How did I forget Better Off Dead - Damn…Mike you are right about those in some regard. But for 80’s clothes music and hair Breakfast Club and Ghostbusters scream 80’s. I will take the knock on Back to the Future - Insert Better Off Dead in its place…
I WANT MY 2 DOLLARS!
Better Off Dead might qualify if John Cusack’s character had just learned how to ski. Just winning the race on one ski wasn’t 80s enough.
I think a lot of you aren’t understanding the concept of what 80s truly is. Sean’s list is good. Out of all the movies people have suggested, I think probably only Valley Girl, Electric Dreams, and Red Dawn could possibly have a case made.
A movie has to be so much more, or rather less, than set in the 80s to be an 80s movie. This quicktime movie might help those who are having trouble distinguishing a normal movie from an 80s movie.
Once you understand why Revenge of the Nerds ans Sixteen Candles are not Top 10 80s movies, only then will you have grasped the concept of that which is 80s.
After seeing that film, I understand.
“Valley Girl” is a close, but it’s too good of a film to make the list.
“Sixteen Candles” cannot be there, because while it’s does have one or two elements, it also is too good and too innovative to make the list.
“Red Dawn”, “Wargames” and “Taps” would make a different list.
However, I do think some great “80’s movies” were missed:
“Can’t buy Me Love” :
This has the clapping, the girl switching, the jocks, and the happy ending
“Teen Wolf” and Teen Wolf 2": One was about Basketball, the other Wrestling. Need I say more?
“Zapped”.
“Footloose”. Footloose’s production values are too good, but other than that it fits the mold perfectly.
“Iron Eagle”.
That very weird little movie got me thinking…
Where the hell did the “slow clap buildup” come from? This sort of thing dominated 80s movies, but still rides strong today in TV and film. Can any of the movie geeks here tell me about the origin of this oh-so-annoying scene?
Breakfast Club is the true 80s movie. The fact that it is actually watchable helps.
Troy
There was a slow-clap in “Breaking Away” I believe…
No, no, NO. You have learned nothing from the list.
Hmm, let’s see… What about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Wall Street, Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, Back to the Future 1… ?
Most recently, Donnie Darko was a very eightiest movie in my opinion, but that doesn’t count since it’s was not actually made in the 80’s.
Great choices. Only a few substitutions:
Wall Street
Rambo - First Blood Part 2 (c’mon people)
Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club
Top Gun
Back to the Future
Ghostbusters
Flashdance
Ferris Bueller
Platoon.
There you go. Those movies collectively define the 80’s, to me.
OK, you people have no idea what you’re doing. Those aren’t 80s movies. Those are movies made in the 80s that managed to be good.
Here are REAL 80s movies:
Missing in Action
Revenge of the Nerds (whoah, I just realized one of the Nerds went on to ER and was Goose in Top Gun. Talk about role-reversal)
Weird Science
The Wraith (gotta have Mr. Sheen)
Who’s That Girl
Commando
Caddy Shack II (the first was too funny to merit this list)
Cocktail (What are the 80s without Tom Cruise?)
The Karate Kid
Right, except “Karate Kid” is a pretty good film, which makes it kind of a paradox for the list. “Revenge Of The Nerds” is also quite good, but it DOES have the clapping.
I think that “Teen Wolf” is a quintessential choice because it has the
Speaking of Michael Fox, does “Class Of 1984” count?
Teen Wolf also has Michael J. Fox. How about that?
In the early 80’s he was credited as simply “Michael Fox” (i.e. Class Of 1984) so whe nwe are talking true “80’s movies” that is what I like to call him.
But yeah, the fact that he’s in it must push it over the edge, right?
Man I haven’t seen the Wraith forever. I need to my Laserdisc player working again so I can watch it =D
Geek.
I think Not Another Teen Movie was sadly underrated as a film. I mean, they had The Slow Clapper Guy as one of the characters! It’s awesome when he tries to start the slow clap, and it doesn’t work.
Just One of the Guys is a classic 80s movie. I’ve seen it over 20 times probably. I have NO idea why I like it so much. It’s really bad. Another bad 80s movie (that I have seen several times) is Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which has Sarah Jessica Parker, Jonathan Silverman, Helen Hunt, and Shannen Doherty. It has 80s dancing! Speaking of Silverman, Weekend at Bernies is a great 80s movie. Some great 80s movies actually came out in the early 90s (before or at the time of grunge hitting the scene).