I Love the '80s (2002) User Reviews

Very Fun, Enjoyable

[SigmaEcho · 9/10 · 28 July 2003]

Kudos to VH1 for "I love the 80's". The new direction of the network seems to be the "Behind the Music Channel" with the majority of their shows being similar pop culture-type Documentaries. Which is fine by me as long as they keep the standards up to par with Behind the Music, such as they have with "I love the 80's". This show covers nearly all the bases and leaves very few items out. It's a must-see for everyone who lived through the 80's.

The one and only drawback (and perhaps the thing that keeps this show from achieving near-flawlessness) are the interviewees, who are certainly funny and interesting, but not exactly experts on the subject matter. All too often it is blatantly obvious that the "celebrity" has completely forgot and/or is totally unknowledgeable of the pop culture topic they're covering (and had to be reminded). It REALLY would have been nice if they had interviewed FANS of the shows/movies they were discussing, and not just people who can only say "oh, yeah, that was a good movie" or some such drivel that anyone can spout. Especially to counter the constant jokes at the expense of the many of the quality flicks they were trying to praise. And the new "200 Pop culture Icons" took this problem and ran with it- they brought in Reality TV NOBODIES to comment! People whose 15 minutes are up, and have nothing relevant to say. ["I love the 80's" has a DISTINCT subject of discussion, unlike "Pop culture Icons" which can't decide if it's an "100 greatest actors" list or "100 greatest characters" list.] Don't waste your time - stick with "I love the 80's" reruns and hope VH1 does better next time around with "I love the 70's".

Despite that oversight, I think just about anyone will thoroughly enjoy this nostalgia trip, as this show overcomes those relatively minor flaws (your average viewer probably won't care anyway. Its probably just rabid fans like myself who doesn't like to see his favorite films bashed by non-fans just making fun of it.) I highly recommend this mini-series.

Not bad, one bone to pick however.....

[MikeK-7 · 9/10 · 12 June 2003]

Yeah, this show wasn't as tacky as I thought, but some of the people they chose to reminisce shouldn't have been on this; like Hootie from the Blowfish, or Beyonce Knowles: why couldn't they have more 80's actors like Tom Cruise or Sean Penn or Nic Cage or Molly Ringwald, etc? Anyhow, being an 80's child (1984)this brought back memories, particularly from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that show is so weak now that it's laughable; but the films of the 80's were among the best ever made. RISKY BUSINESS, BAD BOYS, RUMBLE FISH, AT CLOSE RANGE, FERRIS BUELLER's DAY OFF, and on and on and on, need I say more?

Insightful? Nah, but it's thoroughly entertaining

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 5 January 2017]

There was a great idea behind "I Love the '80s": round up a bevy of stand-up comics and just let 'em go to town on the big hair, absurd trends and loud style of the 1980s (great as it was, the decade really had it coming). But they also collect pretty much every minor celebrity who was on the radar in 2002, and that muddies the waters. A lot of these people have that deer-in-the-headlights look, offering commentary on topics they only have a passing familiarity with.

But here's the thing: this happened at evidently just the right point in time, when the period was really ripe for comedic reflection. I remember getting sucked right into this when it was originally shown, and I wasn't even all that big a fan of the '80s. Today, the presentation just seems fatuous - but back then, it was extremely watchable. It's no wonder VH-1 would weekend marathon this badboy. Put this on in the background, disregard the A.D.D. editing, and it's not bad.

7/10

Mini-series don't get much better than this!

[jellyneckr · 9 June 2005]

I caught this on television when it first aired back in December of 2002. After watching the very first episode ("1980"), I instantly became addicted. This was unlike any mini-series I had ever seen on television before. It was absolutely incredible. It was funny, it had good music, it was entertaining, it was simply the best thing I had ever seen on VH1 at the time. I never knew that watching a mini-series could be so fun. What makes "I Love the '80s" and "I Love the '80s Strikes Back" so great are the commentators. Tom Arnold, Rich Eisen, Greg Fitzsimmons, Natasha Henstridge, Ron Jeremy, Wallace Langham, Hal Sparks, Donal Logue, Mo Rocca, Henry Rollins, Stuart Scott, Dee Snider, Joel Stein, and Weird Al all provide great commentary. The best line of the entire series comes from Hal Sparks when commenting on STAR WARS EPISODE VI-RETURN OF THE JEDI: "Lucas says that he planned out all these stories from the very beginning, so why are they kissing in the first one? It's gross. Why in the first poster of Star Wars is she clinging to his leg, like an inch and a half from his crank, and then two years later it's his sister. Eww." Hopefully, VH1 will release this fantastic mini-series along with "I Love the '80s Strikes Back" to DVD soon. Judging from the number of fans they have, I have a feeling it would sell millions and millions of copies.

