Chewers' 100 Funniest Films of the 80's - Page 2

47. Time Bandits (1981)  d. Terry Gilliam

Judas's 46th pick reminded me of another one of my childhood staples. This film is comic adventure fantasy at it's best. I'd even place it up there with the Princess Bride, though I think the more Iconic characters keeps Bride in first place. 

48.

1988

d. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Frank: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.
Jane: Goodyear?
Frank: No, the worst.

The third film in ZAZ's "80s Holy Trinity" (following Airplane! & Top Secret!). Resurrected from a long dead, failed TV show, the world bears witness to the comic genius of a longtime straight player, Leslie Nielsen.

49. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)  d. Robert Townsend

Townsend directed the same year's Raw, but with this supremely silly Tinseltown satire he reminded the world that not every black actor could be Eddie Murphy - however hard they rehearsed his trademark laugh. Helped put co-writer (and fellow Raw contributor) Keenen Ivory Wayans on the map, too.

51. Whitnail and I (1986) - Directed by Bruce Robinson

Essentially this is about two people who share a bedsit in 1969 and find themselves desparely unemployed and slowly going nuts from boredom. A trip to the countryside solves at least one of those problems.

A fantastic script is shaped into something truly spectacular by the performances of Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant. Grant in particular brings a rough around the edges theatrical sneer and makes the already great script just sing. It's a film of moments, with the basic structure of the film essentially devolving into a series of sketches, but each moment is absolutely fantastic and hilariously quotable. It's scuzzy aesthetic makes it completely of it's time, which is odd considering it's supposed to be a period piece, but it allows it to exist without feeling dated. It's just a record of despondency which is as valid in 1969 as it is in 1986 as it is in 2011.

52.  'Risky Business'.  Sometimes you just have to say, what the fuck.  Not just your average 80s teen sex comedy, it actually has a solid script, decent acting, and some character growth.  The third act, when Tom turns the family house into a bordello, is a scream.

Perhaps the first controversial pick of the bunch.

53. Shock Treatment (1981)  d. Jim Sharman   Story and music by Richard O'Brien 

The much maligned sequel to the Rocky Horror Picture Show is actually a really good musical satire which skewers reality TV and the eagerness of the public to eat up its "true" manufactured stories. It was a movie ahead it's time and it is too bad that about half of O'Brien's fans panned it because Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick couldn't return for various reasons.  While it is a pity that the original Brad and Janet are absent, Jessica Harper and Cliff De Young do an admirable job filling their rolls (actually I'm not entirely on the Cliff De Young bandwagon, but I have a soft spot for Jessica Harper and her presence makes this film work well as a double feature to De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise). 

Yes the film has a different tone than Rocky Horror, but I love it and lest you forget it is a F*cking Rock Musical by Richard F*cking O'Brien.

I always wanted to see 'Shock Treatment'.  Thanks for the reminder to hunt that one down.

54. After Hours (Scorsese, 1985)

I'll probably get blamed for that.

Leave it to Martin Scorsese to deliver not only one of his best depictions of New York City, but the dark comedy of the 80's: edgy, uncompromising, strange, and endlessly atmospheric. Griffin Dunne gives a brilliantly delirious performance as one of the worst-fated city dwellers in history, and it doesn't get much better than Catherine O'Hara's vigilante mob and their ice cream truck headquarters.

55. Stripes (1981) d. Ivan Reitman

"Lighten up Francis."

56.

1987                     d. Dennis Feldman

John Ritter's greatest film role. Here he plays a wimpy insurance man who learns how to be a badass while consigned to an Odyssey-ian trek with slick CIA super-agent Jim Belushi.

This is Midnight Run for people that thought that movie could've used more dominatrixes, aliens, & rogue clown assassins.

Here's the list, just because I had a lot of time.

