CEO World
Ranked: These Are the Best Comedies of the 1980s
By Rajnish Karan
December 26, 2023
The 1980s were a decade that had its own distinct cinematic styles, much like every other decade. The comedy movies were full of silly moments, but they also addressed important issues and had well-developed characters.
The high-quality films from that era have remained popular, demonstrating their relatability and rewatch ability. They also remind us that it’s perfectly fine to simply enjoy a fun time at the movies. When reminiscing about the hilarious movies of the 80s, a few iconic titles come to mind. When we think of the 1980s, several famous and beloved personalities immediately spring to mind.
Of course, it is impossible to discuss this period without acknowledging the talented director John Hughes, who gifted us with some of the most iconic movies of the decade. Who can forget the timeless humor in ” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles”? All of these movies were infused with moments of genuine insight that made them unforgettable.
CEOWORLD magazine has created a comprehensive index to determine the best comedies of this decade. The index takes into account each film’s rating on IMDb, a popular online movie database owned by Amazon, as well as its audience score and Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a well-known online platform for film and TV reviews.
Despite differing opinions, the 1980s were undeniably a prosperous time for the entertainment industry. Leave your biases behind, and you may just find yourself enjoying the experience.
- Back to the Future (1985)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover - The Princess Bride (1987)
> Directed by: Rob Reiner
> Starring: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon - Ghostbusters (1984)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis - Airplane! (1980)
> Directed by: Jim Abrahams and David Zucker
> Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - The Breakfast Club (1985)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer - A Christmas Story (1983)
> Directed by: Bob Clark
> Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz - Midnight Run (1988)
> Directed by: Martin Brest
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton - Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean - National Lampoon’sLampoon’s Vacation (1983)
> Directed by: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo D’Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid - Big (1988)
> Directed by: Penny Marshall
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard - Ferris Bueller’sBueller’s Day Off (1986)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones - Raising Arizona (1987)
> Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman - The Naked Gun: from the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
> Directed by: David Zucker
> Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson, Ricardo Montalban - Trading Places (1983)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche - The Goonies (1985)
> Directed by: Richard Donner
> Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
> Directed by: Frank Oz
> Starring: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly, Anton Rodgers - The Blues Brothers (1980)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy - Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
> Directed by: Barry Levinson
> Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tom. T. Tran, Chintara Sukapatana - Beetlejuice (1988)
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Annie McEnroe - The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
> Directed by: Jamie Uys
> Starring: N!xau, Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, Louw Verwey - Sixteen Candles (1984)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling - Major League (1989)
> Directed by: David S. Ward
> Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton - Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
> Directed by: Martin Brest
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher - Stripes (1981)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates - Ruthless People (1986)
> Directed by: Jim Abrahams and David Zucker
> Starring: Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater - Better Off Dead (1985)
> Directed by: Savage Steve Holland
> Starring: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade - Caddyshack (1980)
> Directed by: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight - National Lampoon’sLampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
> Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki - Back to the Future Part II (1989)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson - 48 Hrs. (1982)
> Directed by: Walter Hill
> Starring: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole O’Toole, Frank McRae - Coming to America (1988)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, Feather - Fletch (1985)
> Directed by: Michael Ritchie
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Richard Libertini - Bill and Ted’sTed’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
> Directed by: Stephen Herek
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri - 9 to 5 (1980)
> Directed by: Colin Higgins
> Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman - Back to School (1986)
> Directed by: Alan Metter
> Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon - Innerspace (1987)
> Directed by: Joe Dante
> Starring: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Kevin McCarthy - Used Cars (1980)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae - Three O’ClockO’Clock High (1987)
> Directed by: Phil Joanou
> Starring: Casey Siemaszko, Annie Ryan, Richard Tyson, Stacey Glick - Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
> Directed by: Chris Columbus
> Starring: Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp - Crocodile Dundee (1986)
> Directed by: Peter Faiman
> Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, David Gulpilil - Spaceballs (1987)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
> Starring: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman - Uncle Buck (1989)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: John Candy, Macaulay Culkin, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffmann - Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
> Directed by: Jeff Kanew
> Starring: Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese - Tin Men (1987)
> Directed by: Barry Levinson
> Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney - Mr. Mom (1983)
> Directed by: Stan Dragoti
> Starring: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Frederick Koehler, Taliesin Jaffe - The ”Burbs (1989)
> Directed by: Joe Dante
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman - Short Circuit (1986)
> Directed by: John Badham
> Starring: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton - Weird Science (1985)
> Directed by: John Hughes
> Starring: Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton - Overboard (1987)
> Directed by: Garry Marshall
> Starring: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond - Summer School (1987)
> Directed by: Carl Reiner
> Starring: Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, Robin Thomas, Patrick Labyorteaux - Police Academy (1984)
> Directed by: Hugh Wilson
> Starring: Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith - The Dream Team (1989)
> Directed by: Howard Zieff
> Starring: Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle, Stephen Furst - One Crazy Summer (1986)
> Directed by: Savage Steve Holland
> Starring: John Cusack, Demi Moore, Linda Warren, Joel Murray - Three Men and a Baby (1987)
> Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
> Starring: Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Nancy Travis - The Great Outdoors (1988)
> Directed by: Howard Deutch
> Starring: Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening - Easy Money (1983)
> Directed by: James Signorelli
> Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Candice Azzara - Ghostbusters II (1989)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis - Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
> Directed by: Danny DeVito
> Starring: Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey - Three Amigos! (1986)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alfonso Arau - Bachelor Party (1984)
> Directed by: Neal Israel
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed, George Grizzard - The Money Pit (1986)
> Directed by: Richard Benjamin
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton - See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
> Directed by: Arthur Hiller
> Starring: Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Joan Severance, Kevin Spacey - Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
> Directed by: Tony Scott
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox - Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
> Directed by: John R. Cherry III
> Starring: Jim Varney, Victoria Racimo, John Vernon, Iron Eyes Cody - Turner & Hooch (1989)
> Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson - Look Who’s Talking (1989)
> Directed by: Amy Heckerling
> Starring: John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Olympia Dukakis, George Segal - Moving (1988)
> Directed by: Alan Metter
> Starring: Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, Stacey Dash, Raphael Harris - The Cannonball Run (1981)
> Directed by: Hal Needham
> Starring: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise - Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
> Directed by: Ken Finkleman
> Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr - Spies Like Us (1985)
> Directed by: John Landis
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Stewart, Sean Daniel - Fletch Lives (1989)
> Directed by: Michael Ritchie
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Hal Holbrook, Julianne Phillips, R. Lee Ermey - Dragnet (1987)
> Directed by: Tom Mankiewicz
> Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer, Harry Morgan - National Lampoon’sLampoon’s European Vacation (1985)
> Directed by: Amy Heckerling
> Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Dana Hill, Jason Lively - Twins (1988)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb
