Comedy films flourished during the 1980s – a golden age of comedy in American cinema. Following a stretch of dark and gritty films released in the 1970s that reflected the nation’s mood of disillusionment after Vietnam and Watergate, perhaps audiences were ready for something light and fun.
The result was a decade of unforgettable movies about airplanes, golf, time travel, and monsters. Major studios released hundreds of successful comedies throughout the decade, from the legendary “Caddyshack,” released in 1980, to 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally.”
24/7 Wall St. determined the best comedies of the decade by creating an index based on user ratings from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.
Click here to see the best comedies of the 1980s.
While all of the films featured on the list easily fit within the genre of comedy, they touch on an assortment of other categories, reflecting the vast creativity of the moment. There are mockumentaries, such as “Zelig” and “This Is Spinal Tap;” action movies, like “The Stunt Man” and “Midnight Run;” and even horror films like “Gremlins” and “An American Werewolf in London.” Some films, however, do away with all pretense and go straight for the jokes, such as the supremely silly “Airplane!”
Some directors are more represented than others on this list. Rob Reiner, John Hughes, and John Landis each have three of their films on the list. No one, however, is more represented than the famously prolific Woody Allen, who has the most movies on the list with six.
Some directors represented here are not generally known for their comedic work, yet still managed to create great comedies in the 80s. These include Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, and John Carpenter.
Of course, the 1980s wouldn’t have been such a golden age of humor without so many great comedic actors. The talent that graces our list includes Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, Lily Tomlin, and Eddie Murphy.
To determine the best comedy movies of the 1980s, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes’ average audience rating, and Internet Movie Database average user rating. To be considered, each film had to have at least 10,000 total user ratings between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, 10 approved Tomatometer critic reviews, and be classified as a comedy by IMDb. Films that were deemed as not sufficiently falling in the genre of comedy were removed.
We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Box office data is from IMDb and is not adjusted for inflation.
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
75. Ruthless People (1986)
> Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
> Starring: Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Judge Reinhold
> Domestic box office: $71.62 million
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
74. The War of the Roses (1989)
> Director: Danny DeVito
> Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
> Domestic box office: $86.89 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
73. Shag (1989)
> Director: Zelda Barron
> Starring: Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Scott Coffey
> Domestic box office: $6.96 million
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
72. Eating Raoul (1982)
> Director: Paul Bartel
> Starring: Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Robert Beltran
> Domestic box office: N/A
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71. Stripes (1981)
> Director: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis
> Domestic box office: $85.30 million
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
70. Real Genius (1985)
> Director: Martha Coolidge
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Gabriel Jarret, Michelle Meyrink
> Domestic box office: $13.00 million
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
69. Shirley Valentine (1989)
> Director: Lewis Gilbert
> Starring: Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Julia McKenzie
> Domestic box office: $6.35 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
68. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
> Director: Tim Burton
> Starring: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton
> Domestic box office: $40.90 million
Source: Courtesy of Island Records
67. She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
> Director: Spike Lee
> Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell
> Domestic box office: $7.14 million
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
66. My Bodyguard (1980)
> Director: Tony Bill
> Starring: Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon
> Domestic box office: $22.48 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
65. 48 Hrs. (1982)
> Director: Walter Hill
> Starring: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole
> Domestic box office: $78.87 million
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
64. Top Secret! (1984)
> Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Peter Cushing
> Domestic box office: $20.50 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
63. Arthur (1981)
> Director: Steve Gordon
> Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud
> Domestic box office: $95.46 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
62. All of Me (1984)
> Director: Carl Reiner
> Starring: Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Victoria Tennant
> Domestic box office: $36.40 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
61. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
> Director: Frank Oz
> Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia
> Domestic box office: $38.75 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
60. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
> Director: Amy Heckerling
> Starring: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold
> Domestic box office: $27.09 million
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
59. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
> Director: John Carpenter
> Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun
> Domestic box office: $11.10 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
58. Parenthood (1989)
> Director: Ron Howard
> Starring: Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest
> Domestic box office: $100.05 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
57. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
> Director: Martin Brest
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton
> Domestic box office: $234.76 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
56. Deathtrap (1982)
> Director: Sidney Lumet
> Starring: Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon
> Domestic box office: $19.28 million
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
55. Prizzi’s Honor (1985)
> Director: John Huston
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia
> Domestic box office: $26.70 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
54. The Goonies (1985)
> Director: Richard Donner
> Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen
> Domestic box office: $61.50 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
53. Caddyshack (1980)
> Director: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray
> Domestic box office: $39.85 million
Source: Courtesy of Shout! Factory
52. The Sure Thing (1985)
> Director: Rob Reiner
> Starring: John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Anthony Edwards
> Domestic box office: $18.14 million
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Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
51. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
> Director: Frank Oz
> Starring: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly
> Domestic box office: $42.04 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
50. Beetlejuice (1988)
> Director: Tim Burton
> Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton
> Domestic box office: $73.71 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
49. Risky Business (1983)
> Director: Paul Brickman
> Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano
> Domestic box office: $63.50 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
48. Gremlins (1984)
> Director: Joe Dante
> Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
> Domestic box office: $148.17 million
Source: Courtesy of The Criterion Collection
47. Something Wild (1986)
> Director: Jonathan Demme
> Starring: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, George ‘Red’ Schwartz
> Domestic box office: $8.36 million
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
46. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
> Director: David Zucker
> Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson
> Domestic box office: $78.04 million
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
45. Stardust Memories (1980)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper
> Domestic box office: $10.39 million
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
44. Sixteen Candles (1984)
> Director: John Hughes
> Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry
> Domestic box office: $23.69 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
43. Better Off Dead… (1985)
> Director: Savage Steve Holland
> Starring: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby
> Domestic box office: $10.30 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
42. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
> Director: Barry Levinson
> Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran
> Domestic box office: $123.92 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
41. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
> Director: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca
> Domestic box office: $61.40 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
40. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
> Director: Terry Gilliam
> Starring: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley
> Domestic box office: $8.08 million
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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
39. Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
> Director: Paul Bogart
> Starring: Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein
> Domestic box office: $4.87 million
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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
38. Polyester (1981)
> Director: John Waters
> Starring: Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey
> Domestic box office: .
