From “Dead Poet’s Society” to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, the ‘80s produced a treasure trove of movies that remain classics today. Though many of these movies have elements that did not age exceptionally well, they should not be written off completely as relics of the past. Instead,the ‘80s can offer us all a sort of reprieve from modern day unoriginality – and by that, I mean Disney’s frantic attempts at producing live action films of animated movies we have all seen a hundred times. In any case, here are five ‘80s movies that are definitely worth your time, listed from most to least well-known.

1. The Goonies (1985)

This beloved movie stars four young boys as they search for the long-lost pirate treasure that could potentially save their homes from being torn down. Mikey (Sean Astin), Chunk (Jeff Cohen), Data (Ke Huy Quan), and Mouth (Corey Feldman) prepare to say goodbye to their best friends and the only home they’ve ever known…until they find a treasure map in Mikey’s attic that could save their homes and, if not, at least provide them with one last Goonies adventure. They tie up Mikey’s older brother, Brand (Josh Brolin), and set off, but soon discover that the infamous Fratellis (Anne Ramsey, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Davi), a family of dangerous criminals, are hot on their trail. The four boys, along with a few friends they find along the way, race against both the Fratellis and time as they search for One-Eyed Willy’s famous treasure. The Goonies flawlessly mixes comedy with action as it weaves its way through the tropes of hidden treasure, car chases, and mischievous friends, all without tiring any of them out. Though The Goonies undeniably has its issues, it is a movie everyone should watch at least once – you will not be disappointed. 

2. Spaceballs (1987)

This parody playfully mocks the popular series “Star Wars”, opening with the traditional text scrolling up the screen, ending with the phrase, “If you can read this, you don’t need glasses,” before transitioning into a gigantic spaceship that just keeps going (sound familiar?). Even without knowing the Star Wars franchise, the audience can enjoy the many playful jokes that this feature throws at them.  Moreover, the plot in and of itself can only be described as hilarious. Here, rather than the Sith, an evil race known as the Spaceballs are the ones to watch out for. They have depleted all of the air on their planet and now seek to steal more oxygen from other planets. To do so, they hatch a brilliant scheme – kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) of Planet Druidia and blackmail her father into handing over their planet’s oxygen. When Princess Vespa and her droid/best friend, Dot Matrix (Body: Lorene Yarnell Jansson, Voice: Joan Rivers), are kidnapped after running away from an arranged marriage, everything seems to be going according to plan. However, what Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), President Skroob (Mel Brooks), and the others haven’t accounted for is Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) – and his half-dog half-man (“mog”) best friend, Barf (John Candy) – whom the king hires to rescue Princess Vespa. To bring balance back to the universe, defeat the spaceballs once and for all, and get the girl, Lone Starr must, with the help of his mentor Yogurt (also Mel Brooks), master the Schwartz. This movie will leave you cackling and crying tears of laughter, long after the credits roll. 

3. Clue (1985)

Many movies nowadays are based on books, or even musicals, but this 1985 comedy finds its origins in the immensely popular board game which shares its name. Also sharing names are many of the movie’s characters: Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Miss Scarlett (Lesley Ann Warren), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), and, of course, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving). These colorful characters begin the movie on the way to a strange and isolated mansion to which they have been invited by “a friend.” They are greeted by Yvette (Colleen Camp), the maid, and Wadsworth (Tim Curry), the butler. This admittedly odd dinner party quickly takes a turn when a dangerous secret of Mr. Boddy’s is revealed and minutes later he is dead. Everyone in that house has a motive, and everyone has an opportunity, but there will be no leaving until they figure out the most important question in every murder mystery: Who dunnit? Racing against time, these bumbling characters hurry to find the perpetrator and clear their names before the police arrive – and the bodies just keep piling up. This hilarious, quick-witted, incredibly quotable, and surprisingly unproblematic movie will have you laughing nonstop, and is most definitely worth the watch.  

4. Midnight Madness (1980)

This movie opens with two girls roller skating through a college campus in colorful clothes and knee-high socks – how 80s can you get? These two girls, Candy (Deborah Richter) and Sunshine (Kirsten Baker), are on their way to deliver a series of colorful envelopes whose contents promise a night of hysterical fun and ruthless competition that has been in the works for over a year. The dedicated and extremely geeky Leon (Alan Solomon) has invited students from different rival cliques to participate in an all-night scavenger hunt throughout the city in which they live. Following a series of complicated clues, the five teams must battle it out for the sake of the ultimate prize: bragging rights. Though at first the five leaders chosen dismiss Leon entirely, they soon decide to compete when their rivalries push them over the edge. Spoiled and resentful Harold (Stephen Furst) seeks to take down the good-natured and golden-boy Adam (David Naughton), while nerdy Wesley (Eddie Deezen) and unpopular Donna (Maggie Roswell) want revenge against jock Lavitas (Brad Wilkin), who, true to his stereotype, has been incessantly messing with them. This silly competition soon escalates into a battle for guts and glory, with friendships formed and broken in its midst…sort of. From constellations to arcade battles to questionable games of mini-golf, this gripping, exciting, and hilarious movie never fails to entertain, and will both keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to stand up and cheer. This movie is also, funnily enough, Michael J. Fox’s film debut, as Adam’s younger brother. How cool is that?

5. Poison Ivy (1985)

Many high school students today have become accustomed to cruising through Netflix, Disney+, or Hulu, picking what to watch and when to watch it at their leisure. The movies they find are meant to be watched and loved over and over again – but such was not the case in the 80s. “Made-for-TV” movies were created on relatively low budgets, meant to be run once – maybe twice, if they were popular – and then discarded. Oftentimes the actors in them were only there to promote other, more serious movies they were in at the same time. Such was the case with Poison Ivy, starring Michael J. Fox as Dennis Baxter and Nancy McKeon as Rhonda Malone. This incredible movie would have been lost forever in the sands of time if some brave soul hadn’t decided to upload it to Youtube. This movie follows camp counselor Dennis and his campers at the all-boys Camp Pinewood. While the central plot arch is Dennis’s and camp nurse Rhonda’s relationship, there are various other subplots that are worth their weight in gold. From Jerry Disbro (Joe Wright) navigating Bobby Novak’s (Derek Googe) contract on the camp baseball team to Timmy Mezzy (Cary Guffey) frantically trying to escape camp at every turn, from Brian Firestone’s (Thomas Nowell) sensitive poetry and his hopeless crush on Rhonda to the infamous and strangely intense Color Wars that splits Dennis’s cabin down the middle, Poison Ivy has no shortage of hijinks, shenanigans, and laughs to offer its audience. It’s the coming of age movie you’ve always wanted… without any of the usual frustration or angst. This movie is extremely quotable, crazy funny, and the perfect no-stress comedy to brighten your day. 

Conclusions

Times have changed, and many of the jokes and choices in different movies from the ‘80s are no longer ok today. It must be acknowledged that just because something was considered ‘fine’ forty years ago doesn’t mean it is fine today, or that it was ever fine in the first place. Regardless, many ‘80s movies have not grown obsolete and current viewers should not write off all movies from that time period as crude, awful, or offensive. The 1980s saw a great number of fantastic, interesting, creative, and absolutely hysterical movies released, and though some have aged exceptionally badly, others have aged quite well and deserve to be watched and celebrated. The five movies highlighted above have all aged fairly to very well, and are undeniably enjoyable to watch, especially with friends and family. All five are comedies in every sense, and, with quirky characters, creative plot-lines, witty quips and bits that will leave you cackling, and a little extra something for everyone, will absolutely be worth every minute you spend watching them – I guarantee it.