My rating: 9/10

HAL SPARKS RULES!!

[JanetSnakehole3 · 10/10 · 27 June 2003]

This is probably one of my favorite shows on vh1, I've seen it more than 10 million times and every time it gets better and better, Hal Sparks and Michal Ian Black are very very funny, i love both of them but Hal is definitely # 1. Watch this show, its entertaining and u might learn something about 80's that u didnt know!!

I LOVE THE 80s!!!

The perfect way to remember the 80's.

[DragonMasterHiro · 10/10 · 30 June 2003]

VH1's creation of "I Love the 80's" has it all. The show functions like a documentary, with music and TV stars commenting on a wide range of topics: television shows, cartoons, bands, movies, styles as well as historical events that all took place during the beloved decade. There is an hour long episode for each year, packed with all of the listed subjects. The shows also have special segments for every year: the Hunks, Babes, Births, 'Then & Now', 'Mister and Miss' and 'Make-out Songs'. The show helps viewers reminisce while hilarious commentators like Michael Ian Black, Mo Rocca, Hal Sparks and others point out the ridiculous aspects on the topic at hand.

Favorite quotes include Donal Logue remembering Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69", saying "Wait a second, you're full of sh*t, you were like, four." And also Michael Ian Black recalling Molly Ringwald movies saying "Every movie starts off with Molly Ringwald being upset about something, and then I come in and have sex with her."

Funny, smart and even informative on what you might have missed during the eighties.

Only one flaw: when it ends.

[saprater · 10/10 · 4 July 2003]

The first time I saw this show, it was early in the morning and I was still half asleep. I rolled over, turned on the t.v. just to hear some noise in the house and WHAM!, I've been hooked ever since. I swear, I don't think I laughed so hard in my life.

Hal Sparks is either the most knowledgeable person alive on the history of the 1980's or absolutely had no social life growing up. The man knows practically all the words to all the movies and songs of the 80's era and reproduces them with hilarious results.

I can't go on enough about this show. Anyone who grew up in the 80's and remembers that era with any fondness will love this show. It's fantastic and I am sincerely hoping for a follow-up since they only hit the tip of the iceberg with what was covered for each year. You'll love the commentaries...they poke fun at the past but in a way that's more of a "laugh with you" than "laugh at you" attitude. 'Cause hey, we ALL owned a Members Only jacket at some time in our lives. lol

I love the 80's too

[mister_buckley · 10/10 · 4 May 2003]

I had a blast watching every episode of I Love The 80's. I was born in 1986 so naturally I didn't remember most of the stuff, but I did remember Alf, The Ninja Turtles, Don't Worry Be Happy, Child's Play, Transformers, and a few other things that I can't remember right this very instant. I thought Hal Sparks was the best, he was funny without crossing over to annoying (like Rain Pryor) or obnoxious (Michael Ian Black -- Ninja Turtles are like N'Sync? Come on!). See it if you get the chance!

Incredibly addicting

[spectre316-1 · 10/10 · 27 October 2003]

The combonation of the hilarious commentary by various familiar faces and the nostalgia the show brings back to you is near intoxicating. Yesterday, for example, I watched the entire 10 hour marathon. Addicting? It defines the word.

I love this show

[star_e5 · 10/10 · 5 July 2003]

I have seen this show so many times I can't count. I have favorite years, know what happens in each episode. Hal Sparks (especially when he talks about Footloose) and Michael Ian Black are hilarious. This show makes me laugh so much. I love the segment with Duran Duran and Wham!. John Taylor was so beautiful!

Best Documentary EVA!

[punkgurl3666 · 10/10 · 28 July 2003]

I remember watching this on New Years Eve 2002 since it was early in the morning and I was bored. I was instantly hooked.

I was born in '88 and I never knew much about the decade. I knew some films, and it was interesting to hear the comments of these very funny people.

My favorites were Michael Ian Black, Hal Sparks, and the love of my life, Mo Rocca. My only problem with the show was that there wasn't enough Mo. But Hal was there to make things right.

An hour wasn't enough to cover each year. I needed more! I can tell that this mini-series will definatley become a cult hit. I can't wait for "I Love the 70s"

Meghan's rating: ***1/2 out of **** (For lack of Mo Rocca)

Never gets old, AWESOME DUDE!

[Opion8d · 16 July 2003]

Vh1 has really outdone itself, it has put on a hilarious show that is watchable over and over (they make sure of that by replaying it almost every day). Everytime it comes on I am completely hooked. It is so addicting!

