The 1980s produced many teen comedies, which were, in all likelihood, made in the spirit of good fun. Unfortunately, 40 years later, many are jarring in their tone-deafness.
Still, some of these movies have held up a lot better than one might expect. Here’s our list of 1980s teen comedies that transcended their era and are still a lot of fun to watch today.
Image Credit: IMDb.
1. ’Fast Times at Ridgemont High’
1982
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” is 42 years old, but it’s still a relatable and entertaining watch. What sets it apart is the performances of all the actors, not just those playing teenagers. Everyone from Ray Walston’s Mr. Hand to Taylor Negron’s Pizza Guy is perfectly cast and believable. In 2005, it was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress alongside such classics as “Cool Hand Luke,” “The French Connection,” and “Toy Story.”
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2. ‘Better Off Dead’
1985
The mere premise of “Better Off Dead” is offensive. It’s a comedy about teenage suicide, so the laughs derive from the main character trying (without success) to off himself after a nasty breakup. Here’s the problem — a lot of it is still really funny. Furthermore, the main character, Lane, is played to sympathetic perfection by John Cusack, so you’re entertained by it, despite knowing better.
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3. ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’
1989
“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as a pair of high school buddies. They travel through time amassing prominent historical figures along the way to help them with their high school history class presentation. The movie is pretty clean fun, so there’s not much to it that would cause it to age poorly. But don’t worry — you can still enjoy it with your judgment impaired, per its eighth-place inclusion on Rolling Stone’s 2013 list of 10 Best Stoner Movies of All Time.
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4. ‘Valley Girl’
1983
“Valley Girl” is the story of two star-crossed lovers: A punk rocker, played by Nicolas Cage, and the titular valley girl, played by Deborah Foreman. The movie works well, possibly because it’s a retelling of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” so the dramatic structure to make it function seamlessly is already in place. It’s also fun to see Cage in an early role before he turned into the much-memed caricature of himself that he is today. Sorry, we’re just calling it like we see it.
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5. ‘Revenge of the Nerds’
1984
“Revenge of the Nerds” is rife with problematic moments. Indeed, few women will be amused during the panty raid scene. Fewer still will be laughing when one of the nerds, disguised as Darth Vader, pretends to be a cheerleader’s boyfriend so they can engage in relations without her knowing it’s him. There’s lots more besides! Still, it manages to be funny the majority of the time, and let’s be honest — the concept of a bunch of nerds humiliating a bunch of hostile frat boy jerks will always have appeal.
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6. ‘Real Genius’
1985
Two years after Martha Coolidge directed “Valley Girl,” she returned with another comedy about teenagers, “Real Genius.” It’s intelligent and irreverent, and while some movies use nerds as easy punchlines (see “Grease” from 1978), this nerd-rich film makes the characters and situations believable. Val Kilmer stars in his second-ever film appearence and is already very clearly a leading man, and the rest of the young cast capably keeps up with him.
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7. ‘Risky Business’
1983
“Risky Business” is the movie that turned Tom Cruise into a major star, and enough of it is still funny enough to make our list. Some of the mean-spiritedness that plagued many of this era’s movies is on full display, and there are jokes at the expense of marginalized groups that simply won’t fly today. However, it remains an entertaining use of 99 minutes and is still a million times better than “Vanilla Sky.”
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8. ‘Just One of the Guys’
1985
“Just One of the Guys” depicts a high school girl, played by Joyce Hyser, who believes her gender prevents her from being taken seriously as an aspiring journalist. As one does, she impersonates a boy and enrolls in a different high school to see if she’ll have better luck that way. If that reminds you of “Twelfth Night,” it’s for a good reason. Similar to “Valley Girl,” getting the Bard involved in a teen comedy script seems to work wonders. There are stupid and offensive jokes galore, but the performances and script elevate the material above such teen comedy fare as “Porky’s Revenge.”
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9. ‘The Sure Thing’
1985
The title and the poster for “The Sure Thing” probably made it seem like just another run-of-the-mill teen comedy. Closer inspection, however, revealed that the movie was directed by Rob Reiner and had convincing performances by John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga, as a couple of college students who embark on a cross-country road trip. The two have undeniable chemistry, and the resulting movie is charming, funny, and holds up to repeat viewings.
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10. ‘Heathers’
1988
If you were offended by the premise of “Better Off Dead,” you are unlikely to enjoy “Heathers” since it uses teenage unaliving as a primary comedic element. Furthermore, it suggests that maybe getting “un-alived” is a good idea for some people. Winona Ryder stars in one of the most blackly comic movies the 1980s ever produced, and in 2016, screenwriter Daniel Waters said that originally, he had hoped Stanley Kubrick would direct it, which would have been quite interesting.
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11. ‘Gregory’s Girl’
1980
Including “Gregory’s Girl” on a list of well-aged teen comedies may seem a little strange since the overwhelming majority are American films, and this movie was made in Scotland. It also has none of the crude humor that was standard in movies like “The Last American Virgin” or “My Tutor.” Instead, it’s a charming coming-of-age movie with genuine innocence and a sincerely good nature that never skimps on being funny. Fans of New Wave music will also be delighted to know that the cast includes Clare Grogan, lead singer of Altered Images.
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