1. Diner (1982)  d. Barry Levinson 

2. Ghostbusters. (1984)  d. Ivan Reitman 

3. Caddyshack (1980)  d. Harold Ramis.

4. Airplane! (1980)  d. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

5. This is Spinal Tap (1984)  d. Rob Reiner

6. Midnight Run (1988)  d. Martin Brest

7. Lost In America (1985)  d. Albert Brooks

8. Raising Arizona  (1987)  d. The Coens

9. The Princess Bride  (1987)  d. Rob Reiner

10. Fletch (1985)  d. Michael Ritchie

11. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)   d. Charles Crichton

12. Top Secret! (1984)  d. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

13. Better Off Dead (1985)  d. Savage Steve Holland

14. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)  d. Frank Oz

15. Beetle Juice (1988)  d. Tim Burton

16. Trading Places (1983)  d. John Landis

17. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)  d. John Hughes

18. Real Genius (1985)  d. Martha Coolidge

19. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)  d. John Hughes

20. Back to School (1986)  d. Alan Metter

21. Roxanne (1987)  d. Fred Schepisi 

22. The Blues Brothers (1980)  d. John Landis

23. Revenge of the Nerds (1984)  d. Jeff Kanew

24. ¡Three Amigos! (1986)  d. John Landis

25. Evil Dead II (1987)   d. Sam Raimi

26. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)  d. Frank Oz

27. The 'burbs (1989)  d. Joe Dante

28. Back to the Future (1985)  d. Robert Zemeckis

29. A Christmas Story (1983)  d. Bob Clark

30. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)  d. Harold Ramis

31. Clue (1985)  d. Jonathon Lynn

32. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)  d. Rob Reiner

33. Coming to America (1988)  d. John Landis

34. Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)  d. Tim Burton

35. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)  d. Robert Zemeckis

36. 48 Hrs. (1982)  d. Walter Hill

37. Broadcast News (1987)  d. James L. Brooks

38. Used Cars (1980)  d. Robert Zemeckis

39. Bill Cosby: Himself (1983)  d. Bill Cosby

40. Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)  d. Joe Dante, John Landis, Robert K. Weiss

41. Scrooged (1988)  d. Richard Donner

42. Ruthless People (1986)  d. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

43. Tootsie (1982)  d. Sydney Pollack

44. Richard Pryor Live On The Sunset Strip (1982)  d. Joe Layton

45. The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983)  d. Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas

46. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)  d. Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam

47. Time Bandits (1981)  d. Terry Gilliam

48. The Naked Gun (1988)  d.  Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

49. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)  d. Robert Townsend

50. Big Trouble  In Little China (1986)  d. John Carpenter

51. Withnail and I (1986)  d. Bruce Robinson

52. Risky Business (1983)  d. Paul Brickman

53. Shock Treatment (1981)  d. Jim Sharman

54. After Hours (1985)  d. Martin Scorsese

55. Stripes (1981)  d. Ivan Reitman

56. Real Men (1987)  d. Dennis Feldman

And I'm adding:

57. Innerspace (1987)  d. Joe Dante

Who knew Fantasic Voyage could inspire such an excellent screwball action comedy? Apparently screenwriter Chip Proser did. 

As it stands right now with 10 movies on the list 1987 is in the lead for funniest year of the decade, closely followed by 1988 & 1985 which both have 8. Third is also a tie with 1986 & 1983 both at 6

The least funny years so far are 1989 with 2 and 1981 with 3 

John Landis is on top with 5 movies

The Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker team have 4

nice one with 'Innerspace'.  That's an underrated little gem of a film.

Another one that I don't think gets the kind of recognition that it deserves:

58. My Favorite Year (1982) d. Richard Benjamin

"Jews know two things: suffering, and where to find great Chinese food."

"Damn you! I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star!"

'My Favorite Year' is great, and Peter O'Toole looks like he's having an absolute blast with the role.  Excellent choice.

I love how we're starting to get into the lesser known comedies of the 80s.  There's some really good hidden gold to be mined in this decade that is worth a second (or FIRST) look from everyone here.

59.  Tapeheads

Skewers the MTV culture back when MTV was still a sort of youth-culture sacred cow.  A terrific broad comic performance from John Cusack with a great assist from deadpan Tim Robbins.  Throw in Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, The Blender Children and The Swanky Modes, and you've got yerself a good time.  

60. Heathers (Lehmann, 1989)

I love my dead gay son!

If John Hughes and Cameron Crowe captured the honesty in the American teenager of the 1980's, then Daniel Waters destroyed it and manifested all the nightmares and moral panics that surrounded it. Christian Slater's channeling of Nicholson has never worked better.

HOLY SH*T!  Did it really take us this long to remember:

61.

1984                                       d. Alex Cox

"John Wayne was a fag"

62.  'The Sure Thing' (1985, Rob Reiner).  Sorry, but I think it's my favorite John Cusack movie.  The road trip from hell as a teen comedy.

How would you like to have a sexual encounter so intense it could conceivably change your political views? 

I can't believe it took this long for someone to mention Heathers. "I don't patronize bunny rabbits!"

63. The Man With Two Brains dir. Carl Reiner

This movie might not be suitable for everyone's tastes, but those who do like it generally LOVE it.

