MovieChat Forums > Better Off Dead... (1985) Discussion > Other Definitive 80's Comedies

Other Definitive 80's Comedies

posted 17 years ago by barrerarama
58 replies | jump to latest

Three O' Clock High
Raising Arizona
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Real Genuis
Top Secret
Sixteen Candles
Weird Science
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Ghostbusters
Strange Brew
Vacation
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This is Spinal Tap
The Sure Thing
Stripes
Caddyshack
The Princess Bride
Beverly Hills Cop
The Three Amigos
Valley Girl
48 Hours
Bukaroo Banzai
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
The Breakfast Club
Airplane
Beetlejuice
The Blues Brothers
Trading Places

What did I miss?

Favorite line in Better Off Dead: "Now its a real shame when people be throwing away a perfectly good white boy like that."

[–] Robert_Scott 16 years ago

I would add these 10:

Midnight Run
Back to the Future
The War of the Roses
Brewster's Millions
Christmas Vacation
The Great Outdoors
Risky Business
The Naked Gun
Bachelor Party
Police Academy

[–] barrerarama 16 years ago

Yes! Forgot those. Just thought of a few more:

Up the Creek
Big
Spaceballs
History of the World Part 1
Stir Crazy

[–] FINOULAMAGE 16 years ago

Dont forget another John Cusack classic....
Hot Pursuit

"You know how to sail this thing?"
"I read Moby Dick"

[–] barrerarama 16 years ago

Never even heard of it but now it's on my must see list. Thanks!

[–] badawie 16 years ago

Rumble fish
The outsiders
Say anything
St elmo's fire
Less than Zero
Pretty in Pink
Uncle Buck
Planes trains and automobiles

[–] sirtj228 16 years ago

summer school
ski patrol
the gate
midnight madness
Revenge of the nerds
Meatballs
Cloak and Dagger
Breakfast Club
solarbabies
my science project
red dawn
real men
one crazy summer

[–] tommix42 16 years ago

One fantastic 80s comedy (IMHO) that no one ever remembers is "The Wild Life," starring Christopher Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, and Ilan Mitchell-Smith(?! whatever that guy's name is... he was Anthony Michael Hall's buddy in Weird Science).

Some people think it's too much of a ripoff of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and I see their point, but my friends and I went around quoting this movie for months after it came out. We were all 17 or 18 or so.

I recommend it.

[–] colonel_inguss 16 years ago

Thats one of my all time favorites. I love Randy Quaid. "And you're lucky about that man. I gotta go to the bathroom. If you guys need a beer theres some in the fridge."

Well you know what they say, p-p-people in glass houses s-sink ships

[–] bigassscar 16 years ago

wasnt the wild life a sequel to fast times?

[–] ida78 16 years ago

The Class
Hotel New Hampshire
Youngblood
The World According to Garp

[–] Fiona90210 9 years ago

It's so weird you mention this film! I have seen every 80's film a million times and until the other day, I had neither seen or heard of this film. I will find it today and watch it. Very excited!! Thank you!

[–] yellowrobe1 16 years ago

Rumble Fish=not a comedy
The Outsiders=not a comedy

[–] Druffmaul 8 years ago

>The War of the Roses

I had to look that one up to make sure it was released in the 80s. Barely made it by the skin of its teeth.

[–] tommix42 16 years ago

This sounds like a joke at first, but how about "Robocop?" It isn't a comedy, obviously, but there are more hilarious scenes than in some recent movies that call themselves comedies.

[–] Dark_Star_69 16 years ago

The Party Animal

[–] krasnegar 16 years ago

"Get Crazy!" (1983) - what "Rock'n'Roll High School" would have been like if it had a budget of more then $17.98. (review at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JKQ7/mikewebersweberw)

Malcolm McDowell doing his own singing as Brit rocker Reggie Wanker! Lou Reed as Auden - the musician Bob Dylan would be if he could actually play guitar!

Fifteenth anniversary New Year concert at the Saturn Theatre (basically the Filmore East, where director Alan Arkush was an usher).

