Purely Joyful Movie!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The pilot was a rarity in that I actually cared about the characters and their storylines by the time it ended. And each episode keeps getting better. The pilot comes off a bit raunch-commy with boobs and f-bombs galore, but it simmers down after that, and the bit of mature content that remains serves the storylines. And I find myself, at odd times, getting choked up. The humor and silliness slows down and there are these wonderful moments of empathy and vulnerability-something most half-hour comedies can't pull off.

As an angry gen x'r that was THERE in the 80s, I won't waste your time with prose, so here goes:1) There were no fat sidekicks in the 1980s. That formulaic curly haired fro wearing Jonah Hill type genius did not exist - a fat sidekick would be more John Candy. That is a millennial invention. A more believable Wheeler would be skinny, small, and with giant glasses and wear suits - and probably wouldn't bath. I recall there was this guy named Bill Gates...2) It's obvious the budget went to High Castle, as the producers didn't really try to make the sets look or feel genuine 80s. Kudos to wardrobe, but come on guys. Everything, including door fixtures to lights weren't legit. Geez, at least paint the walls the right color. So many times I watched this, thinking it was taking place modern day, and the actors were just driving crappy old cars and wearing thrift store clothes. I kept forgetting it was in the 80s... maybe that was the point?3) No video arcades? That's were you bought/traded your drugs. These teenage club working guys were so cool, idealistic, and confident, they didn't need to bother with the hottest technology of the time! Like I said, the 80s was applied to Red Oaks like cheap washable veneer. 4) Painfully obvious the worn out stories were meant to appeal to Millennials and their cry baby problems. Folks were hustling in the 80s and not being whiny about their dreams. It was eat, or be eaten. Russians and Nuclear war were around the corner. Status was king. No school = No future. You believed if you worked hard at anything, you would get there. That theme was touched upon - sort of. Regardless, I hope all the Boomers enjoyed watching this with their (still living at home) kids and felt some sort of connection.5) Thank goodness the actors saved the day! I was surprised many of them did not phone it in, but instead gave it their best to make it work. Watch Red Oaks for the performances, and don't expect to find yourself immersed in the 80s. Go rent Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, or Footloose for the real experience.Yeahh, that's right I gave it only a 6. Now you know why it ended at season 3.

There were some great teen movies in the 80s, like The Breakfast Club and Better Off Dead. There were also a lot of really stupid movies about sex-obsessed boys "coming of age," and based on the pilot, that's what Red Oaks is. And my 80s nostalgia does not cover that particular sub genre.Why is the movie set in the 80s? Perhaps because it would make it more appropriate to have the ordinary-looking leading boy date a girl out of his league and make it look like his tubby stoner friend might hook up with a really hot girl (I can only hope that doesn't actually happen, but who knows). And as cover to make a movie which can, with no excuses, give all the personality and angst to the boys while the girls fulfill their role as cardboard cutouts with hot bodies.All of which I could put up with if the show were actually funny, but outside of an amusing opening scene where a heart attack causes an unfortunate series of confessions and some well-delivered lines from a tennis pro there's really nothing of note in the pilot. Maybe the rest of the series improves, but as someone who preferred 16 Candles to Caddyshack, I don't care to find out.

This show gets a very solid 9 of 10 from me. I'm in my 40s and therefore am a proud child of the 80s, so this show is fun for me for obvious reasons.I describe the show to others as what John Hughes would have done with a TV show. The struggles and awkwardness of young people is timeless, and while the setting is the 80s, anyone alive will relate to the story lines (whether you were a child of the 30s, or a child of the 2000's). The beauty of the series is that the characters become more and more developed, which ultimately is what makes or breaks most productions. Sure, this is a comedy, but it is moving and nostalgic in a way that few shows achieve.I just concluded the second season, and I liked it even more than the first. The music selection is spectacular; some of the selections I have not heard since the 80s, and so Amazon racked up a few extra MP3 purchases from me thanks to this show (Amazon, if you produce a Season 3 I promise there will be additional purchases to be made!). The ONLY weak point for the show occurred in Season 1, Episode 7. There are entire discussion threads dedicated to the subject, but honestly I would recommend that people completely skip that episode. Or perhaps some additional footage can be tacked on to the end to show that it was all a dream (a perfect 80s thing to do, right???). But if you can survive that ridiculousness, I promise the whole rest of the series is amazing, and just builds and gets better through Season 2.In summary, I am keeping my fingers crossed that Amazon keeps this incredible gem of a show going as it makes a wonderful addition to their lineup.