64. Say Anything... (Crowe, 1989)

The best romantic comedy of all time, but that's only because 2 Fast 2 Furious wasn't made in the 80's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi 

I can't believe it took this long for someone to mention Heathers. "I don't patronize bunny rabbits!"

 

 

63. The Man With Two Brains dir. Carl Reiner

 

This movie might not be suitable for everyone's tastes, but those who do like it generally LOVE it.

...get that cat outta here...

Yeah, I'm a fan.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterTarantino 

64. Say Anything... (Crowe, 1989)

 

The best romantic comedy of all time, but that's only because 2 Fast 2 Furious wasn't made in the 80's.

All time?  You'd honestly put it above 'Roman Holiday', 'It Happened One Night', or 'Some Like it Hot?'  Hell I'd even put 'When Harry Met Sally...' above it.

it's GOOD, don't get me wrong.  Indeed, it's REALLY good.  Just don't go overboard, bro.

That's my honest opinion. It's top 10 material for me.

I've been meaning to watch Tapeheads for like 10 years now, ever since I heard about it after seeing High Fidelity. It's on Instant. I'll be watching it promptly.

Hmm there is a number of films I like still unrepresented, but I cannot ignore this glaring omission anymore.

66. An American Werewolf in London (1981)  d. John Landis

Landis wrote the script and it was shelved for over a decade before he had enough clout to get it made. He said he got many writing and directing jobs based off the quality of this screenplay, but all the higher ups refused to green light the film because they said a horror comedy would never work. This movie, beside being great, is a big fuck you to all the studios out there too chicken shit to take a chance once in a while. 

67. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1981) d. Jamie Uys

Have a Coke and a smile.

Confession: I've never seen Say Anything...

68. Eddie Murphy Delirious (Gowers, 1983)

Watch me how fast I make these motherfuckers run.

An HBO special? Yes. Embedded into popular culture forever? Hell yes. Performance art at its best? You better believe it is!

48 Hrs., Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop proved Murphy a phenomenon, and Delirious captures all his best manic energy into 70 minutes of pure classic comedy.

The ice cream shtick is legendary. Murphy's mother as Clint Eastwood and his dead on impression of the Man with No Name. G.I. Joe sodomy. Eddie's drunken dad. "Psych! You is on the welfare!" Mr. T. Eddie's Star Trek fandom and reenacting episodes. "Same shit worked last week!"

Eddie Murphy Raw is very good as well, and it was a theatrical film, but you can start to see Murphy's fame ego heralding itself through there, however, his routine about Bill Cosby's son calling him and Eddie calling Richard Pryor is ingenious. "Stupid Jello puddin' eatin' mothafucka!"

With that in mind, Delirious is exactly how we want to remember him.

'Delirious' is 10 times the film that 'Raw' is.  Good call.

69.

Bagdad Cafe  (1987)                                                d. Percy Adlon

One of the great feel good comedies of the 80s. It's the story of an unlikely friendship between an embittered motel/cafe owner (CCH Pounder in her breakthrough role) & a stranded German tourist whose unexpected presence changes the lives of the cast of eccentric characters who populate the film, including burnt out hippie painter Jack Palance.

This German indie was a mini phenomenon when it came out in 1987 & even birthed a short-lived CBS sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg a couple years later. The warm, naturalistic evolution of the film's core relationship is one of the finest portrayals of female friendship ever committed to film.

70.  'Weird Science'  

More FUN than FUNNY, it's one of those films that you kinda smile and enjoy.  Parts of it are hysterical, but I find it to be more of a bizarre mood piece where anything and everything goes.  The cast is inspired from top to bottom, with Bill Paxton almost stealing the entire movie with his very minimal role.  

Good GOD is Kelly LeBrock hot in this film.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas Booth 

Good GOD is Kelly LeBrock hot in this film.

And she's funny as hell too, How many models could pull off a role like this today?

"Don't threaten me, Al! You're out of shape, I'll kick your arse"

You may see vag flash in 'The Woman in Red', but I still say that she's hotter here.  When she first appears in that smoking doorway with the shirt hanging over her shoulder...yeah.

71. Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985) 

If I had to pick a great comedic double feature about the Western genre, it would be Blazing Saddles and Three Amigos. No question. However, if it was a triple feature, I'd add Rustlers' Rhapsody to the list. Both a tribute and goof on the type of Westerns that featured Roy Rogers or Gene Autry, Rhapsody has Tom Berenger as a cowboy who is a little bit too clean-cut for his own good, Andy Griffith as an evil cattle baron, and G.W. Bailey as the town drunk. Oh, and Marilu Henner and Sela Ward in their prime. 

"Give me a tall glass of warm gin with a human hair in it."

