The Best 80s Comedies

High-concept, quotable and built to rewatch: the 1980s comedy canon ranked by composite score across lists and registries.

Do the Right Thing (1989) leads with a composite score of 4.39. Top 100 of 212 films in our library.

Part of The Best Comedies of All Time — the 1980s →

Masters of the genre

Woody Allen
6 films · The Purple Rose of Cairo
Spike Lee
2 films · Do the Right Thing
Jūzō Itami
3 films · The Funeral
Éric Rohmer
5 films · The Aviator's Wife
James L. Brooks
2 films · Terms of Endearment
Jim Jarmusch
3 films · Stranger Than Paradise

1
Do the Right Thing1989 · Spike Lee · United States · comedy, drama
4.39
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #24 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #29
2
Stranger Than Paradise1984 · Jim Jarmusch · United States / Germany · drama, comedy
3.00
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #1 · Locarno Golden Leopard winner 1984 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1984 #3
3
A Room with a View1986 · James Ivory · United Kingdom · comedy, romance, drama
2.81
BAFTA Best Film winner 1987 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1986 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #6
4
Rain Man1988 · Barry Levinson · United States · drama, comedy
2.77
Oscar Best Picture winner 1988 · Berlin Golden Bear winner 1989 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1989 #4
5
Tootsie1982 · Sydney Pollack · United States · comedy, romance, drama
2.74
Oscar Best Picture nominee 1982 · AFI 100 (2007) #69 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1983 #8
6
Terms of Endearment1983 · James L. Brooks · United States · comedy, romance, drama
2.73
Oscar Best Picture winner 1983 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 1983 #2
7
The Ballad of Narayama1983 · Shohei Imamura · Japan · comedy, drama
2.39
Palme d'Or winner 1983 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1984 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1983 #5
8
The Purple Rose of Cairo1985 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, fantasy
2.32
BAFTA Best Film winner 1986 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #2 · TIME All-TIME 100
9
Driving Miss Daisy1989 · Bruce Beresford · United States · comedy, drama
2.13
Oscar Best Picture winner 1989 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1990 #8 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
10
Hannah and Her Sisters1986 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, drama
2.11
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1986 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #2
11
When Father Was Away on Business1985 · Emir Kusturica · Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia · comedy, drama
2.06
Palme d'Or winner 1985 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #5 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films
12
The Funeral1984 · Jūzō Itami · Japan · comedy
2.02
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1984 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1985 · Criterion Collection spine #1125
13
Where is the Friend's Home?1987 · Abbas Kiarostami · Iran · comedy, drama
2.00
Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #8
14
A Taxing Woman1987 · Jūzō Itami · Japan · comedy
1.92
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1987 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1988 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
15
Too Beautiful for You1989 · Bertrand Blier · France · comedy, drama
1.69
Cannes Grand Prix winner 1989 · César Best Film winner 1990 · Siskel's annual top 10 1990 #5
16
Who Framed Roger Rabbit1988 · Robert Zemeckis · United States · film-noir, fantasy, action
1.67
Kehr's annual top 10 1988 #2 · Siskel's annual top 10 1988 #2 · National Film Registry (inducted 2016)
17
Drugstore Cowboy1989 · Gus Van Sant · United States · drama, crime, comedy
1.61
Ebert's annual top 10 1989 #2 · Siskel's annual top 10 1989 #3 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1989 #4
18
Prizzi's Honor1985 · John Huston · United States · comedy, romance, drama
1.55
Sarris's annual top 10 1985 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1985 · Ebert's annual top 10 1985 #4
19
The King of Comedy1982 · Martin Scorsese · United States · drama, comedy, crime
1.53
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1983 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #87 · Sarris's annual top 10 1983 #5
20
Broadcast News1987 · James L. Brooks · United States · comedy, romance, drama
1.51
Oscar Best Picture nominee 1987 · National Film Registry (inducted 2018) · Siskel's annual top 10 1987 #5
21
Brazil1985 · Terry Gilliam · United Kingdom / Australia · film-noir, sci-fi, fantasy
1.51
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #8 · TIME All-TIME 100 · BFI Top 100 British films #54
22
The Aviator's Wife1981 · Éric Rohmer · France · comedy, drama
1.50
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1981 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1981 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1982 #null
23
My Dinner with Andre1981 · Louis Malle · United States · drama, comedy
1.49
Ebert's annual top 10 1981 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1981 #2 · Siskel's annual top 10 1989 #4
24
After Hours1985 · Martin Scorsese · United States · comedy
1.42
Ebert's annual top 10 1985 #2 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1986 #9 · Kehr's annual top 10 1985 #4
25
Moonstruck1987 · Norman Jewison · United States · comedy, romance
1.39
Oscar Best Picture nominee 1987 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1988 #10 · Ebert's annual top 10 1987 #5
26
Lost in America1985 · Albert Brooks · United States · comedy
1.37
Kehr's annual top 10 1985 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1985 #2 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
27
The Princess Bride1987 · Rob Reiner · United States / Australia · comedy, romance, fantasy
1.35
TIFF People's Choice winner 1987 · National Film Registry (inducted 2016) · Empire 500 (2008) #122
28
Hope and Glory1987 · John Boorman · United Kingdom / Australia · drama, comedy
1.35
Kehr's annual top 10 1987 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1987 · BFI Top 100 British films #90
29
This Is Spinal Tap1984 · Rob Reiner · United States · comedy, musical
1.28
Empire 500 (2008) #48 · National Film Registry (inducted 2002) · Ebert's annual top 10 1984 #4
