Many of the best comedy movies of the 1980s are the kind that can leave anyone with a smile on their face. The 1980s produced plenty of feel-good movies, and these have only gotten more popular over the years as the era is now viewed through a nostalgic lens.

Comedy movies can be the perfect pick-me-up, especially old classics like The Naked Gun and Spaceballs. These movies keep things light, making them wonderful for escapism and sheer enjoyment, which isn’t necessarily something that modern comedies deliver as often as those made in the ’80s.

10

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

The Culture-Clash Heist Movie Is Filled With Great Performances

After the last of the Monty Python movies, the group’s members sporadically worked together on other projects. A Fish Called Wanda sees John Cleese and Michael Palin teaming up again for a classic British crime caper that evokes old Ealing comedies like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob.

While Cleese and Palin make up the British contingent, A Fish Called Wanda is a great culture-clash comedy that also features Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis as two brash, straightforward American criminals. The result is a brilliant heist movie that focuses on the aftermath more than the build-up, with a fresh twist on Monty Python’s irreverent brand of humor.

9

Airplane! (1980)

The Disaster Movie Spoof Packs In A Lot Of Comedy

Perhaps the most impressive element of Airplane! is the fact that it’s a parody movie that delivers a ton of laughs even if the audience have no knowledge of what’s being parodied. This is because Airplane! has a remarkably dense concentration of great jokes, most of which completely ignore the central conceit. For every gag that doesn’t land, there are ten that hit the spot.

Airplane! is endlessly quotable, but it also has a litany of great sight gags, funny performances and subtle jokes occupying every inch of the background. From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s surprising role as himself to timeless jokes like Ted’s “drinking problem,” Airplane! delivers more laugh-out-loud moments in its short runtime than most comedies could even dream of.

8

Clue (1985)

Clue Is A Great Comedy And A Great Mystery In One

As an adaptation of a popular board game, Clue seems more at home in the modern cinematic landscape than it did in the 1980s, when its strange premise contributed to its dismal box office returns. Over the years, Clue has become something of a cult classic, and not just for fans of the game.

Clue is a hilarious murder mystery, pitting a group of eccentric characters against one another to reflect the way that a game of Clue causes friends to accuse each other of murder in good jest. However, it takes its duty to the mystery genre seriously. Clue‘s multiple endings are a stroke of genius, allowing audiences to carry on the fun of guessing and piecing things together while still providing answers to the mystery.

7

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters Is A Wonderfully Simple Sci-Fi Comedy

Ghostbusters has elements of romance, and it dips into questions of friendship, heroism and public service. However, it has little more than a pᴀssing interest in these themes. Ghostbusters is a straightforward sci-fi comedy that doesn’t pay much attention to traditional concerns over narrative and message, which helps explain why it’s such a nostalgic classic.

The Ghostbusters franchise has never been able to recapture the magic of the original movie. Although the legacy sequels have their own charms, it’s hard to replicate the chemistry of the original cast and the sheer fun of watching them get wrapped up in a bizarre supernatural adventure. Bill Murray’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan expression gets a good workout, while Dan Aykroyd is just as enjoyable as a zealous dweeb.

6

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Nora Ephron’s Script Combines Humor And Heart

When Harry Met Sally is one of the most intelligent romcoms ever made, thanks to a script by Nora Ephron that creates two realistic and relatable characters who bounce off one another perfectly. Harry and Sally’s love story doesn’t need any half-baked impediment like so many other romcoms. The twists and turns come from their personalities alone.

When Harry Met Sally paints a believable portrait of love, friendship, and growing up, and it manages to do so without losing sight of the movie’s humor. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s effortless chemistry makes them the perfect couple to spend a couple of hours with, and it’s enjoyable whether they’re confessing their love or simply joking around while running errands together.

5

Spaceballs (1987)

Mel Brooks’ Sci-Fi Spoof Is Packed With Great Jokes

Many of Mel Brooks’ movies are the kinds of comedies which can put a smile on anyone’s face. Spaceballs is a hilarious Star Wars spoof that also takes aim at the entire sci-fi genre. In the same way that Blazing Saddles pokes fun at Westerns and Young Frankenstein satirizes the tropes of the horror genre, Spaceballs takes sH๏τs at Alien, Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Spaceballs offers up a quick-fire rate of gags, with Brooks himself stepping in to deliver many of the most memorable quotes. With Spaceballs getting a sequel to catch up with the recent Star Wars movies, it’s a great time to watch the original, and John Candy’s comedies are always enjoyable.

4

Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988)

Leslie Nielsen’s Dry Humor Is Unmatched

Leslie Nielsen delivers a ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan masterclass in The Naked Gun. He plays the role of incompetent cop Frank Drebin with as much gravitas as he can muster, and he never treats the role with anything less than the utmost reverence. The Naked Gun‘s comedy works so well because Nielsen sits in the eye of the storm with nonsense unraveling all around him.

The Naked Gun is a loving send-up of hard-boiled detective movies, but it has plenty of ways of making its audience laugh. Beyond pure parody, it offers some hilarious slapstick, quick-witted wordplay and a steady stream of sight gags that can be picked up on a rewatch. Liam Neeson will put his comedy chops to the test in the Naked Gun reboot.

3

Trading Places (1983)

Dan Aykroyd And Eddie Murphy Make A Great Duo

Many of Eddie Murphy’s funniest comedies came out in the 1980s, and they’re still worth watching. Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America and 48 Hrs are all movies capable of boosting someone’s mood, and the same can be said for Trading Places. Murphy stars alongside Dan Aykroyd in a brilliant fish-out-of-water comedy that gets the best out of both actors.

Murphy’s exuberant, affable performance pairs nicely with Aykroyd’s exasperated sad sack act in Trading Places. The premise sets up a lot of jokes about the wild differences between the haves and have-nots in American society, but Trading Places keeps things light. Jamie Lee Curtis is also commendable as the third member of an unlikely trio.

2

Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life (1983)

Monty Python Bring Their Absurd Humor To Life’s Big Questions

The Meaning of Life often gets overshadowed by the other Monty Python movies that preceded it. While Holy Grail and The Life of Brian are rightly discussed as among the very best comedies ever made, The Meaning of Life still deserves a lot of love. It’s even looser and more sketch-based than these other movies, as the Pythons try to answer the big question that their тιтle poses.

Working almost like an anthology movie, The Meaning of Life sтιтches together some hilarious vignettes that hark back to the days of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Highlights include the preamble about an insurance firm taking to urban piracy and a charming song about the awe-inspiring expanse of the universe. As always, Monty Python’s gleefully nihilistic stance suggests that if nothing really matters, it’s best to enjoy oneself.

1

Raising Arizona (1987)

The Early Coen Classic Gets The Best Out Of Nicolas Cage

Raising Arizona is one of the best Coen brothers movies, and it set the standard for other crime comedies, like Fargo and The Big Lebowski. It’s also notable as one of the duo’s first movies that has a distinct sense of place. The Coens have always had a fascination with regional American subcultures, and their vision of the Arizona desert is tied to biblical stories.

Nicolas Cage is at his hilarious best in Raising Arizona. He turns on his goofy charms as a slack-jawed petty criminal who turns to kidnapping when his wife becomes desperate for a baby of her own. There’s a tender love story somewhere in Raising Arizona, but it struggles under layers of inept criminal behavior, cosmic retribution and glorious slapstick.