Watchworthy

771 voters

The Best Romantic Comedies of the '80s

Updated July 8, 2019 4.6k votes 771 voters 38.5k views34 items

List RulesOnly romantic comedies that were released in the 1980s

These are the very best 1980s romantic comedies, and even though all of these movies fall into the same genre, they are sometime strikingly dissimilar. Some good 80s romantic comedies are rooted in highly-relatable real life situations, while other top 1980s romantic comedies are set in fantasy worlds.

What films will you find on this best 80s romantic comedies list? When Harry Met Sally is perhaps the greatest romantic comedy ever made. This 1989 film, directed by Rob Reiner, follows Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) as they go from being enemies, to friends, to soul mates. The Princess Bride is another great romantic comedy movie that was released in the 1980s.

The 1989 film, Say Anything..., proved that nothing is more romantic than blasting Peter Gabriel from your boombox outside your love's window. Other good films that are featured on this top 80s romantic comedies list include Pretty in Pink, Big, and Moonstruck.

Do you have a favorite 1980s romantic comedy? A lot of these movies are universally accepted to be some of the greatest movies of all time. Be sure to vote up your favorites and see if others agree with you

Photo:

...more

Try the free app

1
209
72
The Princess Bride
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright
Released: 1987
Directed by: Rob Reiner
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and... more on Wikipedia
More The Princess Bride
No Matter How Many Times You've Watched 'The Princess Bride,' You Don't Know Everything About ItSmall But Poignant Details Fans Noticed In 'The Princess Bride'
2
184
58
Say Anything...
John Cusack, Jeremy Piven
Released: 1989
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Say Anything... is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron... more on Wikipedia
3
128
25
Sixteen Candles
John Cusack, Molly Ringwald
Released: 1984
Directed by: John Hughes
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael... more on Wikipedia
4
216
80
Pretty in Pink
James Spader, Gina Gershon
Released: 1986
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in... more on Wikipedia
5
175
58
When Harry Met Sally...
Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal
Released: 1989
Directed by: Rob Reiner
When Harry Met Sally… is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written by Nora Ephron and... more on Wikipedia
More When Harry Met Sally...
When Harry Met Sally is All About Mansplaining, And It's Really Obvious#14 of 84 Great Movies That Take Place in Autumn
6
215
83
Can't Buy Me Love
Paula Abdul, Patrick Dempsey
Released: 1987
Directed by: Steve Rash
Can't Buy Me Love is a 1987 teen comedy feature film starring Patrick Dempsey and Amanda... more on Wikipedia
More Can't Buy Me Love
#56 of 200 The Best Teen Romance Movies#137 of 541 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies
7
154
52
Mannequin
Kim Cattrall, James Spader
Released: 1987
Directed by: Michael Gottlieb
Mannequin is a 1987 romantic comedy fantasy film starring Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall,... more on Wikipedia

8
144
49
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 on Wikipedia
More Big
Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Big,' Tom Hanks's First Blockbuster Hit'Big' Is Actually An Existential Nightmare
9
115
48
Splash
Tom Hanks, John Candy
Released: 1984
Directed by: Ron Howard
Splash is a 1984 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard, written by... more on Wikipedia
More Splash
#56 of 314 The Funniest '80s Movies#100 of 125 The Greatest Date Movies of All Time
10
71
16
Some Kind of Wonderful
Lea Thompson, Candace Cameron-Bure
Released: 1987
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Some Kind of Wonderful is a 1987 American romance film starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart... more on Wikipedia
More Some Kind of Wonderful
#651 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies#294 of 836 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made
11
124
66
Weird Science
Robert Downey Jr., Kelly LeBrock
Released: 1985
Directed by: John Hughes
Weird Science is a 1985 American teen sci-fi comedy film written and directed by John Hughes... more on Wikipedia
12
85
44
Better Off Dead
John Cusack, E.G. Daily
Released: 1985
Directed by: Savage Steve Holland
This film is a 1985 American teen romantic comedy film starring John Cusack and written and... more on Wikipedia
13
92
53
Mystic Pizza
Julia Roberts, Matt Damon
Released: 1988
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Mystic Pizza is a 1988 American coming-of-age film directed by Donald Petrie. It stars... more on Wikipedia
14
86
50
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt
Released: 1985
Directed by: Alan Metter
Girls Just Want to Have Fun is a 1985 American romantic comedy dance film directed by Alan... more on Wikipedia
15
76
45
Moonstruck
Nicolas Cage, Cher
Released: 1987
Directed by: Norman Jewison
Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison and written by... more on Wikipedia
16
76
50
Look Who's Talking
John Travolta, Bruce Willis
Released: 1989
Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Look Who's Talking is a 1989 romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling and... more on Wikipedia
More Look Who's Talking
#84 of 372 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime#185 of 1,137 The Absolute Funniest Movies Of All Time
17
70
44
Peggy Sue Got Married
Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey
Released: 1986
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Peggy Sue Got Married is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola... more on Wikipedia
18
70
50
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 on Wikipedia
More Scrooged
#15 of 127 The Best Christmas Movies of All Time#23 of 70 25+ Great Movies That Have a Ticking Clock
19
68
56
Roxanne
Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah
Released: 1987
Directed by: Fred Schepisi
Roxanne is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern... more on Wikipedia
More Roxanne
#205 of 925 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films#31 of 125 The Funniest Movies Starring SNL Cast Members
20
56
44
Tootsie
Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman
Released: 1982
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy-drama film that tells the story of a talented but volatile... more on Wikipedia
21
59
48
Baby Boom
Diane Keaton, James Spader
Released: 1987
Directed by: Charles Shyer
Baby Boom is a 1987 comedy film starring Diane Keaton. The film also launched a subsequent... more on Wikipedia
More Baby Boom
#26 of 39 The Best Single Mom Movies#21 of 26 The Funniest Movies About Babies
22
25
11
Just One of the Guys
Sherilyn Fenn, William Zabka
Released: 1985
Directed by: Lisa Gottlieb
Just One of the Guys is a 1985 comedy film, directed by Lisa Gottlieb. The film is marketed... more on Wikipedia
23
45
35
About Last Night
Demi Moore, Rob Lowe
Released: 1986
Directed by: Edward Zwick
About Last Night is a 1986 American romantic dramedy film. The film was directed by Edward... more on Wikipedia
24
47
39
Arthur
Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore
Released: 1981
Directed by: Steve Gordon
Arthur is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. The film stars Dudley Moore... more on Wikipedia
25
55
53
Desperately Seeking Susan
Madonna, Rosanna Arquette
Released: 1985
Directed by: Susan Seidelman
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and... more on Wikipedia