30
Educating Rita1983 · Lewis Gilbert · United Kingdom · comedy, drama
1.23
BAFTA Best Film winner 1984 · BFI Top 100 British films #84
31
Local Hero1983 · Bill Forsyth · United Kingdom · comedy, drama
1.14
BFI Top 100 British films #37 · Sarris's annual top 10 1983 #4 · Empire 500 (2008) #209
32
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown1988 · Pedro Almodóvar · Spain · comedy
1.08
TIFF People's Choice winner 1988 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #855
33
Crimes and Misdemeanors1989 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, drama, crime
1.07
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1990 #8 · Empire 500 (2008) #267 · Siskel's annual top 10 1989 #7
34
Melvin and Howard1980 · Jonathan Demme · United States · drama, comedy
1.06
Kehr's annual top 10 1981 #1 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Siskel's annual top 10 1981 #8
35
Radio Days1987 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, drama, romance
1.03
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #7 · Empire 500 (2008) #304 · Siskel's annual top 10 1987 #6
36
La colmena1982 · Mario Camus · Spain · drama, comedy
1.00
Berlin Golden Bear winner 1983
37
Red Wood Pigeon1989 · Nanni Moretti · Italy / France · comedy, drama
1.00
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #1
38
Passion1982 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Switzerland · comedy, drama
0.99
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1982 #2 · Kehr's annual top 10 1984 #4 · Kehr's annual top 10 1989 #null
39
Back to the Future1985 · Robert Zemeckis · United States · sci-fi, adventure, comedy
0.99
Empire 500 (2008) #23 · National Film Registry (inducted 2007) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
40
The Blues Brothers1980 · John Landis · United States · musical, comedy
0.98
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1981 #9 · National Film Registry (inducted 2020) · Empire 500 (2008) #258
41
Le Beau Mariage1982 · Éric Rohmer · France · comedy, drama
0.96
Sarris's annual top 10 1982 #1 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1982 #10 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
42
Withnail and I1987 · Bruce Robinson · United Kingdom / Australia · comedy, drama
0.93
BFI Top 100 British films #29 · Empire 500 (2008) #118 · Criterion Collection spine #119
43
The Dresser1983 · Peter Yates · United Kingdom / Australia · comedy, drama
0.92
Oscar Best Picture nominee 1983 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #9 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
44
True Love1989 · Nancy Savoca · United States · comedy
0.92
Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 1989 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
45
The Decline of the American Empire1986 · Denys Arcand · Canada · drama, comedy
0.92
TIFF People's Choice winner 1986 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #7
46
Say Anything...1989 · Cameron Crowe · United States · comedy, romance, drama
0.91
Kehr's annual top 10 1989 #2 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Siskel's annual top 10 1989 #9
47
Risky Business1983 · Paul Brickman · United States · comedy, drama, romance
0.89
NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #1227 · Kehr's annual top 10 1983 #8
48
My Life as a Dog1985 · Lasse Hallström · Sweden · comedy, drama
0.87
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1989 #5 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #178
49
Pauline at the Beach1983 · Éric Rohmer · France · comedy, drama
0.86
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1983 #5 · Sarris's annual top 10 1983 #2 · Siskel's annual top 10 1983 #8
50
Zelig1983 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy
0.81
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #5 · Sarris's annual top 10 1983 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #408
51
Tampopo1985 · Jūzō Itami · Japan · comedy
0.81
Letterboxd Top 250 #146 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #868
52
Hairspray1988 · John Waters · United States · comedy, romance, musical
0.78
National Film Registry (inducted 2022) · Empire 500 (2008) #444 · Criterion Collection spine #1315
53
Working Girl1988 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, romance, drama
0.77
Oscar Best Picture nominee 1988 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Siskel's annual top 10 1988 #9
54
Tempest1982 · Paul Mazursky · United States · comedy, drama, adventure
0.75
TIFF People's Choice winner 1982
55
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life1983 · Terry Jones · United Kingdom · musical, comedy
0.75
Cannes Grand Prix winner 1983
56
My New Partner1984 · Claude Zidi · France · comedy, crime
0.75
César Best Film winner 1985
57
Three Men and a Cradle1985 · Coline Serreau · France · comedy
0.75
César Best Film winner 1986
58
The Trouble with Dick1987 · Gary Walkow · United States · comedy
0.75
Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 1987
59
Homer and Eddie1989 · Andrei Konchalovsky · United States · comedy, drama, crime
0.75
San Sebastián Golden Shell winner 1989
60
The World According to Garp1982 · George Roy Hill · United States · comedy, romance, drama
0.74
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1983 #2 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
61
Stand by Me1986 · Rob Reiner · United States · adventure, comedy, drama
0.74
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #70 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
62
The Breakfast Club1985 · John Hughes · United States · comedy, drama
0.73
National Film Registry (inducted 2016) · Empire 500 (2008) #369 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
63
Housekeeping1987 · Bill Forsyth · United States / Canada · comedy, drama
0.72
Sarris's annual top 10 1987 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1989 #9 · Ebert's annual top 10 1987 #10
64
Airplane!1980 · Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker · United States · comedy, romance
0.68
National Film Registry (inducted 2010) · Empire 500 (2008) #368 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
65
Lola1981 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder · Germany · drama, comedy
0.67
Siskel's annual top 10 1982 #6 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Sarris's annual top 10 1982 #7
66
Something Wild1986 · Jonathan Demme · United States · comedy, romance, drama