Without the help of Micheal Ian Black, Hal Sparks, Mo Collins, that guy witht he glasses (I so TOTALLY forgot his name), and many other celebrities this might not be as good. But those comediens make it so darn funny. And sometimes it gets funnier with each viewing! I think I have seen each episode at least 3 times, all 10 of them.

But what stinks is that it had to end. I mean 10 hours of the 80's is a little much, but then again not enough. I could do with 20! It's that good!

I know I love the 70's i right around the corner and I can't wait! Though I wander if it will have the full effect of I love the 80's. Only time will tell, dude.

*10/10*

they need to make this into an injectable form

[dainty_cates · 10/10 · 14 June 2003]

i am sickly obsessed with the "i love the 80s" show. its on all the time and i cant escape it. i dont even mind. i look foward to watching it. ive seen them all so many times and yet i cant be torn away. top notch stuff really. michael ian black is hilarious. he has a wealth of useless trivial knowledge that is best put to use in this arena. watch out for the mullet-love, he-man, top gun, dungeons & dragons (with a hint of journey), juliette lewis' middle school 'do, the depeche mode/morrisey psuedo-goth rant...amazing. really. the most amazing thing about it has to be its addictive quality. EVERYONE HAS TO SEE THIS JUST PUT ON VH1 I BET IT'LL BE ON.

Funniest thing I've seen in a while

[LiberalDemChick · 10/10 · 7 August 2003]

I could rave for hours on how much I loved this miniseries, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet. It was funny, it was witty, etc., and even though it's easy for anyone to make fun of the '80s, VH1 did an excellent job on getting people who supply us with hilarious one-liners that one can't help but quoting. Hal Sparks, Michael Ian Black, and Mo Rocca were classic, but the other celebrities were great, too. Kudos and I hope "I Love the '70s" is as well-done.

Perfection!

[MeanMaggie · 10/10 · 8 July 2003]

I love 'I Love the '80s'!!!! What a decade! Not only were there terrific movies (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Top Gun, Back to the Future . . .), awesome toys (Rubic's cube, transformers, Cabbage Patch Dolls . . .), great music (Wham!, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Madonna . . .) and priceless fashion statements (acidwashed jeans, members only jackets, crimped hair, MULLETS! . . .), but almost everybody that VH1 is laugh-out-loud funny! One of the best mini series ever!

this is one of the best things i have seen on my tv

[Angel_and_Demon · 16 June 2003]

i hate MTV. i love VH1. it's more fufilling and isn't loaded with crap. i found out about the show, and thought "wow, that's pathetic". but one day, my mom was watching 1987, and i was laughing so hard along with her

it's one of my favorite shows. my favorite years were 1980, 1985, and 1987. i think hal sparks and michael ian black are the funniest guys on the show. some of the dialogue is kinda risque (sexual stuff) and most of the people annoy me (diceman and mary lou reten-grrrrrrr), but it's the best things about vh1.

i'll say this: i can't wait until "i love the 70s", when they show it in august

Those born in the early 80s DO remember the decade!!!!

[privately2001 · 3 February 2011]

In response to users Nick-337 comment about you having a hard time believing Beyonce and Leeann Rhimes remembering anything about the 1980s. First of all I was born in 1982. Persons born in 1981 and 1982 like Beyonce and Leeann were 7 and 8 when the 80s ended. We started elementary school when the decade ended. Many of us remember Challenger, Ronald Reagan and the Berlin Wall falling. Do you mean to tell me that you don't remember anything when you were a child. Many people born in the early 1960s remember when JFK was killed, and even more so when RFK, and MLK were killed, the Vietnam War, the Beatles and Woodstock, and NO ONE disputes them. Why is is SOOO hard for you to believe that persons born in the 1980s remember many aspects about the decade. As a child my favorite shows were Knots Landing and Family Ties. My first crush was on Michael J. Fox and Ted Shackleford. I think its safe to say anyone born from 1980-1983 (early 80s) would have enough memories to relate to the decade. I would find it "hard to believe" if a person lived 7 or 8 years and did not remember anything about their life.

I feel old!

[Nick-337 · 5 July 2003]

Very addictive and well produced series, but...I have a hard time believing that Beyonce and Leann Rimes remember anything from the '80s. It was cool to see some people who actually experienced the '80s like Lionel Richie, Tiffany, and Lisa-Lisa. I'm looking forward to "I love the '70s". Ten years from now will we be buying "sounds of the '90s" and reminiscing about the Clinton decade?

Rose-colored (as opposed to coloured) glasses time, people...