The villain wants to tear down the Saturn and build a record company HQ.

Sex drugs and rock'n'roll - Electric Larry, the world's fastest dope dealer running loose backstage!

About as Politically Incorrect as you can get (the blind black blues man's funeral is a hoot).

NOT available on DVD.

Sorry.

[–] matmcv 10 years ago

But available here right now. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrIRmMNi800

Get it before it's taken down!

[–] jedimulder24 16 years ago

Some Kind Of Wonderful

The way of paradoxes is the way of truth!

[–] sushifreak-1 16 years ago

One great 80s comedy that most people don't know about (though it was a surprise hit for a scottish independent film) is Gregory's Girl. I very highly recommend it and it is a must for any list of great 80s comedies.

[–] dunbar7 16 years ago

"Nothing in Common"
"About Last Night..."
"The Rachel Papers"
"Summer School"
"Summer Rental"
"The Great Outdoors"
"Splash"
"Evil Dead."
"Private School"
"Dragnet"
"Volunteers"
"The 'Burbs"
"Children of the Corn" (that was supposed to be a comedy, right?)
and who can forget the great, STILL unavailable on DVD, "Spring Break"

"She's, like, a biscuit older than me..."

[–] spanky_boz 16 years ago

Did anyone mention Heathers?

[–] sushifreak-1 9 years ago

Great list, brings back great memories and some films i'm going to see again--thanks!

[–] barrerarama 15 years ago

Thanks for the suggestion sushifreak-1. I just caught it on cable and thought it was great! Only drawback was that some of the voices were obviously dubbed for the American cut. I'm going to seek out a copy that is not dubbed.

[–] The_Real_Coops 16 years ago

Trading Places
Troll
Gnaw: Food of the Gods
The 'Burbs

______________________
"I am the Walrus" - Donnie, The Big Lebowski.

[–] Male Supremacy 16 years ago

Some nice titles, here's some more:

Wildcats (Goldie Hawn)
Back To School (Rodney Dangerfield)
Just One Of The Guys (Joyce Hauser (sic?))
Hot Moves! (if you see it, rent it, you won't regret)
St. Elmo's Fire
Critters
Oxford Blues (Rob Lowe)
The Heavenly Kid (Jason Gedrick)
The Last Starfighter (Lance Guest)
My Bodyguard (Matt Dillon)
Footloose (Kevin Bacon)
Flashdance
Police Academy!

Man, I love 80's movies...I'll try to think of some more.

[–] tigertodd 16 years ago

Don't forget "Mischief".

[–] Firedragon524 16 years ago

WOW! I'm actually shocked that no one, up to this point, mentioned "Planes, Trains & Automobiles". I love "Better Off Dead", but I do feel that "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is far, far superior.

COME NOT BETWEEN THE DRAGON AND HIS WRATH

[–] prendergast888 16 years ago

Planes Trains and Automobiles has being mentioned "badawie " clocked it a year ago

[–] Firedragon524 16 years ago

Planes Trains and Automobiles has being mentioned "badawie " clocked it a year ago

OOPS! Yeah, you're very correct. I missed that. My Bad!

COME NOT BETWEEN THE DRAGON AND HIS WRATH

[–] dehumanized 16 years ago

It's shocking that no one has listed "USED CARS" with Kurt Russell. HILARIOUS film.

"I've come up hard, baby, but now I'm cool."
-Marvin Gaye

[–] barrerarama 16 years ago

You're absolutely right! I should have listed "Used Cars" when I started this thread. It's in my DVD collection so I have no idea why I forgot it. If I had to rank these, I would probably put it at the top.

[–] dgun11 16 years ago

I love this list you all have compiled here. Nice job to all of you.

Two of my favs, (and if they've been mentioned and I've missed them, I apologize), are:

My Chauffer, (lotsa great one liners in this one), and:

Streets of Fire. Not really a comedy, but plenty of funny lines in this one and both shows are definitely 80's flix.

A 90's movie I love with one of the best 80's sountracks ever is Gross Point Blank

This is a blues riff in B. Watch me for the changes and try'n keep up.