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
37. Trading Places (1983)
> Director: John Landis
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy
> Domestic box office: $90.40 million
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Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
36. Bull Durham (1988)
> Director: Ron Shelton
> Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
> Domestic box office: $50.89 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
35. Moonstruck (1987)
> Director: Norman Jewison
> Starring: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis
> Domestic box office: $80.64 million
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
34. Repo Man (1984)
> Director: Alex Cox
> Starring: Harry Dean Stanton, Emilio Estevez, Tracey Walter
> Domestic box office: $3.57 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
33. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
> Director: John Hughes
> Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins
> Domestic box office: $49.53 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
32. The Blues Brothers (1980)
> Director: John Landis
> Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway
> Domestic box office: $57.23 million
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
31. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
> Director: John Landis
> Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher
> Domestic box office: $30.57 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
30. Tootsie (1982)
> Director: Sydney Pollack
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr
> Domestic box office: $177.20 million
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
29. Big (1988)
> Director: Penny Marshall
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
> Domestic box office: $114.97 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
28. Lost in America (1985)
> Director: Albert Brooks
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, Sylvia Farrel
> Domestic box office: $10.18 million
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
27. Raising Arizona (1987)
> Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson
> Domestic box office: $22.85 million
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26. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
> Director: Charles Crichton, John Cleese
> Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline
> Domestic box office: $63.49 million
25. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
> Director: Rob Reiner
> Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
> Domestic box office: $92.82 million
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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
24. Hairspray (1988)
> Director: John Waters
> Starring: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine
> Domestic box office: $6.67 million
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
23. The Stunt Man (1980)
> Director: Richard Rush
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey
> Domestic box office: $7.06 million
Source: Courtesy of Orion Classics
22. Mystery Train (1989)
> Director: Jim Jarmusch
> Starring: Masatoshi Nagase, Yûki Kudô, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
> Domestic box office: $0.37 million
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Source: Courtesy of Image Entertainment
21. Heathers (1988)
> Director: Michael Lehmann
> Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty
> Domestic box office: $1.11 million
20. Say Anything… (1989)
> Director: Cameron Crowe
> Starring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney
> Domestic box office: $20.78 million
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
19. Ghostbusters (1984)
> Director: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver
> Domestic box office: $238.63 million
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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
18. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
> Director: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy
> Domestic box office: $156.45 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
17. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
> Director: John Hughes
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
> Domestic box office: $70.14 million
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
16. Broadcast News (1987)
> Director: James L. Brooks
> Starring: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter
> Domestic box office: $51.25 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
15. My Favorite Year (1982)
> Director: Richard Benjamin
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper
> Domestic box office: $20.12 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
14. After Hours (1985)
> Director: Martin Scorsese
> Starring: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom
> Domestic box office: $10.60 million
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
13. Diner (1982)
> Director: Barry Levinson
> Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon
> Domestic box office: $14.10 million
12. Radio Days (1987)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Mike Starr
> Domestic box office: $14.79 million
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
11. Victor Victoria (1982)
> Director: Blake Edwards
> Starring: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston
> Domestic box office: $21.93 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
10. Midnight Run (1988)
> Director: Martin Brest
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto
> Domestic box office: $38.41 million
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
9. The Breakfast Club (1985)
> Director: John Hughes
> Starring: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
> Domestic box office: $45.88 million
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Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
8. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
> Domestic box office: $10.63 million
Source: Courtesy of Courtesy of Orion Pictures
7. Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte
> Domestic box office: $10.60 million
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
6. Airplane! (1980)
> Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
> Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen
> Domestic box office: $83.40 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
5. Zelig (1983)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Patrick Horgan
> Domestic box office: $11.80 million
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
4. A Christmas Story (1983)
> Director: Bob Clark
> Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
> Domestic box office: $19.29 million
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Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
3. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Martin Landau, Woody Allen, Bill Bernstein
> Domestic box office: $18.25 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
2. Back to the Future (1985)
> Director: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
> Domestic box office: $210.61 million
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1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
> Director: Rob Reiner
> Starring: Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest
> Domestic box office: $0.19 million
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