Comedy: 488

Weird Science (1985) is an American science fantasy teen comedy film by John Hughes. It follows the story of Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly, two outcast students at Shermer High School (the same school featured in The Breakfast Club). Gary and Wyatt are constantly humiliated by popular jocks Ian and Max for their lack of social status. They both have crushes on cheerleaders Deb and Hilly, who are dating Ian and Max. Unhappy with their current situation, Gary convinces his uptight friend Wyatt to come up with a plan to improve their popularity and win over their crushes. With Wyatt’s parents away for the weekend, ...

Private Resort (1985) is an American adventure comedy directed by George Bowers. It follows two teenage boys as they spend the weekend at a Florida resort. While their initial focus is on pursuing romantic interests, they soon discover that fate has other plans for them.

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), directed by Tim Burton, follows Pee-wee Herman’s quest to find his beloved, heavily accessorized bicycle. His neighbor and rival, Francis Buxton, has his sights set on the bike and Dottie, an employee at a bike shop, has a crush on Pee-wee. However, he does not reciprocate her feelings. As Pee-wee embarks on a shopping spree, his bike is stolen. Though the police are not concerned about the theft, Pee-wee suspects Francis and confronts him. Francis’ father assures him that his son had nothing to do with it. Desperate to retrieve his prized possession, Pee-wee offers a ...

The film Hold-Up (1985) is a Franco-Canadian crime comedy, featuring Jean-Paul Belmondo in the lead role and directed by Alexandre Arcady. As a clown, the cunning thief Grimm executes a heist at Montreal’s most secure bank, holding 30 hostages. While entertaining the police with his odd antics, he successfully empties the bank of its wealth. However, an unhappy accomplice causes complications…

The American spy comedy film Spies Like Us (1985), directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, tells the story of two men who dream of becoming secret agents. Austin Millbarge, a code breaker stationed in the dark basement of the Pentagon, longs to leave his unappreciated job behind. Meanwhile, Emmett Fitz-Hume, a wisecracking diplomat’s son, takes the foreign service exam under pressure from his peers. Despite attempting to bribe his way to success, Fitz-Hume resorts to cheating during the test after all else fails. Millbarge, on the other hand, was caught ...

After Hours (1985) is an American black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Joseph Minion. Following a tedious day at work, data entry worker Paul Hackett strikes up a conversation with a stranger named Marcy Franklin in a New York City cafe. She reveals that she shares an apartment in SoHo with a sculptor named Kiki Bridges, who creates and sells paperweights resembling cream cheese bagels. After receiving her number, Paul decides to call under the guise of purchasing one of the paperweights. He hails a cab to the apartment later that night but ...

Directed by Garry Marshall, The Flamingo Kid (1984) is an American romantic comedy film. In the summer of 1963, Jeffrey Willis joins friends for gin rummy at El Flamingo Club, a private beach resort. It’s there that he meets Carla Sampson, the girl of his dreams. Despite being upset about the club’s strict guest policy after the game, Jeffrey quickly lands a job as a car valet and eventually becomes a cabana steward. His father disapproves of him working at the exclusive club due to their middle class background in Brooklyn. However, his mentor and hero at the resort is Phil Brody – a salesman of ...

Bachelor Party (1984), an American sex comedy film directed by Neal Israel, follows the story of Rick Gassko. As a wild partygoer and Catholic school bus driver, he surprises his friends by announcing his plans to settle down with his girlfriend, Debbie Thompson. Overwhelmed by the news, his friend Jay leads the charge in organizing an unforgettable bachelor party. However, Debbie’s conservative parents disapprove of their relationship and seek help from her ex-boyfriend Cole to break them apart. As Debbie attends her bridal shower arranged by her friends while Rick attends his lavish bachelor party in a hotel ...

The film City Heat (1984) follows the comedic crime-capers of two former friends turned rivals, Mike Murphy and Lieutenant Speer. Set in Kansas City during the Great Depression, Speer visits a diner for coffee and is soon interrupted by two men seeking out Murphy. Despite their history as friends on the police force, tensions arise as the men fight over the affection of Murphy’s secretary Addy. As Murphy moves on with a new love interest, socialite Caroline Howley, he struggles with commitment while still caught up in his rivalry with Speer. Directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Blake Edwards, this American buddy-comedy stars Clint Eastwood and Burt ...

Johnny Dangerously (1984) is an American crime comedy that cleverly mocks the popular gangster movies of the 1930s. In the film, a pet shop owner catches a young boy stealing a puppy in 1935. Wanting to steer the child away from a life of crime, he recounts a tale through a flashback to 1910. This story follows Johnny Kelly, a poor but righteous newspaper boy in New York City, who is desperately trying to raise enough money for his mother’s surgery. Unfortunately, their family has fallen on hard times since Johnny’s father was put to death and his mother has resorted to doing laundry for others to support her sons. While Johnny’s younger brother ...

The film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), follows the American science fiction comedy genre and was created by W.D. Richter, directed by Earl Mac Rauch. Banzai and Dr. Tohichi Hikita perfect the ‘oscillation overthruster’: a device that allows an object to pass through solid matter. Banzai decides to test the machine himself and successfully drives his Jet Car through a mountain, ending up in another dimension. Upon returning, he discovers that an alien organism has attached itself to his car. Meanwhile, inmate Dr. Emilio ...

Broadway Danny Rose (1984) is an American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. The story centers on Danny Rose, a hardworking talent agent who represents a variety of unconventional and overlooked entertainers. During a lunch at New York’s Carnegie Deli, fellow comedians reminisce about Danny’s dedicated approach to his clients, including the struggling lounge singer Lou Canova. Despite his willingness to take on challenging acts, Danny always goes above and beyond to meet their personal and professional needs. However, as soon as any of his acts achieve success, they inevitably ...

Stan Dragoti directed Mr. Mom (1983), an American comedy film. Jack Butler resides in a Detroit suburb with his wife Caroline and their three children: Alex, Kenny, and Megan. However, when the early-1980s recession hits, Jack and his friends Larry and Stan lose their engineering jobs at Ford Motor Company. As a result, Caroline decides to use her previous experience in advertising and college education to enter the workforce once more, leaving Jack to navigate the unfamiliar territory of being a stay-at-home dad. He quickly learns that taking care of the kids and maintaining the house is not an easy task, but he gains ...

Private School (1983) is a high school flick from director Noel Black. Chris, a student at Cherryvale Academy for Girls in Northern California, shares a steamy romance novel with her bunkmate Betsy. Nearby, students from Freemount Academy for Men, including Jim and his less than tidy friend Bubba, sneak onto the girls’ campus. Jordan, who happens to be showering at the time, calls on Chris and Betsy for backup when she catches the boys trying to spy on her. In an attempt to scare them off, the trio accidentally causes the boys to fall off the building. As retaliation for being interrupted, Chris and Betsy take ...

Risky Business (1983), an American coming-of-age comedy film by Paul Brickman, revolves around Joel Goodsen, a high-achieving high school student living in the wealthy area of Glencoe, Chicago North Shore with his parents. While his father hopes for him to attend Princeton University, Joel is involved in Future Enterprisers, an extracurricular activity where students collaborate to develop small businesses. When his parents are away on a trip, Joel’s friend Miles encourages him to take advantage of his newfound freedom. One night, Joel indulges by rummaging through the liquor cabinet, blasting music on the stereo ...

The American satirical mockumentary comedy film, Zelig (1983), was written and directed by Woody Allen, who also stars in the movie. It is set in the 1920s and 1930s and follows the story of Leonard Zelig, a seemingly ordinary man with a remarkable ability to adapt his behavior and mannerisms to those around him. F. Scott Fitzgerald first notices this at a party where Zelig effortlessly blends in with the affluent guests, speaking with a refined Boston accent and sharing their conservative views. However, upon interacting with the kitchen staff, he adopts a coarser tone and reveals more liberal leanings. This unique ...

Lookin’ to Get Out (1982) is a humorous American movie helmed by Hal Ashby and penned by Al Schwartz and Jon Voight, who also takes on the lead role. While playing poker in New York City, Alex Kovac loses $10,000 to fellow gamblers Joey and Harry. In a desperate attempt to settle the debt, Alex convinces his friend Jerry Feldman to join him on a trip to Las Vegas with the goal of winning the same amount. However, upon their arrival at the casino, they discover another individual by the name of Jerry Feldman who is a ...

Young Doctors in Love (1982) is an American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. The story follows a group of eight young medical interns who join the City Hospital surgery staff, headed by the brash and cynical Dr. Prang. Among the patients at the hospital is Sal Bonafetti, an old mafioso who has disguised himself under a different name due to fear of retaliation from rival crime organizations. His son Angelo takes on the identity of a woman named ‘Angela’ to keep watch over his father. In addition, professional hitman Malamud also becomes a patient in order to carry out an assassination attempt on Sal. ...

Night Shift (1982), an American comedy film directed by Ron Howard, tells the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Lumley. Once a successful stockbroker, he now works as an attendant at a New York City morgue to escape the stress of Wall Street. However, his new role as night-shift supervisor, which was given to him in order to make room for his boss’ nephew Leonard, is not something he is pleased with. Adding to Chuck’s frustration is the exuberance of his co-worker Bill ‘Blaze’ Blazejowski. With inspiration from their neighbor Belinda, a prostitute, Chuck and Bill decide to use Chuck’s ...

Losin’ It (1983), a comedy film by Curtis Hanson, follows four teenagers from early 1960s Los Angeles as they journey to Tijuana, Mexico. The group consists of Dave, Woody, Spider, and Dave’s brother Wendell. While Dave, Spider, and Woody are determined to lose their virginity, Wendell is simply there to purchase fireworks. Along the way, they encounter Kathy, a woman seeking a speedy divorce from her husband. Together, they get caught up in a wild array of antics and mishaps south of the border.