You can’t throw a rock in the entertainment industry right now without hitting something excessively neon or excessively grunge; we’re really digging our fantasies about the 80s and 90s, and our media quite clearly reflects it. But the 80s and 90s reached back, too — as said in one of my favorite lines from Bojack Horseman, “nothing was bigger in the 80s than 50s nostalgia.” Every decade has its own set of problems, and we all like to escape them through our media.
“But how could anyone back then not appreciate what they had?” you might wail, desperately posting about how you were born in the wrong generation. If you still need some convincing — or if you just want some more recommendations — read on! I’ve compiled a list of a LOT of examples of nostalgia in film and television.
- “Everything Sucks!”
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Released in: 2018
Set in: 1996
Summary: It’s an all-out war between the Drama Kids and the AV Club in Boring, Oregon, but they do enjoy going to Tori Amos concerts and remaking Oasis’ “Wonderwall” music video in their spare time.
- “Freaks and Geeks”
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Released in: 1999
Set in: 1980
Summary: At the turn of the century, creators were looking back to the turn of the 1980s, and to the challenges that the time presented for teenagers —freaks and geeks, alike. (This show was incredibly heartfelt and should NOT have been cancelled after one season!)
- “Almost Famous”
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Released in: 2000
Set in: 1973
Summary: This is a partly-autobiographical look into the more authentic parts of the sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll lifestyle led in the 1970s, as seen by a teenage reporter for Rolling Stone.
- “Sing Street”
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Released in: 2016
Set in: 1980s
Summary: Enjoy a more international twist on traditional ‘80s tropes as a group of Irish misfits builds a rock band to impress the pretty model across the street. (Note: THE MUSIC IS ACTUALLY SO FIRE!)
- “Dirty Dancing”
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Released in: 1987
Set in: 1950s
Summary: This hit is so well-associated with the ‘80s that people often forget that it’s actually set 30 years prior, in a time when bored rich girls sought to escape their predictable lives through ~risque~ underground dance culture.
- “The Shape of Water”
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Released in: 2017
Set in: 1960s
Summary: Though the primary focus is on the fish man, you can’t miss the heavy Cold War overtones and gorgeous cars that date this gorgeous film.
- “Blast from the Past”
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Released in: 1999
Set in: 1960s–1990s
Summary: When a family accidentally gets locked in their Cold War bunker for 35 years, the house above them evolves through various decade-reflective establishments until they stumble out into an X-rated video store and a world they no longer recognize in 1999.
- “GLOW”
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Released in: 2017
Set in: 1980s
Summary: I’ve already posted an extensive article about this one, but GLOW covers a myriad of serious ‘80s topics — from the struggles of women in the workplace to the AIDS epidemic — while being as glittery and enchanting as any throwback piece.
- “That ’70s Show”
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Released in: 1998
Set in: 1970s
Summary: This sitcom perspective on teenage stoner culture in the ‘70s is hilarious and iconic. (And I think we’ve all wished we could be hanging out in Eric Foreman’s basement at one time or another.)
- “Stranger Things”
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Released in: 2016
Set in: 1980s
Summary: When we think of throwback TV shows being made today, this is the first one that pops into our minds. It both borrows from classic ‘80s cinema and contributes to the decade’s canon in this explosive, synthesizer-scored Netflix original.
- Literally all of the X-Men prequels
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Released in: 2010s
Set in: 1960s–1980s
Summary: X-Men First Class, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse are each set in a different decade, and take great pleasure in blaming historical events on the mutants living through them.
- “Back to the Future”
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Released in: 1985
Set in: 1955
Summary: In perhaps the most blatant throwback film of all time, Marty McFly travels back in time and gets to experience his town and his high school as his parents did — exploding with poodle skirts and totally lacking in hard rock.
So next time you’re lamenting being born in the wrong generation, take comfort in two facts: firstly, that the entertainment industry is producing plenty of content for the perfect ’80s, ’90s or ANY decade fix; and secondly, that every generation feels exactly the same way. We are not alone.