Oh, the 1990s. As someone who was born in the mid-90s, I experienced the tail-end of living in the pre-cell phones everywhere technological leap. I was there to see the evolution of TVs from a small 18-inch screen to our now 60-inch OLED screen. People who grew up around the early 2000s will also remember those humongous widescreen TV sets that came with gigantic built-in speakers below the screen. The whole thing would take up the whole living room because it was boxy as hell—shoutout to flat screens now!
I Saw the TV Glow paid an interesting, nostalgic homage to the early 90s era of TVs and TV shows. It primarily focused on two teenagers who develop a unique bond over their love of a science fiction TV show, only for them to lose touch with reality upon the show’s cancellation. Brigette Lundy-Paine’s (Atypical) Maddy, who is a little older, met a young Owen (Ian Foreman) while he was looking for a high school with his mom.
Owen became immediately intrigued when wandering through the school halls to find a lone Maddy reading a classic TV guide on a fictional teen show called “The Pink Opaque.” Owen becomes intrinsically fascinated with the show because its taboo airtime is right past his bedtime. As he grew up, Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Quarry) took up the mantle of a high school and adult Owen—as he grappled with understanding the show on a deeper level throughout his life.
“I Saw The TV Glow had an interesting premise, but the executions throughout were a bit sluggish to sit through.”
The throwbacks and film style of the fictional show The Pink Opaque was a nice homage to the 90s era shows that were borderline for the YA age range but had darker undertones. The first one that came to mind for me was Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark? The vibes were also like a cross between Charmed meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel. I could see a show like The Pink Opaque on Canada’s YTV channel, America’s CW channel or Fox Kids TV, and I would have probably tuned into it if my mom or older brother were watching it.
The Saturday night 10:30 pm TV slot was always tricky for kids to watch more adult content, so I was impressed they nailed the details for this with The Pink Opaque. Although, Fridays and Saturdays were typically the nights where I could stay up until midnight if I wanted to. I think the story could have made it come on at 10:30 pm on a school night to make it more risque and more of a cult following. But it was on the right track, for sure.
The concept behind The Pink Opaque having some dark undertones also reminded me of the scare behind Dungeons & Dragons when role-playing games became a home staple. It also reminded me of how comic books became a whole pop culture scare as well, and then eventually, video games had their fair share, too (or continue to be a hot topic to this day). I Saw the TV Glow was kind of a commentary on how the boom of TV shows, especially late-night tween/teen shows, blew up.
I Saw The TV Glow had an interesting premise, but the executions throughout were a bit sluggish to sit through. I enjoyed the old-style TV gimmicks and techniques of the 1:1 aspect ratio; it worked really well in a similar genre film, Late Night With The Devil. There was a lot of narration in this film, which worked to a certain degree. If you are someone who does not care for long, abstract monologues or dialogue in films like Cloud Atlas or I’m Thinking of Ending Things, this may seem like a slight drag for you. But trust me, this film has a tighter runtime.
I enjoyed that there were really only two main characters who spoke for most of the film. I felt this was a little similar to Smith’s other leading role in the movie adaptation of All The Bright Places. It appears that Smith thrives in one-on-one moments or narration the most. Do not get me wrong, I loved him in ensemble roles in movies like Dungeons & Dragons and the Jurassic World films. I believe this was a perfect standout role for him, so fans of Smith should enjoy his performance here.
“I Saw the TV Glow paid an interesting, nostalgic homage to the early 90s era of TVs and TV shows.”
As for Lundy-Paine, I know them so well as the snarky, angsty teenage daughter in the Netflix series Atypical. They were so amazing being the caring, overprotective younger sister role of Casey. For some strange reason, they have a really endearing presence on screen. It is almost like a motherly vibe, but a cool mom. But I felt this from their performance in Atypical and through their interactions with Foreman’s younger Owen.
I appreciated that I Saw the TV Glow did not choose to push some nonsensical teenage romance for this. I already felt the film could have trimmed about 5-10 minutes off to tie up this trippy tale. The writer or director was smart to emphasize the love of The Pink Opaque instead versus the humans who viewed this piece of media, or it could have potentially been a way to spotlight two amazing queer actors for their major acting chops rather than relying on some steamy scenes.
Either way, this was a beautiful portrayal of two characters who had great chemistry together and great narration voices. I did not realize Smith had a creepy monotone undertone in his voice sometimes, adding to the horror factor.
In terms of the story, it grappled with a lot of ideas: sexual identity, coming-of-age/growing pains, and viewing things differently from nostalgic childhood vs. adulthood. The use of practical effects and VFX/CGI was perfectly executed. The camera tricks and filming techniques used in The Pink Opaque were really accurate for that era of TV shows—the TV definition quality and everything. Specifically, for I Saw the TV Glow, there was a nice one-shot/one-r near the beginning of the film, which was cool storytelling without any dialogue.
While the score was not anything special, the end goal of I Saw the TV Glow felt achieved. It told a gripping story for a trip down memory lane—made to depict teens in the 90s. The acting was great; even Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst was an interesting addition to the cast, and was creepy in a way I did not think was possible for him.
For a film that sort of defined my childhood, I thought this movie was pretty creative. It had a well-planned plot that had some slow moments but enough suspense to keep you guessing where it would end. While it was not anything bloody or scary like its latest box office contenders such as Abigail, The First Omen or Tarot, it still had one or two unsettling moments for horror fans. Director Jane Schoenbrun understood the assignment, and I could feel their connections to growing up in the 90s as well. Ultimately, I Saw the TV Glow was an imaginative journey down memory lane that blended surrealism, kookiness and reality flawlessly.
