80 Favorites of the ‘80s: 40-1
Welcome back to my 80 Favorites of the ‘80s! This piece finishes off the countdown to my favorite ‘80s movies. If you haven’t already, be sure you check out 80-41 and come back!
I thought before we continued I’d share the movies that barely missed the list, but were considered. Those movies were Arthur, The Blob, Blow Out, Born on the Fourth of July, Coming to America, Conan the Barbarian, Critters, The Dead Zone, The Empire Strikes Back, Enemy Mine, Gandhi, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, My Dinner with Andre, Poltergeist, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Robocop, Scrooged, Silverado, They Live, Trading Places, and Weird Science. I like all of those movies quite a bit to varying degrees a lot more than any other movie not mentioned. But, for the first time in this series of articles, I had to trim the list down quite a bit. Would any of those make your list?
Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s get back into it.
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40. Short Circuit (1986)
This is another family favorite. Johnny 5 is alive! I always enjoyed this film. I like Ally Sheedy. I like Steve Guttenberg. I thought Fisher Stevens was funny (I was disappointed to discover he’s not Indian like his character). I enjoyed the uptight Austin Pendleton and G.W. Bailey… well, he was in his prime in the ‘80s. I quote this movie occasionally. I enjoy the score by David Shire. And I really like the opening title sequence with the robotics and score. This is still a fun movie for me. The sequel, though, was always a little tough to get through.
38. Mannequin (1987)
I grew up with Mannequin. I’ve probably seen it 2 or 3 dozen times. Yes, in hindsight, it’s a bit of a male fantasy, but I think the cast is really fun (Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, G. W. Bailey, James Spader, and Meshach Taylor), it has a fun title sequence the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time, and some good tunes.
36. Innerspace (1987)
A man (Dennis Quaid) gets accidentally injected into a hypochondriac with anxiety (Martin Short) after an experiment goes awry. I totally dig Quaid as a mess and Meg Ryan as his exasperated love interest in one of her first big roles. And I love the villainous Kevin McCarthy, who I quote sometimes (“Never beg, never beg…!”). Even Robert Picardo is silly here. But who makes this movie is Martin Short. He does some ridiculously hilarious physical comedy here as the man with someone poking and prodding inside of him. The facial transformation scene in front of the mirror is one of the funniest scenes of the entire decade. This is in contention for my favorite Joe Dante movie.
34. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
I think this was Chris Columbus’s directorial debut. He’d previously written scripts for movies like Gremlins and The Goonies, but this was his first crack at directing. He would be better-known for movies like Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies. But it started here. And my family ate this movie up! It’s the story of a babysitter taking her charges from the suburbs to Chicago with the intention of quickly helping a friend out. One thing leads to another and pretty soon they’re without a car and getting chased by the mob. It’s a lot of fun and it stars several actors who were either ‘80s staples or just getting their start: Elizabeth Shue, Keith Coogan (Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Penelope Ann Miller (Kindergarten Cop), Bradley Whitford, George Newbern (Father of the Bride), Ron Canada, and Vincent D’Onofrio. It also has a really fun opening title sequence with Shue dancing to ‘Then He Kissed Me’.
32. Field of Dreams (1989)
This is a great film. I always say it’s one of those films that will make anyone who’s not a baseball fan fall in love with baseball for about two hours. Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, and Gaby Hoffman star. But the two actors who always struck me in this film are Amy Madigan, who plays the matriarch of the film’s family, and Burt Lancaster, the legendary Golden Age actor who gave his final performance here. But my wife and I often quote the scene when Costner’s character first meets Terrence Mann (Jones): “Rules? There’s no rules here.”
30. Superman II (1981)
As much as I love Snyder’s Man of Steel (the only film of Snyder’s DC films that I love), this is still my favorite Superman movie. This movie is pretty cool, because it introduces supervillains and Terence Stamp’s performance as Zod was so iconic that his demands to kneel have been referenced often. Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran play his goons, each pretty cool in their own way. This is also the film where Kal-El gave up his superpowers to have a life with Lois. That was a big deal back then! Anyways, not everything in the film makes sense even to fans of the comics (Superman can take off the crest on his chest and use it to capture bad guys?!). But it’s the most fun of all of the Reeve Superman movies without being completely hokey.