[Victor Field · 19 August 2003]

"I Love the '80s" is the US version of BBC2's "I Love the 1980s" series of "Remember when...?" shows. It's shorter due to ad breaks, has less interviews with the people who were actually behind the items in each show (though given that more than a few items overlap - "Diff'rent Strokes," for instance - and given that reusing the interview segments would have caused some serious mismatching of footage, maybe not cannibalizing the original shows was wise... although why couldn't it just have been a co-production in the first place, with some area-specific items removed depending on where it was shown?), and whereas each episode had a different host, this series goes for a voiceover approach ("Because you've still got those neat Swatches, admit it!").

But while it's inferior to the original in some aspects, it's superior in others; the year-specific lists - Bret Michaels's babes, Soleil Moon Frye's charts of who or what was first born in a year, Andrew Dice Clay's "Mr and Mrs" - are amusing, and though it has its share of talking heads, they're still preferable to the ones in BBC2's show (or would you really rather have Jeremy Spake and Zoe Ball?). Plus growing up outside the UK meant that ultimately this series speaks to me more than the UK version...

Followed by "I Love the '70s." Yes, the 1970s. Unlike some broadcasters I could mention, VH-1 seems to have realised that it's too soon to feel nostalgic about the decade that gave us "Sex and the City," Britpop, Beavis and Butthead, and John Major. Assuming, of course, that some of us ever will.

Why I don't love "I Love the 80's"

[scribe72 · 18 March 2005]

Why is there such a fascination about individuals like Hal Sparks and Michael Ian Black in regards to their participation in VH1's "I Love the 80's? After watching every segment of the 80's series, it seems to me that Sparks and Black, among others, are the very reason why "I Love the 80's" falls short of its potential.

How many times do we have to be tortured by the sarcastic attempts at humor that most notably Sparks and Black constantly spew out as they almost mock pop culture of the 1980's -- as well as during "I Love the 70's"? VH1, for whatever reason, seems to have a knack of drafting the most annoying buffoons for their shows on pop culture instead of just presenting the items as they are and let the viewers decide for themselves. Instead, we're bombarded with a slew of irrelevant comments from people who are frankly not even qualified to give any! But, alas, like its sleazy cousin, MTV, don't expect VH1 to give us programming with insightful individuals. Count on the bottom of the barrel in regards to cruel commentary.

This show is, like, hypnotizing!

[PopRox9139 · 8 June 2003]

I have sat down and watched this show for hours on end (it helps that I have no life), and I still like it even though I've seen every one at least once and some any number of times. I'm a child of the 80's (1983), so I can recognize a lot of the things on the show. I've seen quite a few 80's movies as a kid, such as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future, The Goonies, Child's Play (very frightening for me, I haven't looked at a toy the same since), pretty much all of the classics, and watching this show makes me want to see them all over again. Very entertaining, very funny, enough to make me wish I had my Care Bear and my New Kids on the Block sleeping bag and tee-shirt back. Oh well, I'll just have to make due with all of my Pound Puppies (and my Pound Purry). My personal favorite commentators were the Barenaked Ladies.

Awesome Mini-Series

[bit82 · 12 November 2003]

Great Mini series that I must have seen at least each year 10 times. Hal Sparks, Michael Ian Black, Mo Rocca, and Rich Eisen were the funniest of the bunch. I recommend this to anyone who has any kind of a sense of humor and it's great to watch when you're bored. 10/10.

A hilarious ride through early memories

[xxlittlekittenxx · 15 June 2003]

I LOVE this series. I've seen every episode several times, but they never fail to leave me in stitches. For me, the '80s are just vague memories of Hall and Oates LP's, Care Bear dolls, and early cable TV. But that doesn't stop me from loving the '80s and fondly remembering the culture. Some of the panelists were annoying (particularly Hal Sparks at times), but the series is still nothing short of sweet, cheesy perfection.

My favorite episodes are probably 1980-82, but I loved them all. I'm just praying that acid wash denim will never, ever make a comeback.

I Love the 'I love the 80's!' show!

[brichtr1 · 29 April 2003]

This show is great! The commentary by some of the actors, especially Hal Sparks and Michael Ian Black, is some of the funniest stuff ever.. and who can deny that it's fun as hell to see all those crazy things that made the 80's what it is.. This show makes pretty much a documentary of media in the 80's entertaining and great fun to watch. I love it!!

I was sucked in, totally.

[mdigirol · 24 August 2003]

I never thought the eighties were that cool, until....I LOVE THE 80's! After watching this I was talking about the 80's all the time. This is a great documentary to watch when you are bored. Great show, I love all the guest appearences by different celebrities. Totally like watch it dude.