see how I told my boss to take this job and shove it!
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Last Updated: January 31st
Films from the 1980s often get a bad reputation, culturally dominated as they were by family-friendly films (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Short Circuit), the rise of blockbuster franchises (Back to the Future, Star Wars, Indiana Jones) and lots of Reagan-era excess: Big hair, terrible fashion, and synthesizer music that’s done more to date good ’80s movies than telephone technology. There was always a summer camp, a body-switch, or a human with an alien friend, or so it seems. In spite of the complexities of the Cold War, the themes of Hollywood movies during the decade were often ridiculously simple: Get laid, ski to the bottom of the hill first, or outrun the slasher. It obviously wasn’t all bad, of course, otherwise the 1980s wouldn’t be such a rich resource for remakes and reboots.
Below are 15 of the best ’80s movies on Netflix streaming to watch tonight. Some highlight the excesses of the decade. Others flaunt formula and subvert topes made famous by other 1980s films. Still others are singular achievements that would stand out in any decade.
Related: The 20 Best Movies On Amazon Prime Right Now
The Money Pit (1986)
A timeless Tom Hanks comedy classic, The Money Pit is a cautionary tale for every couple who is considering buying a fixer-upper and turning it into the home of their dreams. It’s more likely to become a nightmare, but Hanks and Shelly Long at least make a seriously funny and occasionally sweet nightmare. It also contains the best laugh scene in the history of comedy. Ahh, home crap home!
Turner & Hooch (1989)
Not all that well received by critics upon its release, Turner & Hooch has nevertheless gained a cult-like status as an amiable buddy-dog film. The plot is a mess, and the jokes are mostly juvenile, but the combination of the always delightful early Tom Hanks, a slobbering dog prove, and a lot of heart prove to be irresistible.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Peter Weir’s warm coming-of-age drama Dead Poets Society stars Robin Williams as Professor Keating, a teacher and mentor to an English lit class made up of a who’s who of future stars (Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles). It’s a movie about the power of non-conformity set in a strict private school that values discipline and rule following. The Oscar-winning screenplay gives Williams one of his first and most powerful dramatic roles, and while the movie is incredibly sentimental, most will have a difficult time holding back the tears. It’s a beautiful movie, worthy of its Best Picture nomination.
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Before Chris Hemsworth brought Thor to the big screen, Vincent D’Onofrio — with a full head of glorious ’80s hair — played a version of The Mighty Thor for the enjoyable Christopher Columbus comedy Adventures In Babysitting. A veritable who’s who of before they were stars (D’Onofrio, lead Elisabeth Shue, Bradley Whitford, Penelope Ann Miller, Anthony Rapp). It’s light and formulaic, but very sweet and very funny, and holds up surprisingly well.
Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
Another teen film that wasn’t particularly well regarded by critics at the time, Can’t Buy Me Love nevertheless struck a nerve with its target demographic and became something of a cult teen comedy over the years. Every generation needs its Pygmalion remake, and this one is gender-reversed. A high-school nerd (Patrick Dempsey) pays a cheerleader (Amanda Peterson, R.I.P.) to date him, believing her popularity will rub off on him by association. She, of course, also gives him a She’s All That makeover. Which is to say Dempsey takes off his glasses and magically turns into a teen hunk. The gambit works, and naturally the two fall in love. Can’t Buy Me Love is trite, predictable, and formulaic, but it’s also incredibly cute, sweet, harmless and strangely irresistible.
Heathers (1988)
Heathers was a vicious counterpoint to the John Hughes ’80s teen flicks. Where Hughes found the magic in high school, Heathers dwelled on its hell, subverting high-school politics and making a punchline of teenage suicide. (“Don’t do it!”) It’s a deranged Breakfast Club, twisted and turned inside out and layered in scathing satire and school violence that might not sit as well in a post-Columbine world even if the spirit of Heathers continues to resonate. For younger viewers who have always wondered what the big deal about Christian Slater was, Heathers should provide all the answers.