28. Dirty Dancing (1987)
This movie was a big deal when I was growing up. Its soundtrack - of which there two (very unusual) - is one of the 20 best-selling albums of all time. Originally, I loved the film for its music and its dancing. Then I loved it for the chemistry between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Now I love it for the rest of the cast (Jerry Orbach, Kelly Bishop, Jack Weston, and Wayne Knight) and that it touches on abortion issues. There’s ultimately so much to love about this movie. It deserves more than being dismissed as a chick flick.
26. Batman (1989)
The year 1989 was a big year for movies. Just CTRL+F the year in this and the previous article to see what I mean. But no movie was bigger in 1989 than Batman. The Bat-symbol was EVERYWHERE! People got haircuts in the shape of the Bat-symbol! Everyone was fricken pumped about that movie. And that it was going to be dark and not like the Adam West TV show… it gave people goosebumps thinking about it. Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson knocked it out of the park. Tim Burton brought an excellent gothic aesthetic to Gotham City. It’s still one of the best Batman movies of all time. I honestly think Christopher Nolan’s first two movies and 2022’s The Batman are the only ones to surpass it. It’s not as thematically rich, but it was popcorn fun and set the bar for a long time.
24. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
My 95th favorite film of all time is top shelf as far as family movies go. It’s also one of John Williams’s greatest scores. The ‘80s had several movies that were for kids, but also weren’t afraid to offer a spectrum of emotions, including fears and tears. E.T. was one of those movies. There are moments of this movie that is kinda scary for young viewers. And there’s genuine sadness to be found in this film, especially when close friends must go their separate ways. But that’s okay - at least, it should be - and it was for a long time! It’s a fricken masterpiece really and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
22. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
I think this is still the best Star Trek movie ever. I don’t care how exciting and action-packed you try to make Star Trek these days, it isn’t enough to trump a film with as much on its mind as The Wrath of Khan. It juggled a couple of different themes while also being a revenge film with its own thrilling action scenes. There are a couple of films in the series that are also really solid. But they are all 2nd to Khan.
20. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
There were a lot more attempts at live action fantasy in the ‘80s than I realized, but not a lot of them were great. Some of them skewed towards kids and this was one of the best. There were several different creatures and characters to take in. The villain of the plot was darker than darkness. It was Nothing. And there’s a placed called the Swamps of Sadness that lives up to its name for every child growing up in the ‘80s. It’s not all fun and adventure and that made The NeverEnding Story a great experience as a child. I would be open to a remake that fleshed out all the amazing characters a bit more, though, while remaining true to the emotional journey the film took kids on.
18. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
This is my favorite movie John Hughes directed. It’s literally about having fun and enjoying life. It’s the ultimate feel-good or comfort movie. It also has some emotional resonance as so many kids and teens could relate to Alan Ruck’s Cameron. Mia Sara was incredibly desirable. Matthew Broderick was perfect as the teen that everyone at school loved and adults hated. Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, and Edie McClurg are fun and to top it all off there’s appearances by Ben Stein, Richard Edson, Charlie Sheen, and Kristy Swanson. It’s up there with Singin’ in the Rain as movies guaranteed to make you smile.
16. The Karate Kid (1984)
This teen movie was iconic, an instant classic. People would not shut up about it. I grew up with it and its first sequel (I saw the third film when it came out, but immediately disliked it). I love the original movie on its own terms. The film is great as an underdog story and a story about bullies and their victim giving them their due. It also has touching moments with Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. It’s all pretty great and it’s not terribly surprising nostalgia culture has been milking it to death in recent years.
