Entertainment
The Funniest '80s Movies
List Rules
Comedies and dramatic comedy films released between 1980 and 1989
Looking for a great classic comedy? This list of the funniest 80s movies is here to the rescue. The best comedy films of the 1980s are listed here in order of greatness by fans just like yourself. Feel free to create your own rankings and use this list as a resource for the next time you need a pick-me-up. The 1980s was absolutely instrumental in comedy filmmaking and is the reason we have so many amazingly funny '80s comedy flicks today. In fact, that is why they are re-booting the hell out of them right now. We can thank Ivan Reitman, John Hughes, and Howard Ramis in particular for pioneering sheer greatness in modern American comedies. Woody Allen and Mel Brooks did some of their funniest movies in the '80s. The 1980s was an amazing and laugh-out-loud decade for comedy films.
There are movies on the list that a few might consider cheesy but that doesn't make them any less hilarious. Be sure to vote up your favorite '80s comedy films and vote down the ones you don't think are that funny.
Ranked by
- 1Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the '50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) ...more - 2Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is ...more - 3Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Christie Brinkley
- Released: 1983
- Directed by: Harold Ramis
Accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As ...more - 4John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: John Hughes
When Cindy (Elaine Bromka) and her husband, Bob (Garrett M. Brown), have to leave town for a family emergency, there is only one person available to babysit for their three kids: Bob's lazy, carefree ...more - 5Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray
- Released: 1980
- Directed by: Harold Ramis
Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe), a teen down on his luck, works as a caddy at the snob-infested Bushwood Country Club to raise money for his college education. In an attempt to gain votes for a ...more - 6Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy
- Released: 1983
- Directed by: John Landis
Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph ...more - 7Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Richard Donner
When two brothers find out they might lose their house they are desperate to find a way to keep their home. They find a treasure map and bring some friends along to find it. They are all out looking ...more - 8Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton
- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Martin Brest
After his childhood buddy is murdered while visiting Detroit, rebellious cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) follows the leads to Beverly Hills, Calif., under the auspices of a vacation. He checks in with ...more - 9Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
- Released: 1986
- Directed by: John Hughes
Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, ...more - 10Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Michael Winslow
- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Hugh Wilson
When the mayor of a crime-ridden city loosens the restrictions on entering the police academy in order to get more cops on the street, all manner of oddball characters enlist to join the force. Among ...more - 11Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates
- Released: 1981
- Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Hard-luck cabbie John Winger (Bill Murray) -- directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend -- enlists in the U.S. Army with his close pal, Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis). ...more - 12Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos
- Released: 1988
- Directed by: John Landis
Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to ...more - 13Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: John Hughes
Easily excitable Neal Page (Steve Martin) is somewhat of a control freak. Trying to get home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his wife (Laila Robins) and kids, his flight is rerouted to a ...more - 14Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: John Hughes
Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess ...more - 15Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: John Hughes
Teen misfits Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) design their ideal woman on a computer, and a freak electrical accident brings her to life in the form of the lovely, ...more - 16Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Mel Brooks
In a distant galaxy, planet Spaceball has depleted its air supply, leaving its citizens reliant on a product called "Perri-Air." In desperation, Spaceball's leader President Skroob (Mel Brooks) ...more - 17Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves
- Released: 1980
- Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
This spoof comedy takes shots at the slew of disaster movies that were released in the 70s. When the passengers and crew of a jet are incapacitated due to food poisoning, a rogue pilot with a ...more - 18Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold
- Released: 1982
- Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice by her uninhibited friend, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), Stacy gets trapped in a love ...more - 19Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be ...more - 20O. J. Simpson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Reggie Jackson
- 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 in The Naked Gun series of films starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O. J. ...more - 21Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: David S. Ward
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians, former showgirl Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton), has a sweetheart deal to move the team to Miami. But to break the lease with the city of Cleveland, ticket ...more - 22John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown
- Released: 1980
- Directed by: John Landis
After his release from prison, Jake (John Belushi) reunites with his brother, Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) -- collectively known as the "Blues Brothers." Jake's first task is to save the orphanage the ...more - 23Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
In this zany sequel, time-traveling duo Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) return from saving Marty's future son from disaster, only to discover their own time ...more - 24Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Ivan Reitman
After the members of a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become "ghostbusters" to wage a ...more - 25Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
- Released: 1988
- Directed by: Penny Marshall
After a wish turns 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), he heads to New York City and gets a low-level job at MacMillen Toy Company. A chance encounter with the ...more