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Stanley Kubrick’s war film is arguably the best ever Vietnam War flick featuring an astounding performance from Vincent D’Onofrio. It’s broken in two halves, and while the first half — boot camp — is inarguably better, as a whole it a brilliant, triumphant, darkly comic and at times bleak piece of filmmaking that deserves its iconic status.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Robert Zemeckis’ Roger Rabbit was a technological marvel for its time, masterfully combining hand-drawn animation and live action (and winning on Oscar for special effects). Beyond the eye-popping sight of seeing animated icons alongside 1940’s live-action characters, Roger Rabbit is also a dazzling, funny and clever murder mystery. Warning: Don’t let the animation fool you. Roger Rabbit is not appropriate for younger children.
Hellraiser (1987)
The debut of horror author Clive Barker as a director, Hellraiser (based on Barker’s Hellbound Heart) is a grisly bit of fun, a vicious, bleak and terrifying horror flick. It involves a puzzlebox stolen by a man named Frank, who opens it up only to discover that it’s a portal to hell, where the Cenobities reside, S&M creatures from another dimension who rip their victims’ bodies apart. Years later, a drop of blood spills on the box, partially resurrecting Frank, but he needs to blood of other victims to make his resurrection complete. Hellraiser is weird and disturbing, and definitely not for the squeamish.
Trading Places (1983)
A terrific, profane 80s version of The Prince and the Pauper, Trading Places sees Eddie Murphy play a down-on-his-luck homeless guy who is given a chance to switch places with a Wall Street trader played by Dan Aykroyd in a bet orchestrated by two wealthy men. Can a poor man be corrupted by wealth? Will a rich man robbed of his wealth find himself on the streets? It was Murphy’s second big-screen feature, and perhaps the best work of his career: A hilarious comedy with a heavy dose of Reagan-era satire and a remarkably fun turn from Jamie Lee Curtis.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
A story about a guy and his bike, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is Tim Burton’s directorial debut and a thoroughly original and creative road-trip movie co-written by Paul Reubens and SNL’s Phil Hartman. It’s a bizarre kids film that also appeals twisted adults. Big Adventure is silly, surreal, and totally weird, but somehow it works, almost like a live-action cartoon with at least one terrific, memorable scare that has stuck with children of the 80s for three decades (“Tell ’em Large Marge sent ya!”)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Errol Morris’ Thin Blue Line transformed the documentary form, and without it, there’d be no The Jinx or Making a Murderer. Depicting the story of a man convicted and sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit, The Thin Blue Line also had real-world consequences: A year after its release, the man at the center of the documentary, Randall Dale Adams, was released from prison.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Before salaries exploded, and the best players were traded back and forth among the same teams, there was more to baseball than commerce. It was the national pastime. It was a spiritual game of rhythms and of traditions, an innocent game with little cynicism. Field of Dreams, more than any other baseball movie, captures the magic of the sport. It’s not about the big 9th inning comeback. It’s not about breaking records or earning the most money. Baseball was a religion, and Field of Dreams is the Bible, a sports movie as though directed by Frank Capra, and a must-watch for anyone who truly loves the game of baseball.
Batman (1989)
Not only is Batman available, but the entire first run of Batman movies is now available on Netflix. The last two — the Joel Schumacher entries, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin — are only worth seeing out of morbid curiosity. The original Tim Burton Batman featuring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader and Jack Nicholson in an Oscar worthy turn as The Joker is must-see. It’s more of a “Tim Burton” movie than a Batman movie, but it’s a treat, and the soundtrack from Prince is outstanding.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
With Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy owned the buddy cop in the 1980s, but Mel Gibson and Danny Glover amped up the action in Lethal Weapon and added some dramatic heft to the proceedings. Richard Donner gave us a by-the-books cop on his way out the door (“I’m tool old for this sh*t”) and paired him with a suicidal cop who performs his job as though he doesn’t care about dying, because he doesn’t. The storyline is fairly generic — drug smugglers and murderers — but the chemistry between Gibson and Glover makes for entertaining viewing (and provides some context for the Lethal Weapon TV series now on Fox). The three sequels are also on Netflix, and the first two, at least, are very much worth visiting.
do you like going to work? Me neither! See how I got around that and got paid too!
from Carlos B2 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uproxx/features/~3/p5XgRnmkmBs/
via carlosbastarache216.blogspot.com/
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