0.66
Kehr's annual top 10 1986 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #563 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1986 #11
67
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle1987 · Éric Rohmer · France · comedy, drama
0.66
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1987 #6 · Sarris's annual top 10 1989 #8 · Kehr's annual top 10 1989 #10
68
Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man1981 · Bernardo Bertolucci · Italy · drama, comedy
0.65
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1981 #3 · Sarris's annual top 10 1982 #9
69
Ariel1988 · Aki Kaurismäki · Finland · drama, romance, comedy
0.64
Hoberman's annual top 10 1990 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1990 #10
70
Peggy Sue Got Married1986 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · comedy, romance, fantasy
0.62
Siskel's annual top 10 1986 #6 · Ebert's annual top 10 1986 #9 · Kehr's annual top 10 1986 #9
71
When Harry Met Sally1989 · Rob Reiner · United States · comedy, romance
0.62
Empire 500 (2008) #90 · National Film Registry (inducted 2022) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
72
Modern Romance1981 · Albert Brooks · United States · comedy
0.60
Sarris's annual top 10 1981 #4 · Kehr's annual top 10 1981 #8 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
73
My Beautiful Laundrette1985 · Stephen Frears · United Kingdom / Australia · comedy, romance, drama
0.59
BFI Top 100 British films #50 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #767
74
High Hopes1988 · Mike Leigh · United Kingdom · comedy
0.58
Kehr's annual top 10 1989 #5 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
75
Gregory's Girl1981 · Bill Forsyth · United Kingdom · comedy, romance
0.58
BFI Top 100 British films #30 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
76
Bull Durham1988 · Ron Shelton · United States · comedy, romance, drama
0.58
Siskel's annual top 10 1988 #3 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #936
77
A Fish Called Wanda1988 · Charles Crichton, John Cleese · United States / United Kingdom · crime, comedy
0.57
BFI Top 100 British films #39 · Ebert's annual top 10 1988 #6 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
78
Ferris Bueller's Day Off1986 · John Hughes · United States · comedy
0.57
Empire 500 (2008) #88 · National Film Registry (inducted 2014) · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
79
The War of the Roses1989 · Danny DeVito · United States · comedy, drama
0.56
Sarris's annual top 10 1989 #3 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Siskel's annual top 10 1989 #10
80
Chan Is Missing1982 · Wayne Wang · United States · comedy, drama
0.55
National Film Registry (inducted 1995) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #1124
81
Down by Law1986 · Jim Jarmusch · United States / Germany · comedy, drama
0.55
NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #166 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
82
Ghostbusters1984 · Ivan Reitman · United States · fantasy, horror, comedy
0.54
National Film Registry (inducted 2015) · Empire 500 (2008) #189 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
83
Bagdad Café1987 · Percy Adlon · Germany · comedy, drama
0.53
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1989 #6 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films
84
Dark Eyes1987 · Nikita Mikhalkov · Italy / Soviet Union · comedy, drama, romance
0.52
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1988 #6 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
85
Sweetie1989 · Jane Campion · Australia · comedy, drama
0.52
Kehr's annual top 10 1990 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #356 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
86
The Children1985 · マルグリット・デュラス · France · comedy
0.51
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1985 #8 · Kehr's annual top 10 1985 #5
87
Raising Arizona1987 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States · comedy, action, crime
0.50
Empire 500 (2008) #101 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
88
House of Wedlock1986 · Kichitarō Negishi · Japan · drama, comedy
0.50
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1986 #3
89
And the Ship Sails On1983 · Federico Fellini · France / Italy · comedy, drama, musical
0.49
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1984 #7 · Criterion Collection spine #50
90
Midnight Run1988 · Martin Brest · United States · comedy, crime, action
0.49
Siskel's annual top 10 1988 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #317 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
91
Drowning by Numbers1988 · Peter Greenaway · United Kingdom / Netherlands · drama, comedy, crime
0.48
Hoberman's annual top 10 1991 #2 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
92
Mystery Train1989 · Jim Jarmusch · United States / Japan · comedy, drama, crime
0.47
Hoberman's annual top 10 1989 #6 · Criterion Collection spine #521 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies
93
Pee-wee's Big Adventure1985 · Tim Burton · United States · comedy
0.46
Empire 500 (2008) #271 · Criterion Collection spine #1293 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
94
Heathers1988 · Michael Lehmann · United States · comedy, mystery
0.45
Empire 500 (2008) #412 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
95
Repo Man1984 · Alex Cox · United States · sci-fi, comedy, action
0.44
NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #654 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
96
Double Messieurs1986 · Jean-François Stévenin · France · comedy, drama
0.43
Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1986 #4
97
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!1988 · David Zucker · United States · comedy
0.43
NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Kehr's annual top 10 1988 #9 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies
98
Choose Me1984 · Alan Rudolph · United States / Canada · comedy, romance, drama
0.42
Criterion Collection spine #1256 · Ebert's annual top 10 1984 #9 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
99
Barfly1987 · Barbet Schroeder · United States · drama, comedy, romance
0.42
Ebert's annual top 10 1987 #3 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies
100
The Goonies1985 · Richard Donner · United States · adventure, comedy, action
0.40
National Film Registry (inducted 2017) · Empire 500 (2008) #378

