Retrosexual: The 80's

Retrosexual: The 80s is yet another non-show from VH1 in which we are shown a bunch of short-clips from our beloved 80s pop culture fare mixed in with commentary from the non-show regulars who remind us how, in retrospect, something was either completely stupid, rabidly wonderful, or somehow needlessly comment as to why this particular thing is relevant to their growing up in the 80s (which is usually just an obvious narrative anyway that many of us might make comparisons to). Instead of actually investing time or money in worthwhile entertainment, VH1 has created yet more dismal cost-cutting clip show filler to treat channel surfing audiences to. However, credit goes to some non-top 40s 80s selections such as The Last American Virgin or other more obscure "Retrosexual" moments of the 80s. Otherwise though, if you've seen one of these filler shows, you've seen them all.

I watched this five part mini-series when it originally aired on VH1 in November of last year. At first, I thought it would be cool since it seemed a bit like VH1's "I Love the '80s". Unfortunately, it turned out to be nowhere near as interesting or enjoy as "I Love the '80s" was. Not only was it mostly boring, but it also seemed poorly edited at times as well. There some good segments here and there thanks to commentators Barenaked Ladies, Robert Carradine, David Faustino, Savage Steve Holland (one of the most underrated directors ever), Scott Ian, Ron Jeremy, Cindy Margolis, Bret Michaels, and best of all, Gene Simmons. Most of the commentators seem out of place though, which makes the mini-series seem extremely tepid. If VH1 really wants to bring back the magic of "I Love the '80s", they should just do another edition of "I Love the '80s" instead of airing knock-offs of it. It's really quite sad when a channel rips off its own programming. I give it 3/10.