The 1980s were a golden era for comedy movies, and every year of the decade produced at least one underrated classic that deserves more attention. After the somewhat dour turn that cinema took in the 1970s, audiences were ready to laugh again when the ’80s rolled around. Thankfully, the comedy genre was expanding rapidly, with new subgenres popping up.
Never before had comedy enjoyed such mainstream success, and comedy films topped the box office nearly every year. Movies like Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and Beverly Hills Cop not only proved that comedy was where the money was, but also how versatile the genre had become. Humor invaded other genres, resulting in some hilarious mashups.
Because comedy was so popular, studios cranked out tons of films in an effort to cash in. While many were smash-hits, others went overlooked. This isn’t necessarily an indictment of their quality, and many forgotten ’80s comedies are actually some of the funniest films of the decade. Thanks to modern streaming, hidden gems don’t have to remain hidden anymore.
1980 – Popeye
Popeye holds Sweet Pea while talking to Olive Oyl in Popeye
In the modern era of shameless remakes and adaptations, a movie like Popeye wouldn’t stand out, but Robert Altman’s oddball vision certainly did in the ’80s. The live-action adaptation follows Popeye as he meets Olive Oyl and battles Bluto while looking for his lost father. Critics were initially torn, but it’s since been recognized as a subversive work.
With great tunes from Harry Nilsson, the movie is an ambitious musical comedy on the surface. However, it’s also a semi-spoof of itself, making subtle jabs at the concept of comic strip adaptations in general. Considering where comic book movies have gone since, Popeye is a quaint and humorous attempt to bring the brightly-colored cartoon character to life.
1981 – Modern Romance
Mary and Robert hug in Modern Romance
Writer/director/star Albert Brooks made some of the best comedies of the ’80s and ’90s, and almost all of them were tragically overlooked. In Modern Romance, Brooks plays a neurotic film editor who constantly breaks up and reunites with his girlfriend. Though hilarious in execution, the movie actually has a lot to say about the state of relationships in the ’80s.
Brooks makes for such a compelling lead that he perfectly sells the character’s flaws, and his delivery elevates the jokes to new heights. Modern Romance is a romantic comedy, but it approaches the subject with charming cynicism. As such, it didn’t get the attention it deserved, likely because it was not optimistic enough for audiences at the time.
1982 – Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
Though comedy was quite mainstream in the ’80s, that doesn’t mean there weren’t weird films like Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. The noir stars Steve Martin as a detective on the case of a mysterious accidental death, and it uses footage from older films to craft its narrative. Part parody and part loving homage, it’s funny in a droll way.
Every joke is played totally straight, and Steve Martin is the perfect man for the lead role. It features traditional laughs, but Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is also hilarious in its execution. The use of existing footage makes for many laughable juxtapositions. Nevertheless, it’s not particularly surprising that the Carl Reiner film left audiences scratching their heads.
1983 – Valley Girl
One of the first comedy films to capture new ’80s culture, Valley Girl is an important cult classic. The plot concerns a preppy girl who falls for a punk, and she finds herself torn between those two worlds. The movie introduced many viewers to the unique vernacular of Southern California, thus making the phrases quintessential ’80s.
Made in the wake of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Valley Girl was almost completely overshadowed by the earlier ’80s gem. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy for being a charming high school romance, and one of the earliest films of Nicolas Cage. Considering its impact on future teen romance movies, Valley Girl is one underrated gem that shouldn’t be missed.
1984 – Top Secret!
Films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun are beloved screwball institutions, but 1984’s Top Secret! doesn’t get the same reverence. Parodying a myriad of genres from action to musical comedies, the plot concerns an American singer who gets entangled in an international conspiracy. The movie made a star out of a young Val Kilmer who plays the lead role.
The humor of the Zucker and Abrahams comedies is intentionally silly, but Top Secret! takes that idea one step further. Every second of the film is jam-packed with gags, some of which require a fair amount of thought. Despite being more ambitious than the aforementioned comedies, Top Secret! might have been just a bit too out there for mid-’80s viewers.
1985 – After Hours
Griffin Dunne looks up in exasperation in After Hours
Martin Scorsese’s filmography is diverse, but After Hours is one of the director’s few films that truly stands alone. A mild-mannered office worker spends one wild night in SoHo that leads him from one outlandish scenario to the next. One of the original cringe comedies, After Hours is a thriller wrapped up in the trappings of a humorous romp.
In farcical fashion, the joy of After Hours comes from escalation. A simple setup grows bigger as the story progresses, with the audience sympathizing with a hero caught in cosmic levels of misfortune. There’s also subtle commentary about ’80s culture, but the movie never gets too bogged down. As with all cringe-inducing comedies, After Hours was designed to be divisive.
1986 – Something Wild
Spoofing contemporary ’80s culture, Jonathan Demme pulled out all the stops when directing Something Wild. The film concerns a buttoned-up IRS agent who falls for a free-spirited woman, only to run afoul of her criminal husband. Tone is important in comedy, and Something Wild plays fast and loose with its approach to that concept.
Starting as a bonkers comedy, the movie quickly shifts into darker territory, which has given it a complex legacy. Despite that, it is quite funny, and is easier to appreciate as a black comedy in retrospect. With the ’80s long past, it’s clearer that Something Wild pokes fun at its decade, something that wasn’t quite clear back in 1986.
1987 – The Secret Of My Success
Michael J. Fox stands with a briefcase in The Secret of My Success
The Secret of My Success is underrated largely because it isn’t as popular as Michael J. Fox’s other great movies. In the film, Fox plays a mail room worker who poses as an executive to con his way into the company’s boardroom. Made with classic ’80s charm, it’s a perfectly harmless comedy that banks on Fox’s star appeal.
Unlike subversive films which aimed to attack the distinct brand of 1980s corporatism, The Secret of My Success has no such lofty ambitions and is just a fun farce. It’s far from perfect, but deserves a place among the great B-tier comedies of its time. Its contemporary reviews were pretty poor, likely because it came too late in the decade.
1988 – I’m Gonna Git You Sucka
The Wayans family has been a comedy fixture for decades, and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is a classic. In a parody of blaxploitation cinema, the movie concerns a young Black man who returns to his old neighborhood only to find it overrun with crime. The creators clearly had a lot of passion for the movies that they lovingly spoofed.
Like other spoofs, the humor of the film is patently absurd. Many gags are non sequiturs, while others are cleverly woven into the plot for added laughs. Though it isn’t as consistently funny as Airplane! or The Naked Gun, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka remains one of the greatest spoof movies ever made, and certainly the most underrated.
1989 – UHF
Weird Al in UHF
Released at the height of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s original popular run, UHF is like a fever dream straight from the eccentric mind of its star. Weird Al plays a down-and-out TV station manager who revitalizes his failing business by green-lighting wacky new shows. Its plot framework serves as a backdrop for the movie’s memorable cut-away gags and musical moments.
Cult classics are often given that status because they aren’t as good as mainstream movies, but UHF rivals almost any other comedy from 1989. It’s unabashedly silly concept is endlessly endearing, and it’s the perfect movie for fans of Weird Al’s style. There were a ton of underrated comedy movies at the time, but UHF should have been a hit.