Comedy doesn’t always age well, but thankfully there are plenty of 1980s classics which are just as funny today. Comedy movies often rely on topical humor and cultural references, both of which can date them terribly. The other common problem is that, as social attitudes change, people don’t laugh at some of the things which used to be considered acceptable. There are many old comedies which have some questionable jokes upon reflection.
The 1980s produced some classic comedies, although some have become viewed as increasingly problematic in recent years. Old comedies are almost expected to have a few off-color jokes, so it’s a pleasant surprise when a comedy with a potentially offensive subject turns out to be forward-thinking and kindhearted. People’s attitudes about what’s funny is always shifting, but there are still some timeless comedy movies which reach across many generations.
Related 10 1980s Comedies Barely Anyone Remembers
Some of the most influential comedies of the 20th century were released in the 1980s, but many audiences fail to remember the underrated classics.
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10 Tootsie (1982)
Dustin Hoffman’s Gender-Bending Comedy Is Surprisingly Forward-Thinking
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Director Sydney Pollack Release Date December 17, 1982 Cast Dustin Hoffman , Jessica Lange , Teri Garr
Public opinions on gender roles have changed a lot since the 1980s, so it’s surprising to see that a movie like Tootsie holds up so well. Tootsie stars Dustin Hoffman as a struggling actor in New York City who dresses as a woman to get himself a female role on a popular daytime soap. Michael Dorsey keeps his secret from everyone working on the show, even his female castmate who he develops feelings for.
Tootsie
makes fun of Michael for many things, but not his refusal to conform to gender stereotypes.
Tootsie works because it digs deeper than simplistic comedy about the differences between men and women. Most of the gender-based jokes are about how Michael is treated so differently when he’s presenting as a woman. Despite all his actions being the same, Michael is disrespected, ignored and objectified by the men around him. It’s also important that Tootsie makes fun of Michael for many things, but not his refusal to conform to gender stereotypes.
9 Trading Places (1983)
Trading Places Suggests That The Working Class Are Victims Of An Unjust System
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Director John Landis Release Date June 8, 1983 Cast Eddie Murphy , Jamie Lee Curtis , Ralph Bellamy , Don Ameche , Dan Aykroyd , Denholm Elliott
Trading Places follows a devious social experiment carried out by two out-of-touch billionaires. Debating the old argument of nature vs. nature, they conspire to replace one of their brokers with a homeless man, leaving the broker with nothing to fall back on. It’s hard to ignore the obvious racial slant of the experiment, since Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy play the two characters who trade places.
Aykroyd and Murphy’s characters have some superficial cultural differences, but they prove to be just as intelligent and resourceful in their own ways.
Although it walks on some shaky ground, Trading Places manages to avoid anything too problematic. Its message suggests that privilege is more important than natural characteristics. Aykroyd and Murphy’s characters have some superficial cultural differences, but they prove to be just as intelligent and resourceful in their own ways when given the chance. Decades later, Aykroyd is working on a script for a Trading Places sequel, which proves that the movie has aged well.
8 Coming To America (1988)
Eddie Murphy’s Fun Romcom Avoids Any Potential Trouble
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Director John Landis Release Date June 29, 1988 Cast James Earl Jones , John Amos , Eddie Murphy , Shari Headley , Arsenio Hall
Trading Places isn’t Eddie Murphy’s only movie from the 1980s with a potentially awkward premise. Coming to America features an African prince who travels to New York to search for a wife who doesn’t know about his wealth and status. The culture-clash comedy could easily have poked fun at African stereotypes, but it draws a lot of its humor from American attitudes.
Since Prince Akeem Joffer is from the fictional country of Zamunda,
Coming to America
gives itself the license to be general.
Since Prince Akeem Joffer is from the fictional country of Zamunda, Coming to America gives itself the license to be general. It isn’t trying to represent any specific nation, so it can’t be accused of misrepresentation. This allows Eddie Murphy’s comedic style to flow without too much impeding it. Coming to America is one of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, thanks to its intelligent comedy about race in America.