14. Footloose (1984)
I really do love Footloose more than The Karate Kid and Stand By Me. I’ve listened to the soundtrack on vinyl, cassette, and CD dozens of times over the past 35+ years. I used to watch the movie for Kevin Bacon and the music montages. Bacon is pretty great in it. But as I got older I started watching it for John Lithgow and Diane Wiest. Those two play supporting parental characters, but they are the core of the film for me. It’s Lithgow’s preacher who champions a law prohibiting dancing in their small Midwest town. It’s Lithgow’s preacher who struggles to keep his teen daughter safe so as to avoid her brother’s fate. It’s Lithgow’s preacher who fights book bans and realizes there’s a limit to the reach a parent’s protection should have in the world. And Wiest is there loving her preacher husband even when he’s wrong, even when he’s driving their daughter away, and especially when he realizes when he’s wrong. These two elevate Footloose and they don’t get enough credit. Also, the dancing is pretty great.
12. The Monster Squad (1987)
I loved monsters growing up. I was introduced to the Universal Monster movies when I was a kid and I loved Wolf Man, in particular. But seeing all of them working together in one film - and a group of kids going toe-to-toe with them - was as cool as it got in the ‘80s. Forget The Goonies. We’re the Monster Squad. Read more about my praise of this film here.
10. Broadcast News (1987)
This film stars Albert Brooks, but is by James L. Brooks (no relation). It has my favorite Albert Brooks performance. But I think it’s the script I love the most about this film rather than the stars (which includes Holly Hunter and William Hurt). I love its look at the lives of the people who bring the news to your home every evening. I love the way it forecasts the 24-hour news cycle on the horizon and the move away from authentic journalism and to a form of theater. I also love the love triangle at its center and what each character represents. I simply adore Broadcast News.
8. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
This is easily one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. It’s up there with Annie Hall and Bringing Up Baby. It’s got two brilliant leads: Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. It’s got a great supporting cast: Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher. It’s got a great script by Nora Ephron and a great director, Rob Reiner. They’re all ingredients that happened to concoct a brilliant, hilarious, and sweet rom-com the likes of which is rarely seen.
6. A Christmas Story (1983)
I’ve mentioned before this film fights for my favorite Christmas movie of all time. It captures so well so many experiences I can relate to as a child. It also does almost as well by its parent characters played delightfully by Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin. There isn’t a scene in this film that I don’t relate to or adore, which is pretty remarkable given it’s set over 30 years before I was born and was released shortly after I turned 3 years old.
4. Aliens (1986)
This is easily my favorite of the Alien series. Some would argue it’s the best. I think it’s tied with the original; they’re just very different movies. I prefer the muscular, action-heavy sequel over the lean horror of the original. Director James Cameron, hot off his Terminator success, came in with guns blazing, so to speak. It’s just simply a kick-ass movie, quite possibly the greatest sci-fi action movie of all time.
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Since this is my second favorite movie of all time, it goes without saying it’s my favorite Indiana Jones movie. Most people are reluctant to quibble with Raiders of the Lost Ark as the best Indiana Jones movie. But I will argue that The Last Crusade is at least as good. What isn’t good about it? It’s got a great mythology, as it also touches on Christian legends. It’s got exciting set pieces like the boats, the sewers, and the temple. It’s got great action. It has Sean Connery as Indy’s dad, Henry, Sr., who really elevates the film above just a globe-trotting action adventure. And I always preferred Alison Doody’s femme fatale over Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood. And that prologue sequence with River Phoenix as young Indiana with the Boy Scouts?! One of the greatest opening scenes of all time! It’s such a great film.
39. Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
The original Crocodile Dundee was a huge hit, bested only by Top Gun by $2 million in its year. It might even be the best of the trilogy. I always enjoyed the sequel more. I found the villain (Hechter Ubarry) more memorable. I enjoyed the Australian Outback locations more. I enjoyed Charles. S. Dutton as Leroy. I enjoyed the climax more. Sometimes I just find sequels to be more fun and interesting. This is one of those cases. But the next sequel was nearly unwatchable.
