If I hear the words "The Pink Opaque" one more time in my life, I might lose my mind. "I Saw the TV Glow" could have been a thrilling dive into retro TV nostalgia, but instead, it felt like a relentless, never-ending chant of the words "The Pink Opaque" - a phrase that now haunts my nightmares. (On a side note, if you're looking for a fun drinking game, take a shot every time you hear "The Pink Opaque." I guarantee you'll be hammered in five minutes and calling an ambulance before the halfway mark).
How to explain "I Saw the TV Glow?" To be honest, it's tough. The IMDb synopsis is: "Two teenagers bond over their love of a supernatural TV show, but it is mysteriously cancelled." And while that's accurate, it's also vague and unspecific. Starring Justice Smith (who has never really impressed me) as Owen, and Brigette Lundy-Paine (who likewise did not impress me in the film) as Maddy, "I Saw the TV Glow" follows their relationship as Owen - clearly - has a big crush on Maddy, who is a self-proclaimed lesbian. How does Owen try to win Maddy's affection? Simple: by bonding over their shared interest in a TV show called "The Pink Opaque." And what begins as a series of sort of cute, slightly awkward interactions between Maddy and Owen soon devolves into painfully awkward and super cringey sequences where all they do is talk about "The Pink Opaque."
I cannot overemphasize this: this film mostly consists of people talking about "The Pink Opaque" (and for the good of my mental health, I need to stop tying those three words out). Maddy and Owen are seemingly obsessed with the show, and are constantly watching it, thinking about it, or talking about it, to the point where the movie becomes embarrassing to watch. I was writhing in discomfort while watching Maddy and Owen spend every waking moment speaking about this fictional show; and because of this, watching "I Saw the TV Glow" feels like listening to someone passionately ramble about a topic that you couldn't care less about. And sure, listening to conversations about the show might have been interesting if the movie spends any time setting up why you should care about the show, or the film's characters, but it really doesn't - the film immediately rushes headfirst into endless dialogue about the show with little context or buildup; there's no effort to explain exactly why the show is so compelling or why the characters are so invested in it - we're just expected to dive right in and keep up, which makes it hard to feel any investment or connection.
And speaking of embarrassing, the film makes some creative decisions that are, quite frankly, baffling. For example, the film starts with Owen as a seventh grader, played by Ian Foreman, who looks appropriately young as a 12-year-old actor. Then the film jumps forward two years, depicting Owen as a 14-year-old ninth grader. And who plays ninth grade Owen? Justice Smith, who is a 28-year-old man. It was unintentionally hilarious to watch Justice play someone in the ninth grade; there's a scene where Justice as Owen asks his parents if he can stay up past his bedtime, and it was just so ridiculous that I almost considered getting up and walking out then and there. At one point the film jumps forward another eight years, and Owen is still played by Justice Smith, who looks exactly the same as he did when he was playing a 14-year-old. So, the question becomes, why didn't they cast someone else to play ninth grade Owen, or better yet, stick with Ian Foreman? Your guess is as good as mine.
Advertised as a horror film, "I Saw the TV Glow" does have its fair share of eerie sequences, mostly toward the end of the film. Are they worth sitting through 80 minutes of people talking about a certain television show to get to? Definitely not, especially as the film makes another baffling choice to end right when it finally feels like it's starting to get going. The ending is so abrupt, so anticlimactic, that the trailer actually shows the last shot of the film - just let that sink in. I'm not even spoiling anything, because the trailer already spoiled it for you! A terrible decision, for an equally terrible film.
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit when I call the film "terrible," but it is certainly not good. At one point, about midway through the movie, I thought to myself, "Okay, now things are getting interesting." And then, like clockwork, the movie just made another creative choice that evaporated any goodwill I was starting to have. From the endless monologues about "The Pink Opaque" to two random musical performances that are inserted in the middle of the movie that do nothing except take up valuable running time - and so much more - "I Saw the TV Glow" is an underwhelming coming of age thriller that doesn't thrill, and barely allows its characters to come of age. The narrative stumbles through awkward scenes and questionable creative decisions, leaving viewers with more questions than emotional engagement. And in the end, the film feels like a missed opportunity, failing to deliver on all of its promises.