Holy crap, that's right. Sela Ward is volcanically hot in this.

True about Ward, but Henner is nothing to sneeze at.

And I just realized this clip should have been posted in the Salma Hayek thread, but I don't think that anyone is gonna mind. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterTarantino 

68. Eddie Murphy Delirious (Gowers, 1983)

 

With that in mind, Delirious is exactly how we want to remember him.

Man, back in the mid-80's during my high school days one of my friends had that on cassette and we would listen to it constantly, even on the bus to basketball games. Funny, funny shit.

Adding:

72. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) d. Keenen Ivory Wayans

Just sittin' here reading through the quotes on IMDB I'm laughing my ass off.

hell yes on 'Rustler's Rhapsody'.  Forgot all about that one.  I tip my hat on to that one.

73) Johnny Dangerously (1984) d. Amy Heckerling

"I would like to direct this to the distinguished members of the panel: You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes... like yourselves."

This list needs a lot more Michael Keaton. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeI 

73) Johnny Dangerously (1984) d. Amy Heckerling

I saw that movie once...

once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeI 

This list needs a lot more Michael Keaton. 

Agreed.

74.  'Night Shift'.  Henry Winkler's kinda wimpy in it, but Keaton is firing on all cylinders for the entire length of the film.  Lots of funny stuff in here.

I'm about halfway through Real Men and I cannot believe I have never seen this movie before. Belushi and Ritter are at the top of their game. I feel like I'm watching the unholy spawn of 48 Hrs. and After Hours and another unmentioned '85 comedy, as directed by Alex Cox, and I cannot believe this movie is PG-13. There's tits, a LOT of people die, Belushi kills a hitman while fucking a random woman, and John Ritter falls for Belushi's post-op transsexual father.

Judas just psyched me out big time. LOVE Night Shift and was seriously considering it as one of my entries.

What if you mix the mayonnaise in the can...with the tuna fish, or...hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take live tuna fish, and feed 'em mayonnaise! Oh, this is great. CALL STARKIST!

This is Ted...telling Bill...to SHUT UP!!!!!!

Ron Howard has never made a better movie and I will gladly argue this. Yet another brilliant time capsule of 80's New York. A perfect balance of lightheartedness, real danger and high-concept sleaze and debauchery. Henry Winkler is hilariously irate and Michael Keaton gives one of the best comedic performances of the decade.

Frost/Nixon and Apollo 13 have nothing on this one.

76. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Heckerling, 1982)

And I'm gonna kick 100 percent of your ass!

75 other movies before this one? Goddamn.

A deserved classic. Balances the raunchiness and emotion brilliantly and gets high school life more right than any other film of that time, including the previously inducted (by myself) Heathers. The iconic moments are off the charts: the antagonism between Spicoli and Mr. Hand. Brad's lust for Linda and its humiliating Cars-supported payoff. Brad's further embarrassment by pirate costume. One of the best soundtracks of the 80's. Learning about Cuba, havin' some food. Mike Damone, one of the most brilliantly unlikable douchebags of the 80's. James Russo's hot coffee takedown. One of the best soundtracks ever.

Between this, Taps, Bad Boys, and At Close Range, there's no question Sean Penn had a staggering run in the 80's, and in a perfect world Ray Walston would have been nominated for an Oscar.

77. Big (1988)  d. Penny Marshall

You cannot escape an 80s film montage without seeing the classic scene where Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play chopsticks on the floor piano in FAO Schwarz. It's for a good reason. Every adult reaches a point in their lives when they are driving to work in a funk, thinking about how behind they are on their bills, worrying about the the future, if they'll have a place to live in a year, and praying that their mutual fund will still have money left in it at the end for retirement.

It's around this time when the kid in them grabs them by the throat and screams in their ear what the hell happened!? No other film encapsulates the yearning every adult has to return to the happiness and nostalgia of their own childhood in an attempt to recapture that feeling that anything is possible and the sky's the limit. Big grabs us all and reminds us what it is like to be a kid and asked the question: Is there anything gained by ignoring your own inner child? So why do it?

Jesus...I thought that 'Fast Times' had gone already.

Local Hero (1983) - One of my first experiences with British (overseas) wit. Love Peter Reigert in this, and love the loony locals. The ending is sharply bittersweet. To this day, I drive by a local street named Aberdeen and, every time, try to say it like the poor schlub in HERO who's in love with the mermaid.

Great Mark Knoppfler soundtrack on 'Local Hero'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas Booth 

Great Mark Knoppfler soundtrack on 'Local Hero'.

Yup - it's essentially another character in the film.