Wild hairstyles, bright colorful clothing, and listening to catchy Pop tunes are only some of the characteristics that define the 1980s. The Netflix original Stranger Things (2016 -) had its narrative set in the 1980s reminding viewers of some pop culture references from the 1980s.
When it comes to movies, 1980s comedies combined different genres such as sci-fi, adventure, and romance to give viewers an engaging narrative to follow. While some movies might not entertain viewers as they once did or intended to, there are plenty of comedy movies that still share-worthy life lessons, and present genuine relationships, all while experiencing unexpected, but hilarious events.
'K-9' (1989)
Police officer Michael Dooley (Jim Belushi) worked his cases alone, and he preferred to work alone. However, during his last case where he tried to take down a drug dealer, he barely escaped alive. For his next planned uncover mission, he was assigned to work with Officer Jerry Lee (Rando), a four-legged German Shepherd who believes he might be smarter than Michael. The two of them, despite their disagreements, seemed to slowly bond with each throughout the film.
Around the same time that the film K-9 (1989) was released, the movie, Turner & Hooch also premiered about a detective who had to take care of a large rowdy dog. While both K-9 and Turner and Hooch show characters growing an appreciation for man's best friend (dogs), K-9 has a slightly lighter tone than Turner and Hooch. K-9 is available on YouTube.
'Weekend at Bernie's' (1989)
Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser) is the president of a corporation as well as Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker's (Jonathan Silverman) boss. After Larry and Richard uncovered an error in the company's records, Bernie awarded them with a weekend at his beach house. During the weekend getaway, Bernie hired a hit man to kill Larry and Richard. The plan took a sharp turn when Bernie ends up dead. When Larry and Richard found Bernie's dead body drifting out on the water, neither of them wanted Bernie's death to ruin their vacation, so they clean up his lifeless body and pretend that he is still alive and well.
While some movies like Warm Bodies (2013) or Beetlejuice (1988) have a slightly dark tone when it comes to death, Weekend at Bernie's (1989) takes a darkly comedic approach to death. Larry and Richard had ridiculous ideas to try and show that Bernie is alive and well by taking him everywhere they go, but these tricks certainly fool a couple of characters in the film. Weekend at Bernie's is available on Hulu.
'Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' (1989)
Ever wonder what life would be like if ants were as tall as humans? Professor Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) was working on his latest invention, the machine capable of shrinking anything in his office. As his kids walked into his office, this machine shrunk them to the size of an ant. As Dr. Szalinski returned to his office, he accidentally threw them out with the garbage. As they escaped the garbage bag, the kids had to navigate the rough terrain known as their backyard back to their home.
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989) is a family-friendly movie. The movie's visual effects captured the drastic differences between the kids and the outside world. Honey I Shrunk The Kids followed up with two sequels: Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997). Honey, I Shrunk The Kids is available on Disney+.
'Funny Farm' (1988)
Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Elizabeth (Madolyn Smith Osborne) move to the countryside in Vermont. Andy hoped that once he could rest and relax. While surrounded by nature, he would find inspiration for his next best-selling book. Each day brought more surprises for the couple as they met their drunk driving mailman, found human bones buried in their backyard, and what was the delicacy at the local restaurant.
The country life was not what it seemed to be for the leads in Funny Farm (1988). Fans who watched National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) starring Chase will likely enjoy this film with its quirky character and comedic moments. Funny Farm is available on YouTube.
'Overboard' (1987)
Stylish and arrogant Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) lived a life of luxury. Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell), a widowed father, was a carpenter hired to clean the Stayton's carpet on their yacht. Dean mistakenly installed the wrong type of wood in her closet and offered to fix it, but Joanna didn't want him to continue and refused to pay him. After a heated confrontation with Joanna, the next night, she fell overboard and was diagnosed with amnesia at the hospital. Dean took the opportunity for revenge and claimed at the hospital that she was his wife.
The 1987 film Overboard was remade in 2018 with the roles reversed where a struggling single mother tricked a rich arrogant man, who fell off his yacht, that he was her husband. However, the 1987 version is still worth watching for the natural chemistry between Hawn and Russell. Overboard is available on Hulu.
'Back to the Future' (1985)
Most viewers may have wondered how far they would go back in time if they owned a time machine. For Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) he took the Delorean time machine back to the 1950s, years before he was born. However, his arrival in the past disrupted his parent's chances of ever meeting each other. This change in history will alter the course of future events and possibly the chances of him even being born. With the help of Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), the future inventor of the Delorean, he needed his help to set up his parents to meet each other and return to 1985.
Back to the Future (1985) gives viewers a chance to compare the Delorean to the complicated time machines found in today's movies such as The Adam Project (2022). Generational clashes between Marty and the folks from 1985 provide comedic relief to the serious problems that Marty needs to solve before his time runs out. Back to the Future and its sequels are available on Roku Channel.
'Ghostbusters' (1984)
Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler were the original Ghostbusters. They were originally Columbia University professors who studied paranormal phenomena, but rather than just studying them, they intended on hunting these paranormal creatures and eliminating them.
Whether it's the iconic Ecto-1 car, the beige uniforms with boots, or the catchy theme song, almost everyone is familiar with the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The sequel to Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, was released in 1989, and after 32 years, the next installment Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released. In 2016, Ghostbusters released a reboot with a woman crew hunting ghosts in Manhatten. Ghostbusters (1984) is available on Vudu.
'Beverly Hills Cops' (1984)
Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) was a police officer monitoring the streets of Detroit. Most officers advised Axel to not get involved, but Axel wanted to ensure that the killer was punished. He travels to Beverly Hills to find the murderer who killed his friend. In Beverly Hills, he reunited with Jenny Summers, who worked at an art gallery. She knew more about who could be involved in the murder.
Beverly Hills Cops (1984) falls under the action crime category, but there are a few comedic moments within the movie. The film was followed up with two sequels, Beverly Hills Cops II (1987) and Beverly Hills Cops III (1994) with Axel returning to Los Angeles. Beverly Hills Cops is available on Amazon Prime Video.