The Best Movies of 1988

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated September 4, 2020 15.1k votes 733 voters 23.6k views342 items

List RulesOnly movies released in theaters in 1988.

A list of the best movies of 1988, from light dramas like Bull Durham to action movies like Die Hard.The '80s were a decade where Hollywood thrived. In were new stars and big blockbusters and 1988 was no exception. Some the best movies of this year are some of the best teen, coming of age, adventure, comedies and dramas in history. The films on here are very memorable and had audiences on the edges of their seats, and still pack a punch so many years aft they were first released. You shouldn't be too surprised by the movies listed on here. As stated before, some of the best comedies movies of the decade were released in 1988. Who could forget Coming to America with Eddie Murphy, Big with Tom Hanks, and of course, Beetlejuice with Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona Ryder . Dramas from that year were gripping and tense, which are signs of a great enduring movie. Examples from this year include Eight Men Out and Rain Man. The best movies of 1988 featured some of the biggest stars in the movie business. Whether it was the aforementioned stars continuing their success or the up-and-comers featured in License to Drive, or established stars like Robert De Niro in Midnight Run and Leslie Nielsen in the hilarious The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. Some of the best movies of all time were released in 1988. This is the ultimate list of the best movies of 1988, which shouldn't feature the best movies of 1987. Vote and re-rank this list according to how you think the best movies of that year should be reflected. If you notice that there's a movie from this year that should be on this list but is missing, feel free to add it.

...more

1
287
103
Die Hard
Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman
Released: 1988
Directed by: John McTiernan
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Steven E. de... more
More Die Hard
Behind The Scenes Of Alan Rickman's Defining Role: Hans Gruber#70 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
2
225
84
Beetlejuice
Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder
Released: 1988
Directed by: Tim Burton
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-horror film directed by Tim Burton. The spirits... more
More Beetlejuice
Small Details From 'Beetlejuice' That Prove He's The Ghost With The Most#529 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever
3
218
90
Big
Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz
Released: 1988
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Big is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Penny Marshall, and stars Tom Hanks as... more
More Big
Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Big,' Tom Hanks's First Blockbuster Hit#71 of 126 The Greatest Date Movies Of All Time
4
229
91
Rain Man
Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman
Released: 1988
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Rain Man is a 1988 American drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow... more
More Rain Man
#23 of 92 The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture#21 of 29 The '80s Movies That Stuck with You the Most
5
213
75
Coming to America
Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson
Released: 1988
Directed by: John Landis
Coming to America is a 1988 American comedy film directed by John Landis, and based on a story... more
More Coming to America
After A Contentious Six-Month Production, It's A Miracle 'Coming To America' Even Exists#20 of 661 The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
6
205
95
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd
Released: 1988
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American live-action/animated fantasy-comedy film directed... more
More Who Framed Roger Rabbit
18 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' Easter Eggs That Prove It's A Perfect Movie#42 of 369 The Best Movies Based On Books
7
142
54
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
O. J. Simpson, "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released: 1988
Directed by: David Zucker
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American comedy film. It is the first... more
More The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
#24 of 117 The Best Movies Based on TV Shows#5 of 16 The Funniest Death Scenes In Movie History
8
117
51
Willow
Val Kilmer, Kevin Pollak
Released: 1988
Directed by: Ron Howard
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard, produced and with a story by... more
More Willow
'Willow' Is A Watered-Down Version Of 'The Lord Of The Rings'#363 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies
9
158
65
Young Guns
Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland
Released: 1988
Directed by: Christopher Cain
Young Guns is a 1988 Western action film directed by Christopher Cain and written by John... more
More Young Guns
#46 of 399 The Best Western Movies Ever Made#40 of 261 The Best Ensemble Movies
10
120
61
Twins
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Heather Graham
Released: 1988
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Twins is a 1988 comedy film, produced and directed by Ivan Reitman about unlikely twins who... more
More Twins
#207 of 297 The Best Duos of All Time#59 of 90 The Funniest Movies About Family
11
119
55
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Steve Martin, Michael Caine
Released: 1988
Directed by: Frank Oz
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and a remake of... more
More Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
#53 of 305 The Funniest '80s Movies#185 of 522 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
12
122
72
Heathers
Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty
Released: 1988
Directed by: Michael Lehmann
Heathers is a 1988 comedy, drama film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael... more
More Heathers
#74 of 200 The Best Teen Romance Movies#6 of 70 The Greatest Female-Led Comedy Movies
13
113
59
Midnight Run
Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin
Released: 1988
Directed by: Martin Brest
Midnight Run is a 1988 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring... more
More Midnight Run
#50 of 123 The Best Mafia Films Of All Time#349 of 557 The Greatest Film Scores of All Time