How to explain "I Saw the TV Glow?" To be honest, it's tough. The IMDb synopsis is: "Two teenagers bond over their love of a supernatural TV show, but it is mysteriously cancelled." And while that's accurate, it's also vague and unspecific. Starring Justice Smith (who has never really impressed me) as Owen, and Brigette Lundy-Paine (who likewise did not impress me in the film) as Maddy, "I Saw the TV Glow" follows their relationship as Owen - clearly - has a big crush on Maddy, who is a self-proclaimed lesbian. How does Owen try to win Maddy's affection? Simple: by bonding over their shared interest in a TV show called "The Pink Opaque." And what begins as a series of sort of cute, slightly awkward interactions between Maddy and Owen soon devolves into painfully awkward and super cringey sequences where all they do is talk about "The Pink Opaque."
I cannot overemphasize this: this film mostly consists of people talking about "The Pink Opaque" (and for the good of my mental health, I need to stop tying those three words out). Maddy and Owen are seemingly obsessed with the show, and are constantly watching it, thinking about it, or talking about it, to the point where the movie becomes embarrassing to watch. I was writhing in discomfort while watching Maddy and Owen spend every waking moment speaking about this fictional show; and because of this, watching "I Saw the TV Glow" feels like listening to someone passionately ramble about a topic that you couldn't care less about. And sure, listening to conversations about the show might have been interesting if the movie spends any time setting up why you should care about the show, or the film's characters, but it really doesn't - the film immediately rushes headfirst into endless dialogue about the show with little context or buildup; there's no effort to explain exactly why the show is so compelling or why the characters are so invested in it - we're just expected to dive right in and keep up, which makes it hard to feel any investment or connection.
And speaking of embarrassing, the film makes some creative decisions that are, quite frankly, baffling. For example, the film starts with Owen as a seventh grader, played by Ian Foreman, who looks appropriately young as a 12-year-old actor. Then the film jumps forward two years, depicting Owen as a 14-year-old ninth grader. And who plays ninth grade Owen? Justice Smith, who is a 28-year-old man. It was unintentionally hilarious to watch Justice play someone in the ninth grade; there's a scene where Justice as Owen asks his parents if he can stay up past his bedtime, and it was just so ridiculous that I almost considered getting up and walking out then and there. At one point the film jumps forward another eight years, and Owen is still played by Justice Smith, who looks exactly the same as he did when he was playing a 14-year-old. So, the question becomes, why didn't they cast someone else to play ninth grade Owen, or better yet, stick with Ian Foreman? Your guess is as good as mine.
Advertised as a horror film, "I Saw the TV Glow" does have its fair share of eerie sequences, mostly toward the end of the film. Are they worth sitting through 80 minutes of people talking about a certain television show to get to? Definitely not, especially as the film makes another baffling choice to end right when it finally feels like it's starting to get going. The ending is so abrupt, so anticlimactic, that the trailer actually shows the last shot of the film - just let that sink in. I'm not even spoiling anything, because the trailer already spoiled it for you! A terrible decision, for an equally terrible film.
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit when I call the film "terrible," but it is certainly not good. At one point, about midway through the movie, I thought to myself, "Okay, now things are getting interesting." And then, like clockwork, the movie just made another creative choice that evaporated any goodwill I was starting to have. From the endless monologues about "The Pink Opaque" to two random musical performances that are inserted in the middle of the movie that do nothing except take up valuable running time - and so much more - "I Saw the TV Glow" is an underwhelming coming of age thriller that doesn't thrill, and barely allows its characters to come of age. The narrative stumbles through awkward scenes and questionable creative decisions, leaving viewers with more questions than emotional engagement. And in the end, the film feels like a missed opportunity, failing to deliver on all of its promises.
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