Comedy: 488

The Night Before (1988), an American comedy film, stars Keanu Reeves and Lori Loughlin. In the middle of the night, teen Winston regains consciousness in an alley, unsure of how he got there. He’s wearing a white tuxedo jacket but doesn’t remember much from the previous night. As Winston pieces together his memories through flashbacks, he recalls being waylaid on his way to prom. Now, he must figure out what happened to his wallet, car keys, prom date Tara, and why a pimp named ‘Tito’ wants him dead. While searching through his pockets, Winston ...

Johnny Be Good (1988) is an American comedy film directed by Bud S. Smith. Johnny Walker, a student at unreal Ashcroft High School, is the number one high school quarterback in the country and is being heavily recruited by numerous colleges. His close friend, Leo Wiggins, encourages him to wait for the perfect deal, while his girlfriend, Georgia, wants him to join her at State University for a solid education. The various universities offer him an array of tempting perks such as beautiful girls, luxury vehicles, cash incentives, free living arrangements, and more. In fact, one college even buys Leo a car and another ...

Mystic Pizza (1988), an American romantic comedy-drama directed by Donald Petrie in his directorial debut, tells the story of three young Portuguese-American women working at a pizza parlor owned by Leona and her husband Vic in Mystic, Connecticut. Sisters Kat and Daisy Araújo, along with their friend Josephina ‘JoJo’ Barboza, are waitresses at this establishment. During JoJo’s wedding to Bill, she faints due to cold feet about settling down. Although she still wants to continue their physical relationship until she is ready for marriage, Bill ultimately ends things as he desires a commitment. ...

Big Top Pee-wee (1988), an American comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser, tells the story of Pee-wee Herman’s life on a farm. Along with his assistant Vance, a talking pig, Pee-wee tends to his crops, daydreams about becoming a famous singer, and shares lunch daily with his fiancée Winnie Johnson, who also happens to be a school teacher. He also conducts agricultural experiments in his secure greenhouse. One day while at Mr. Ryan’s general store, Pee-wee is alerted by the local sheriff about an impending storm. He rushes home to protect his farm animals before taking shelter himself. Once the storm passes, ...

Crocodile Dundee II (1988) is the second installment in the successful film series. It follows Mick Dundee and Sue Charlton’s life together in New York City. Despite Mick’s lack of familiarity with city living, he continues his adventurous ways such as blast fishing in Manhattan’s waters. Meanwhile, Sue’s writing has garnered him widespread recognition. He then starts working for Leroy Brown, an unassuming stationery salesman who tries to portray a tough guy persona. On the other hand, Sue’s ex-husband Bob takes pictures of a drug cartel leader murdering an unknown individual while on duty for the DEA in Colombia. Unfortunately, Bob is ...

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) is a comedic crime caper helmed by director Charles Crichton and co-written by Crichton and John Cleese. The film follows London mobster George Thomason as he devises a daring jewel heist with his loyal assistant Ken Pile, an animal enthusiast known for his stutter. In order to execute the plan, George enlists the help of two Americans: Wanda Gershwitz, a skilled con artist, and Otto West, an unstable anti-British weapons specialist. Despite being secretly involved romantically, Wanda and Otto ...

Overboard (1987) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Leslie Dixon. Heiress Joanna Stayton is accustomed to a wealthy life with her own yacht and fortune, along with her husband Grant Stayton III. While waiting for her yacht to be repaired in the fictional seaside town of Elk Cove, Oregon, Joanna hires local carpenter Dean Proffitt, a widower with four sons, to remodel her closet. Despite Dean’s quality work, she dismisses it because he used oak instead of cedar without her requesting it initially. Dean asks to be paid for ...

Director Tom Mankiewicz made his debut with Dragnet (1987), an American buddy cop comedy. The film follows the story of LAPD Sergeant Joe Friday’s nephew and namesake, who shares his late uncle’s old-fashioned beliefs. He is paired with Pep Streebek, a street-smart and confident newcomer. Their contrasting personalities clash initially, as Friday disapproves of Streebek’s attitude, appearance, and attire. Despite this, they develop a bond while investigating a strange string of thefts. One of the stolen items is Bait, a pornographic magazine owned by Jerry Caesar. Reverend Jonathan Whirley has been ...

Directed and produced by William Dear, Harry and the Hendersons (1987) is a classic American fantasy comedy. After a camping trip in the nearby Cascade mountains, George Henderson drives his family back home to suburban Seattle when an unexpected encounter occurs. While traveling in their station wagon, they accidentally hit a Bigfoot. Excited by the potential for fame and fortune, the family brings the creature along by strapping it to the roof of their car. However, their plans are interrupted when a hunter discovers their damaged license plate, leading him to suspect foul play. That same night, George goes to check ...

The American crime comedy film, Happy New Year (1987), directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Peter Falk, follows two aging thieves named Nick and Charlie on their last heist before retirement in ritzy Palm Beach, Florida. Their target is the well-guarded Harry Winston jewelry store, which has high-tech security. Edward, the store’s manager, unknowingly welcomes a disguised Nick, posing as an elderly customer looking for an expensive gift for his terminally ill wife. Meanwhile, dressed as his true self, Nick meets Carolyn, a sophisticated and attractive woman who ...

Radio Days (1987), an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, nostalgically looks back at the golden age of radio in the late 1930s and 1940s. Set in Rockaway Beach, New York, it follows a working-class family, with fictional narrator Joe (voiced by Allen himself) recounting their adventures. Among these is how two burglars stumbled upon a radio show while robbing a home. For Joe, old radio songs evoke childhood memories of his time living with his modest Jewish-American family in Rockaway Beach during the late 1930s and early 1940s. His mother was ...

The American television sitcom, ALF (1986–1990), originally aired on NBC from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990. The show follows the story of an alien named Gordon Shumway, also known as ALF (which stands for ‘Alien Life Form’), who crashes into the suburban home of the Tanners – a middle-class family living in the San Fernando Valley of California. Gordon is from the planet Melmac and had followed a radio signal to Earth. Despite his real name being Gordon Shumway, the Tanners affectionately call him ALF. The family consists of Willie, his wife Kate, their daughter Lynn, son Brian, and their cat Lucky – whom Gordon has a desire to eat. ...

Nothing in Common (1986) is an American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall. David Basner, a shallow, childish yuppie recently promoted at his Chicago ad agency, returns to work from a vacation only to find that his parents have separated after 36 years of marriage. Now he must balance caring for his aging and bitter father, Max, while also supporting his emotionally fragile mother, Lorraine. To add to the stress, Max has just been fired from the garment industry after 35 years. While trying to navigate these challenges, David’s ex-girlfriend Donna offers sympathy but also advises him to ‘grow ...

The Money Pit (1986) is an American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. It follows the story of Walter Fielding, an attorney, and his girlfriend Anna Crowley as they attempt to renovate their newly purchased house. The film is a remake of the 1948 Cary Grant comedy, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Walter’s father, also named Walter, has married a woman named Florinda and fled the country after stealing millions from their musician clients. The couple finds themselves ...

Back to School (1986) is an American comedy film directed by Alan Metter. The protagonist, Thornton Meloni, is an Italian-American whose dream is to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a tailor. However, after receiving a poor report card from school one day, his father warns him about the importance of education: ‘A man with no education has nothing’. Over the years, Thornton changes his last name to ‘Melon’ and becomes a successful businessman, opening a chain of plus-size clothing stores and investing in various other ventures. Through photos, we see his journey of acquiring ...

Director Brian De Palma brought to life Wise Guys (1986), an American dark comedy about two men at the bottom of a Newark Mafia hierarchy. Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein, an Italian American and a Jewish friend respectively, worked for Castelo by completing mundane tasks like caring for his goldfish or testing bullet-proof jackets. Despite their lowly positions, they had big dreams of opening a unique Jewish-Italian deli. Unfortunately, their boss and fellow gang members looked down on them and often made fun of their aspirations. During a trip to the racetrack with Castelo’s violent henchman Frank ‘The ...

The action comedy film, Crocodile Dundee (1986), takes place in both the Australian Outback and New York City. Sue Charlton, a feature writer for her father’s newspaper Newsday, is dating the editor Richard Mason. She travels to Walkabout Creek, a small township in the Northern Territory of Australia, to meet Michael J. ‘Crocodile’ Dundee – a bushman who allegedly lost half his leg to a saltwater crocodile before making an incredible journey to safety. However, upon arriving in Walkabout Creek, Sue is unable to find Dundee and instead spends the evening at the local pub with his business partner Walter ‘Wally’ Reilly. When Dundee ...

Volunteers (1985), directed by Nicholas Meyer and starring Tom Hanks and John Candy, follows the story of Lawrence Bourne III. Bourne is a spoiled recent graduate of Yale, Class of 1962, with a hefty $28,000 gambling debt. When his father, Lawrence Bourne Jr., refuses to pay off the debt, Bourne decides to switch places with his college roommate Kent in order to escape from his angry creditors. This leads him to join a Peace Corps flight headed for Thailand. On the plane, he meets Tom Tuttle from Washington State University ...

The American comedy film The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), directed by Stan Dragoti and starring Tom Hanks and Dabney Coleman, is a remake of the 1972 French film The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, which features Pierre Richard and Mireille Darc. In the plot, a CIA agent is detained in Morocco on charges of drug smuggling. It turns out that CIA deputy director Burton Cooper is behind the operation, hoping to use ...

Fandango (1985), an American comedy directed by Kevin Reynolds, takes place at a fraternity house on the University of Texas campus in Austin. At the party, Gardner Barnes from a group known as the Groovers is seen throwing darts at a picture of himself and his ex-girlfriend Debbie. He then heads downstairs to rejoin the festivities, but not before ripping the photo in half. Also present at the party are Kenneth Waggener, engaged to be married, and ROTC geek Phil Hicks. Phil’s parents arrive just in time to witness another Groover named Lester pass out (and remain unconscious for most of the film) and meet Dorman, ...