Rick & Steve sitting on my coffee table. And he’s kind of got a
point. That offhand description of this somewhat snarky and irreverent stop-motion
animated series is as good a leaping-off point as any, really, because it’s
exactly that notion of expectation that the show uses to pleasantly disarm new
viewers.
Eating Out), Rick & Steve centers on the
so-called “happiest gay couple in all the world.” Set in the WeHo-inspired
hamlet of
cable network Logo in July of 2007, and was an instant smash success. Its titular
central subjects are real estate broker Steve Ball (voiced by Peter Paige) and
his stay-at-home Filipino-American steady, Rick Brocka (voiced by Will
Matthews), but the show also centers on Rick’s best friend, lipstick lesbian
Kirsten Kellogg (voiced by Emily Brooke Hands), and her butchy girlfriend Dana
Bernstein (voiced by Taylor Dooley). Alan Cumming, meanwhile, lends his voice
as Rick’s HIV-positive, wheelchair-bound pal Chuck Masters, while Wilson Cruz
is Chuck’s well-kept houseboy, Evan Martinez. Brocka’s touch with barbed
dialogue is evident throughout, and the fact that he’s been working with many
of these characters for quite a while (the show was inspired by a series of
short films he made in 1999) helps bring to the show a well-roundedness that
nicely counterbalances its naughty satire.
Housed in a regular Amray case, Rick & Steve is presented in 1.33:1 full-screen. The latest
addition to Logo’s home entertainment product line continues to add to the
network’s widening footprint on television, broadband online video, home
entertainment, portable media devices and wireless phones — all made possible
through partnerships with some of the nation’s leading technology companies and
content providers. This single-disc release includes all six episodes in the
series’ first season, and its special features include a nice collection of behind-the-scenes
extras, a featurette on the animation process, cast interviews and a dozen
web-friendly “digisodes.” For free downloads, exclusive web content and video clips,
visit the gang from
B- (Series) B+ (Disc)