14
98
35
They Live
Roddy Piper, Keith David
Released: 1988
Directed by: John Carpenter
They Live is a 1988 American science fiction film written and directed by John Carpenter. The... more
More They Live
#122 of 722 The Best Horror Movies Of All Time#79 of 178 The Best Dystopian And Near Future Movies
15
126
54
The Great Outdoors
Annette Bening, Dan Aykroyd
Released: 1988
Directed by: Howard Deutch
The Great Outdoors is a 1988 American comedy film starring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Annette... more
More The Great Outdoors
#41 of 73 The Greatest Movies To Watch Outside#98 of 152 Movies That Should Never Be Remade
16
107
41
Bloodsport
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1988
Directed by: Newt Arnold
Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold, and starring... more
More Bloodsport
The Insane Story Of Frank Dux, Whose Life Allegedly Formed The Basis For 'Bloodsport'#6 of 57 The 25+ Best MMA Movies About Fighting
17
119
66
Mississippi Burning
Willem Dafoe, Gene Hackman
Released: 1988
Directed by: Alan Parker
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by... more
More Mississippi Burning
#60 of 275 The Best Movies Based On True Stories#17 of 340 The Best Political Films Ever Made
18
121
63
The Land Before Time
Diana Ross, Frank Welker
Released: 1988
Directed by: Don Bluth
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American-Irish animated adventure drama film directed and... more
More The Land Before Time
#20 of 575 The Best Animated Films Ever#35 of 277 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry
19
144
79
Bull Durham
Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon
Released: 1988
Directed by: Ron Shelton
Bull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor... more
More Bull Durham
#182 of 480 The Greatest Movies For Guys#379 of 782 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made
20
147
82
Scrooged
Bill Murray, Robert Mitchum
Released: 1988
Directed by: Richard Donner
Scrooged is a 1988 American Christmas comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' A... more
More Scrooged
#42 of 126 The Funniest Movies Starring SNL Cast Members#16 of 127 The Best Christmas Movies of All Time
21
96
48
Funny Farm
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chevy Chase
Released: 1988
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Funny Farm is a 1988 American film starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith. The film was... more
More Funny Farm
#48 of 82 The Best Movies About Writers#3 of 35 The Best Movies About Vermont
22
77
38
Working Girl
Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford
Released: 1988
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Working Girl is a 1988 romantic comedy-drama film written by Kevin Wade and directed by Mike... more
More Working Girl
#29 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#77 of 151 The Most Rewatchable Comedy Movies
23
113
72
A Fish Called Wanda
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline
Released: 1988
Directed by: John Cleese, Charles Crichton
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. It was... more
More A Fish Called Wanda
#78 of 1,137 The Absolute Funniest Movies Of All Time#65 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars

24
83
46
License to Drive
Heather Graham, Corey Feldman
Released: 1988
Directed by: Greg Beeman
License to Drive is a 1988 teen adventure film starring Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather... more
More License to Drive
#58 of 116 The Funniest Movies About High School#47 of 259 The Greatest Teen Movies of the 1980s
25
90
61
Crocodile Dundee II
Tatyana Ali, Colin Quinn
Released: 1988
Directed by: John Cornell, Mark Turnbull
"Crocodile" Dundee II is a 1988 Australian adventure and comedy film. It is a sequel to the... more
More Crocodile Dundee II
#18 of 68 The Best Comedy Movie Sequels#16 of 39 The Funniest Australian Movies Ever Made