“It Was A Different Time!”
To say it was a different time is something of an understatement. Anyone who survived the comedy landscape of the 1980s knows that it was absolutely WILD out there. These films pushed the limits, and some ended up as classics as a result—but boy, we cannot see these movies getting made today.
Better Off Dead
John Hughes movies got all the attention in the 1980s—which meant that many filmgoers missed out on the unforgettable comedy Better Off Dead, starring John Cusack. It’s wild, wacky, and off the wall compared to its contemporaries. So what makes it so unacceptable? Well, it’s a comedy about a kid who is doing everything he can to take his own life.
And, like Hughes’ classic Sixteen Candles, it also has some dicey Asian representation—though these characters are unquestionably cool. If you’re a fan of 80s teen comedies and dark humor but are tired of re-watching Heathers, give Better Off Dead a try.
Sixteen Candles
One of the aforementioned sappy John Hughes films, this film makes it to the list for a few reasons. For one, the character of Long Duk Dong. Need we say more? Then, of course, there’s the scene where the male love interest encourages the “nerd” Ted to spend some time alone with his girlfriend, the passed-out popular girl Caroline. It's implied they do the deed.
The next day, she asks Ted if she had a good time. Yikes.
Universal, Sixteen Candles (1984)
Big
Tom Hanks’ character, technically a child, goes all the way with Elizabeth Perkins’ character, an actual adult. What more do we need to say?
Porky’s
This risqué comedy set the standard for bawdy humor in the 1980s and featured an unforgettable turn from pre-Sex and the City Kim Cattrall. One part that we’re sure would have today’s audiences in a tizzy? That infamous peeping scene.
Porky’s wasn’t director Bob Clark’s only classic either—two years later, in 1983, he made A Christmas Story. Though it’s certainly more family-friendly, you can see a similar sense of humor shining through.
Coming To America
There’s been a long-standing debate about this Eddie Murphy vehicle, which essentially asks: is it an incredible comedy or a big cultural misstep? Its depictions of Africa and freewheeling usage of racial stereotypes has drawn ire, but it’s also got a lot of fans—which is why it was given a sequel in 2021, which also drew a lot of criticism.
Paramount, Coming to America (1988)
Soul Man
This film, about a rich kid who gets into Harvard but whose dad won’t pay the tuition, who then does blackface for a scholarship, is basically a film distillation about every tired joke and stereotype about affirmative action or DEI ever. And unlike the other entries on the list, there’s pretty much nothing redeeming about it.
Steve Tisch Company, Soul Man (1986)
Revenge Of The Nerds
One of the great classic 80s lowbrow comedies, Revenge is filled with dirty jokes—but occasionally, they toe the line around subjects like consent, like when one character wears a mask and pretends to be another to get a girl to hook up with him. And that’s to say nothing of the secret locker room cameras.
Twentieth Century, Revenge Of The Nerds (1984)
The Naked Gun
This Leslie Neilson classic features risqué joke after risqué joke—but one of the most jarring juxtapositions is between the law enforcement setting and the presence of OJ Simpson.
Paramount, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
The Man With Two Brains
This often-overlooked Steve Martin flick features the legendary comedian running around, trying to sleep with one uninterested femme fatale, while attempting to find an attractive woman’s body to implant another woman’s brain in. Name-calling ensues—and there’s a fat joke to cap it off.
Warner Bros., The Man with Two Brains (1983)
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Though not a straightforward comedy, the Indiana Jones series has never shied from jokes. As for Temple of Doom—is it a classic entry in a classic franchise? Absolutely. But its depiction of Indian culture—particularly, all the dining scenes played for laughs and gross-out value—leaves a lot to be desired.
Paramount, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Trading Places
If there’s one film that we might say has themes that still ring true today, it’s Trading Places and its lampooning of the so-called elite and humorous take on the class divisions that rule our society. And then, of course, there’s Dan Aykroyd doing blackface, dressing up as a Jamaican.
Paramount, Trading Places (1983)
Heathers
Like the aforementioned teen comedy Better Off Dead, Heathers centers on characters taking their own lives—or at least, staged to look like they did. And like Better Off Dead, it was a dark turn away from the cutesy teen comedies that dominated in the 80s.
While it’s still a heck of a watch today, characters like the homicidal JD, played by Christian Slater, don’t quite hold the same charm in an era of unending school violence.
New World Pictures, Heathers (1988)
Airplane
This classic 1980 comedy is the source of one of the greatest gags of all time—spilling a drink on yourself and claiming you have a drinking problem. Not all jokes are innocent. One of the most unforgettable scenes has Barbara Billingsley, AKA June Cleaver, speaking in “jive”.
When one of the film’s directors was asked if it could be made today, his reply was: “Sure, just without the jokes”.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
It’s nearly a miracle that Fast Times was made in its own era, because it was one of few films to portray a character terminating a pregnancy. While it wasn’t the most sensitive portrayal of the subject, it certainly set the film apart from its contemporaries in the teen comedy genre.
Universal, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Top Secret
The team behind Airplane followed up on their success with 1984’s Top Secret. It features a young Val Kilmer and is chockablock with jokes, some more questionable than others. These include a scene where a bull mounts a man, and another where a facial disfigurement is played for laughs.