7 This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Some Of The References May Be Dated, But The Humor Is Timeless
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Director Rob Reiner Release Date March 2, 1984 Cast Rob Reiner , Christopher Guest , Michael McKean , Harry Shearer , R.J. Parnell
Rob Reiner’s classic rock mockumentary is rooted firmly in the 1980s, so a lot of its references to rock bands aren’t as relevant as they once were. Spinal Tap are meant to represent classic rock bands from the 1970s like Judas Priest and The Who, but they have fallen on hard times in the following decade as tastes changed. This specific period of rock history may be long gone, but it applies more generally to any zeitgeisty artist who gradually falls out of fashion.
Rob Reiner’s classic rock mockumentary is rooted firmly in the 1980s, so a lot of its references to rock bands aren’t as relevant as they once were.
While bands like Spinal Tap aren’t as popular as they once were, this has given This is Spinal Tap an added layer of comedy. The short-lived craze of hair metal bands is an extreme example, but any popular musician could find themselves labeled as redundant and passé, just like Spinal Tap. The upcoming Spinal Tap sequel will follow up with the band to see how they have handled decades of obscurity.
6 Do The Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee Looks At Race In America With Wit And Humanity
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Director Spike Lee Release Date June 14, 1989 Cast Danny Aiello , Ossie Davis , Ruby Dee , Richard Edson , Giancarlo Esposito , John Turturro , Spike Lee
Do the Right Thing examines the racial tension in a Brooklyn neighborhood, but Spike Lee’s intelligent, considered approach means that it has stood the test of time. Do the Right Thing has a lot of laughs, but it takes its message seriously. What Lee has to say about the differing approaches within the civil rights movement is something that is still an important issue today.
Do the Right Thing
examines the racial tension in a Brooklyn neighborhood, but Spike Lee’s intelligent, considered approach means that it has stood the test of time.
Do the Right Thing is a meditation on violence and unrest, and how these relate to the ongoing fight for equality. The movie’s multifaceted philosophy has held up well, and so has its humor. Some of the characters in Do the Right Thing‘s version of Bed-Stuy are reduced to stereotypes and clichés, but they act as simplified stand-ins for different viewpoints in the discourse around the civil rights movement in America.
5 Spaceballs (1987)
Mel Brooks Always Flirts With Controversy
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Director Mel Brooks Release Date June 24, 1987 Cast John Candy , Daphne Zuniga , Mel Brooks , Rick Moranis , Bill Pullman
Mel Brooks is certainly no stranger to controversy, since most of his movies probe the boundaries of good taste. His Star Wars spoof Spaceballs is no different. Spaceballs has a few jokes about stereotypes that seem a little more risqué by today’s standards, but Brooks has a knack for talking about taboo topics without ever crossing the line. It helps that his sense of humor is so irreverently silly that it’s hard to analyze his jokes too seriously.
Mel Brooks is certainly no stranger to controversy, since most of his movies probe the boundaries of good taste.
Spaceballs has aged surprisingly well, despite the jokes about Black troopers “combing” the desert with an afro pick and Yogurt’s Jewish mannerism gags. Brooks’ rapid-fire comedic style mixes wordplay, slapstick, sight gags, satire and much more. In his world, nothing is off the table. A Spaceballs sequel is now in the works, but it remains to be seen if this movie keeps Brooks’ sense of humor without the director involved.
4 Back To The Future Part II (1989)
Back To The Future’s Predictions Didn’t Pan Out
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Director Robert Zemeckis Release Date November 22, 1989 Cast Lea Thompson , Elisabeth Shue , Christopher Lloyd , Michael J. Fox , Thomas F. Wilson
Back to the Future Part II sends Marty and Doc forward in time to the year 2015. This should have given the sci-fi comedy an expiration date, but its vision of 2015 isn’t meant to be entirely accurate. Some of Back to the Future‘s predictions came true, like the ubiquity of video calling and wearable tech, but 2015 is supposed to appear alien and fantastical to Marty, so many of the technological leaps are beyond the realm of possibility.
It was never very likely that people would start wearing two ties at once, but this kind of big swing is admirable, when more serious sci-fi movies might play it safe.
2015 didn’t quite turn out like Back to the Future Part II suggested it would, since there weren’t any hoverboards and Jaws 19 wasn’t in theaters, but the retrofuturistic world serves the story perfectly. In fact, some of the bad predictions made by Back to the Future Part II have made the movie more charming in retrospect. It was never very likely that people would start wearing two ties at once, but this kind of big swing is admirable, when more serious sci-fi movies might play it safe.
3 An American Werewolf In London (1981)
The Horror Comedy Still Looks Great
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Director John Landis Release Date August 21, 1981 Cast David Naughton , Jenny Agutter , Griffin Dunne , John Woodvine , Lila Kaye , Joe Belcher
None of the humor in John Landis’ horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London was in danger of aging poorly, but the movie’s use of practical effects was a different story. Looking back, the effects hold up surprisingly well. David’s transformation scene is still revered as a masterpiece of practical effect use, and it looks just as convincing and horrifying as any movie being made today.
If
An American Werewolf in London
‘s visuals didn’t stand the test of time, the entire movie would fall flat.
If An American Werewolf in London‘s visuals didn’t stand the test of time, the entire movie would fall flat. It isn’t the kind of horror-comedy that makes fun of B-movies, shoddy effects or the suspension of disbelief that the genre often requires. Instead, it tries to genuinely frighten its audience in between the laughs. The transformation scene, Jack’s gruesome ghostly visage and the finale with the creature prowling around Central London are all incredibly effective.
2 Airplane! (1980)
Airplane Parodies A Few Movies Which Have Fallen Out Of Fashion
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Director Jim Abrahams , David Zucker , Jerry Zucker Release Date July 2, 1980 Cast Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Lloyd Bridges , Peter Graves , Julie Hagerty , Robert Hays , Leslie Nielsen
Airplane is a hilarious spoof of disaster movies, particularly Airport 1975 and Zero Hour! Neither one of these movies has remained as popular over the decades, so it’s impressive that Airplane is no less hilarious. Even though modern audiences might have no knowledge of the disaster movies that Airplane is making fun of, the script is still packed with great jokes that work out of context.
Airplane
works well as a more broad parody of disaster movies and melodramatic B-movies.
Airplane works well as a more broad parody of disaster movies and melodramatic B-movies, so it isn’t vital that audiences have seen either Zero Hour or Airport 1975. Airplane is endlessly quotable, with a remarkable number of witty jokes that could easily have been transplanted into any comedy script. Even the more specific jokes only require a basic knowledge of flying and movie tropes.
1 Raising Arizona (1987)
The Coen Brothers Make A Joke Out Of Kidnapping
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Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Release Date April 10, 1987 Cast Nicolas Cage , Holly Hunter , Trey Wilson , John Goodman , William Forsythe , Sam McMurray , Frances McDormand , Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb
Raising Arizona uses an extremely dark premise, but the Coen brothers have proven time and again that they can master the art of black comedy without going too far. Raising Arizona stars Nicolas Cage as a petty crook who decides to kidnap a baby when he and his wife discover that they are unable to conceive. The joke is always on his own ignorance and bad luck, so Raising Arizona has aged well.
The baby is often treated like a MacGuffin in
Raising Arizona,
as a treasure to be fought over, rather than a real, vulnerable human being.
Raising Arizona is one of the best Coen brothers movies, showcasing the directing duo’s talent for avoiding the pitfalls of taboo subjects. The baby is often treated like a MacGuffin in Raising Arizona, as a treasure to be fought over, rather than a real, vulnerable human being. However, although Junior is tossed around a lot, Raising Arizona is fantastical and cartoonish enough to make light of the situation without ever indicating that the baby could be in genuine danger.