The idea is kind of irresistible. A kid gets a camcorder for Christmas and uses it to tape a bunch of oddball TV shows. These segments are basically parodies of the sort of stuff you’d see on late-night cable and/or public access in the ‘80s, making it sort of a spiritual successor in some ways to Amazon Women on the Moon. It started out with some promise, and although I wasn’t expecting another Amazon Women on the Moon (and quite frankly, what could be?), I was at least hoping this would be as funny as the unfairly maligned Movie 43. As it turns out, VHYes deserved to be erased.
The big problem isn’t exactly with the segments, although they aren’t particularly funny. It has more to do with the structure. Since the kid is basically channel surfing, it cuts from one show to the other at random. In doing so, none of the segments ever get a chance to build up any real comedic momentum. The way they try to tie everything together in the finale is pretty dumb too.
There are a handful of good set-ups. I liked the Antiques Roadshow-style show starring Mark (the What We Do in the Shadows TV show) Proksch. The Home Shopping Network bits with Thomas Lennon had potential as well. There’s also a true crime show that would’ve made a funny SNL sketch if it hadn’t hopped around so much.
The film was directed by Jack Henry Robbins, son of Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. They both have cameos, although neither of them are really funny. Even the usually great Kerri Kenney fails to generate laughs as a Bob Ross-inspired painter.
Robbins tries to recapture the ‘80s video aesthetic, with mixed results. While it looks the part most of the time, some of the errors are so glaring that it completely takes you out of the sketch. The biggest gaffe comes when Kenney paints a picture of herself in a compromising position with Dennis Rodman, who is depicted with green hair and wearing a Bulls jersey. This would be okay ordinarily, but it’s supposed to take place in ’87 and Rodman didn’t go to the Bulls until the ‘90s. Was the entire continuity department asleep at the wheel? I don’t blame them. With very few laughs spread about, you’ll probably fall asleep on this one too.
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