American Comedies of the 1980s

The Decade That Rewrote the Rulebook

The 1980s produced an extraordinary run of American comedies — irreverent, suburban, rebellious. This was John Hughes's decade, but it belonged to many.

1980s Comedy
12
Movies
34
Views
Likes
0
Comments
Created: November 21, 2025

The Collection

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

1986
1
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
1986
1
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
IMDb 7.8 / 10
Director John Hughes
Cast Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
Box Office $70,136,369
Why An essential entry — Ferris Bueller's Day Off embodies exactly what this collection is about.
The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

1985
2
The Breakfast Club
1985
2
The Breakfast Club
IMDb 7.8 / 10
Director John Hughes
Cast Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Box Office $45,875,171
Why An essential entry — The Breakfast Club embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop

1984
3
Beverly Hills Cop
1984
3
Beverly Hills Cop
IMDb 7.4 / 10
Director Martin Brest
Cast Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton
Box Office $234,760,478
Why An essential entry — Beverly Hills Cop embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters

1984
4
Ghostbusters
1984
4
Ghostbusters
IMDb 7.8 / 10
Director Ivan Reitman
Cast Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver
Box Office $243,640,120
Why An essential entry — Ghostbusters embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Back to the Future

Back to the Future

1985
5
Back to the Future
1985
5
Back to the Future
IMDb 8.5 / 10
Director Robert Zemeckis
Cast Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Box Office $214,553,307
Why An essential entry — Back to the Future embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Trading Places

Trading Places

1983
6
Trading Places
1983
6
Trading Places
IMDb 7.5 / 10
Director John Landis
Cast Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy
Box Office $90,404,800
Why An essential entry — Trading Places embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Risky Business

Risky Business

1983
7
Risky Business
1983
7
Risky Business
IMDb 6.8 / 10
Director Paul Brickman
Cast Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano
Box Office $63,541,777
Why An essential entry — Risky Business embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Roxanne

Roxanne

1987
8
Roxanne
1987
8
Roxanne
IMDb 6.6 / 10
Director Fred Schepisi
Cast Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich
Box Office $40,050,884
Why An essential entry — Roxanne embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Tootsie

Tootsie

1982
9
Tootsie
1982
9
Tootsie
IMDb 7.4 / 10
Director Sydney Pollack
Cast Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr
Box Office $177,200,000
Why An essential entry — Tootsie embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Splash

Splash

1984
10
Splash
1984
10
Splash
IMDb 6.3 / 10
Director Ron Howard
Cast Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy
Box Office $69,821,334
Why An essential entry — Splash embodies exactly what this collection is about.
3 Men and a Baby

3 Men and a Baby

1987
11
3 Men and a Baby
1987
11
3 Men and a Baby
IMDb 6.1 / 10
Director Leonard Nimoy
Cast Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson
Box Office $167,780,960
Why An essential entry — Three Men and a Baby embodies exactly what this collection is about.
Coming to America

Coming to America

1988
12
Coming to America
1988
12
Coming to America
IMDb 7.1 / 10
Director John Landis
Cast Eddie Murphy, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais
Box Office $128,152,301
Why An essential entry — Coming to America embodies exactly what this collection is about.

If you liked this, check out:

Cinematic Sinkholes

35 films

Flops of Fortune

30 films

So-Bad-It's-Good Goldmines

25 films

Retro Rewind: Style Icons

12 films

📬 Stay in the loop

Get notified when new curated lists drop.

Comments (0)

Newest Oldest Top

No comments yet. Be the first!

💬 Leave a comment

2000 chars left

Reviewed before publishing.