The high-concept decade

Eighties Hollywood comedy was an industrial product of unusual quality control. The ingredients were new: Saturday Night Live and SCTV had built a bench of performers with established personas (Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, Candy, Murphy); the high-concept pitch — a premise you could state in one sentence and sell in one poster — organized production; and the multiplex plus VHS economy meant a hit comedy played for years, not weeks. Ghostbusters (1984) is the model: an effects-budget supernatural premise carried entirely by improv-trained deadpan, a theme song at #1 for three weeks, and a cultural footprint large enough that the Library of Congress eventually inducted it into the National Film Registry — the institution's acknowledgment that the era's commercial comedies are American film heritage.

The decade's other canonical comedies each fused the form with a neighboring genre. Back to the Future (1985) — Registry class of 2007 — is comedy welded to science fiction with a screenplay so tightly constructed it gets taught as structure; Zemeckis and Gale were rejected over forty times before Spielberg's imprimatur got it made. John Hughes ran a parallel operation in the suburbs of Chicago, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) became the teen comedy's most enduring statement — a film whose fourth-wall-breaking hero and one perfect truant afternoon have kept it in constant cultural circulation (and, since 2014, in the Registry).

Why these three, and what's missing

Comedy is the genre the traditional canon-makers handle worst: critics' polls skew solemn, and the Academy has never taken the form seriously (none of the films on this page saw a major Oscar nomination). That is why this page leans so heavily on the National Film Registry and community canons — the sources that measure endurance rather than prestige. The films that surface are the ones still being quoted, rewatched and referenced forty years on: the eighties comedy that became infrastructure. Treat the list as a floor, not a ceiling — the decade's bench (Airplane!, This Is Spinal Tap, Coming to America, A Fish Called Wanda) sits just outside the current library and will join it as coverage expands.