Josh Bowman and Joanna Schroeder got all nostalgic and came up with a list of some classic comedies that still work today, and a few that are firmly stuck in the eighties.
The 1980s was a time of screwball comedies, pratfalls, and outlandish characters. At the same time, there were subtle and brilliant films that were far ahead of their time, and still hold up today. Here are a few we think stand out…feel free to add your own in the comments!
- Arthur
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Ghostbusters – This film is a classic. We love it so much. There are some strange messages below the surface, though (everybody smokes, the Environmental Protection Agency is evil). Also, honourary mention for Ghostbusters II. Also a terrific film featuring a bizarre and inspired performance by Peter MacNicol.
- Beverly Hills Cop – Eddie Murphy helped establish a formula in this film that has continued for decades. A wise-cracking cop with a shady past, out for justice. He wasn’t the first to do it, but the pacing and fast-and-furious humour in Beverly Hills Cop were years ahead of their time. Sigh. Eddie Murphy used to be so, so funny.
- Trading Places
- Beetlejuice – Tim Burton has always written movies from the perspective of an outsider. At his best, he creates entirely original worlds which creep into sleep suburbia and torment its inhabitants. Beetlejuice is hilarious and timeless because it is so bizarre and other-worldly.
- Three Men and a Baby – Yeah. You read that right.
- The Jerk
- This is Spinal Tap – The Office. Modern Family. Every Christopher Guest movie. They all began with Spinal Tap. Way ahead of its time.
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles– there is real humanity in John Candy’s character, and the relationship that develops between him and Steve Martin is nuanced and beautiful.
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- Three Amigos
- Fletch – Chevy Chase had such a heavy-handed brand of comedy that bringing him back on Community to primarily fall over and be a jerk is a really tongue-in-cheek nod to a comedic era that has come and gone.
- Short Circuit – In this movie, Number 5 was also so hilariously old fashioned. That being said, he does bear a striking resemblance to Wall-E.
- Crocodile Dundee – Paul Hogan’s rise to fame never made a whole lot of sense, nor did the plot of any of these movies. It is interesting to see a film where New York is painted as such a dangerous city, however. A lot can change in 30 years.
- Porky’s – even at the time, spying on girls changing in the shower seemed antiquated. Since Porky’s came out, pornography has become almost mainstream, and most cable television is chock-full of nudity and sex. To be honest, we almost miss those halcyon days where seeing a wet t-shirt or a bare bum was the height of impropriety.
So, what do you think? Are we totally off the mark here? What would you add?
Caddyshack
Blues Brothers
Let’s not forget about “Big” and the National Lampoons! I still watch “Christmas Vacation” every December. If I could be so bold as to mention a non-comedy, “Dirty Dancing” has my vote every time.
When was “Big Trouble in Little China” made?
Goonies cannot be overstated and Ferris Bueller is overrated for the same reason: kids are awkward, not perpetually too cool for school.
Spaceballs deserves to be on the list, and to lead it’s own category of surprisingly R-rated comedies passed off as PG rated comedies for TV.
“9 to 5” was a wonderful fantasy of women asserting themselves in the workplace “Raising Arizona”—Lines from that film still echo in my head today. “Son, you’ve got a panty on yer head.” “Say Anything”—beautiful, genuine characters “Throw Momma From the Train” “Spaceballs” “Weird Science”—Geeky science boys wearing bras on their heads creating a computer program to build the woman of their dreams. I guess I love hackers. “The Life of Brian” — “Alright. I am the messiah. now F*ck off!” completely changed my life “The Holy Grail”—I still want to open up an all womens’ spa in the nerdy… Read more »
Also, no list of great ’80’s comedies is compete without “Ruthless People” and “A Fish Called Wanda” “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” used to be one of my favorites, but I haven’t seen it in years so I don’t know if it has held up. I watched “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” recently and it was not as funny as I remembered. It has some great moments, to be sure. “Bueller … Bueller …” And the scene where the principal breaks into the Bueller’s house. Charlie Sheen’s cameo as a slightly demented, druggie pickup artist is almost eerie considering what we… Read more »
“Who Framed Rodger Rabbit” would have to be somewhere in my top 10. Maybe my top 10 goes to 11.
Take off Three Men and a Baby and add Tootsie. One of the decades best films – Period.
Thee Men and a Baby is excellent, Shawn! Have you seen it recently.
Tootsie is good. It was on our list of fifty or so that we started with.
I had trouble taking Ten off the list, too. It was tough to narrow down!
whoo you gonna calll… ghostbusters. still a stonking tune.
do the excellent ‘back to the future’ film count as comedies?
It was so hard to narrow it down to 10! Perhaps we need another list of ten! Feel free to compile what we missed… We had a HUGE list to start from, it was fun even just trying to remember them all and asking our friends.
ive just thought of ‘gremlins’
Are we counting The Princess Bride as a comedy? Because that is one of a very few perfect films ever made.
Josh and I spent some time debating, and along with my husband, agreed that although it’s a comedy, it’s really an action film… But yeah, for sure, it is one of the very best – of any genre!