37. Spaceballs (1987)
I’m a big Star Wars fan. I grew up with Star Wars action figures and watching the original trilogy. So, how could I not love a parody of Star Wars by Mel Brooks? The film was criticized for coming along 4 years after Return of the Jedi, but that has no bearing on whether or not the jokes and characters are funny. And there were a lot of funny gags in this film! Most of the quotable lines are inappropriate around certain audiences. But so much of it is quotable. I contend this was Mel Brooks’s last great film.
35. The Secret of My Success (1987)
Aside from a very famous trilogy, this is my favorite Michael J. Fox movie. He plays a Midwest college boy who leads a double life as an executive and mail boy at a financial corporation a distant relative heads. It stars Helen Slater, Richard Jordan (Gettysburg), Margaret Whitton (Major League), John Pankow (Made About You), Gerry Bamman (Home Alone), Bill Fagerbakke (Coach), and Carol Ann Susi (The Big Bang Theory). Those are largely not recognizable names, but this movie made them familiar faces for me growing up. There’s some great blocking and staging involving Fox eluding certain characters from discovering his double life and a scene where characters are sneaking from room to room hoping for late night flings. It had a very ‘80s soundtrack, which I loved, that included Yello’s ‘Oh Yeah’ (although absent from the album). I’ve quoted this film off and on. I just really enjoy it.
33. Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
This is the 5th or 6th consecutive film from 1987, which is weird. But these were the films that didn’t make my 100 Favorite Movies list that helped inspire this project, because I grew up with them and I really love them. They are comfort food movies and it’s actually sort of difficult to rank them. But here we have a family comedy led by John Lithgow as the father of a Seattle-area family who accidentally hits a sasquatch while driving through the Cascades and brings it home. It’s a funny movie that also creates a strong sense of empathy that really touches me. There’s a climactic scene that involves Lithgow forcing Harry to leave the family that is so raw that I find it really moving, which is completely different from the rest of the movie, but it works. Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, Lainie Kazan, and M. Emmet Walsh also star and are enjoyable. I owned the soundtrack on cassette, which I really enjoyed. I guess where the family’s home is in the Ballard or Wallingford areas of Seattle. Eagle-eye viewers familiar with the area can probably pinpoint it better than me. But it was really cool to see the Seattle area on film at that time.
31. The Thing (1982)
This film is one of my favorite horror films of the ‘80s. It’s incredibly effective even in hi-def and all of that, because the practical effects and the puppetry and make-up is so incredibly well done that it beats most CGI in films half its age. Kurt Russell was on a bad-ass streak, primarily because of his partnership with director John Carpenter. This may not be my favorite of their time together, but it is the best. It’s an ensemble horror film that combines the slasher element of picking characters off with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None where everyone is dying and anyone could be the killer. It’s a magnificent mash-up that has surpassed Howard Hawks’s original adaptation, The Thing from Another World. This one is more faithful to the source material. But I mentioned Russell and I must emphasize the rest of the cast who really elevate this film: Wilford Brimley, Keith David, TK Carter, Richard Masur, David Clennon, and other character actors. These would become very familiar faces in the following decade and they are awesome here.
29. Die Hard (1988)
It’s interesting these days watching this film in the context of everything that came before it. There was Bullitt, Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Dirty Harry, 48 Hours, and even Lethal Weapon the year before this. But Die Hard was still quite a different film. Most of those films are about cops taking down bad guys in their city and sometimes that had to do with drugs. I think Die Hard has more in common with Taking of Pelham One Two Three than any of those other movies, because that film is about an Average Joe cop dealing with an extraordinary situation where a group of men have hijacked a train and taken hostages. Only in Die Hard it isn’t a train that’s hijacked it’s a building and instead of demanding a ransom they’re there to take money from the building. Die Hard also has Alan Rickman, who is a much more memorable villain than Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw). It’s a very sophisticated action movie and I don’t think it gets enough credit for that by some. It’s just a shame they didn’t stop with 3 movies.
27. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Now we are very much on the films that just barely missed my 100 Favorite Movies of All Time list. I’ve grown up with this Christmas movie. It was a family favorite. It still is a family favorite. It fights for the title of my favorite Christmas movie. I find it hilarious nearly from beginning to end. I think it is the best Griswold Family movie. My wife and I quote it regularly, especially if one of us is getting bitchy (“I don’t knooooow, Margot!”). The tree sap, the arrival of the in-laws, the cat, the squirrel, Aunt Betty (the actual voice of Betty Boop!), and the Christmas lights - all of it is unforgettable. I love the opening title sequence. I love the music. I love the cast. There isn’t anything about this movie I don’t love. It’s one of my favorite comedies of all time.
25. Never Cry Wolf (1983)
So, now we’re getting into the movies that made my 100 Favorite Movies of All Time. This is my 97th favorite. It’s a film by Walt Disney Pictures before they created Touchstone Pictures and is the kind of movie the studio would never make again. I think that’s a shame. It’s a beautiful film and a lost gem in Disney’s history. It deserves to be rediscovered and championed.
23. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
This is easily one of my favorite anime films of all time. It’s one of the most emotionally devastating animated movies I’ve ever seen. That’s because it’s able to tap into an innocence and humanity with its tragic tale of siblings trying to survive after the Hiroshima bombings that is rare in animation - and completely absent from American animation. It’s an incredible film that everyone should seek out.
21. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
This musical remake by Frank Oz is one of my all-time favorite musicals. It’s quite unusual, which I love for a musical. It’s also funny. And it has an amazing cast of basically everyone I loved in the ‘80s: Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, and Bill Murray. Ellen Greene’s is the only performance that grates on me. But I love the music and its references to ‘60s girl groups. Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops provided the voice of Audrey II, which is so very cool. It’s an odd musical. A bit of a horror musical. And I love it.
19. Predator (1987)
This movie combined the big muscle action commonplace in the ‘80s with the sci-fi horror of films like Alien. The basic concept is a brilliant one: what if the best of the best in our military faced off against something stronger and more technologically advanced? The manifestation of that challenge was one of film’s most creative character designs. The cast representing military might included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, and Shane Black. It is such a great action film where it takes more than brawn to survive.
17. Empire of the Sun (1987)
This is one of my absolute favorite Spielberg movies. Its script, score, and cinematography combine for a beautiful and touching experience - and that’s not something you can often say about a story set largely in an internment camp. It stars a young Christian Bale and a few recognizable faces like John Malkovich, Joe Pantoliano, and Ben Stiller. I feel it’s largely underrated these days.
15. Stand By Me (1986)
This film and the next are the only two films that I actually regret not including in my 100 Favorite Movies of All Time. Stand By Me is that rare Stephen King movie that most people don’t realize is a Stephen King movie. There isn’t a lot of what people usually consider to be the hallmarks of what makes a Stephen King movie in Stand By Me: scares, gore, monsters of some kind. But often Stephen King stories about the darkness within us: within our religion (Carrie), our materialism (Needful Things), our grief (Pet Sematary), or our obsessions (Christine). I think Stand By Me, based on the novella ‘The Body’ from Different Seasons, touches on our fascination with death and the darkness in teens. It is also about a particular time and being a kid in that particular time. Some of it transcends the period it’s set in to where many ‘80s kids could relate to the experiences and the conversations between the group of preteens at its heart. But it’s a great film, because it has doses of nostalgia, doses of youthful innocence and humor, and doses of insecurity and pain many experience in their youth. Wil Wheaton is astonishingly good here. River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and even Kiefer Sutherland and John Cusack all combine to make a tremendous piece of work.
13. An American Tail (1986)
This is definitely my favorite Don Bluth film. This is another one of those movies with such an incredibly beautiful score that is able to move me to tears before the film ever really gets started. That opening title sequence is a doozy for me. I’m able to simply quote the lines “Papa! Papa!” and those two words are enough to make my wife and I break down in tears. It’s one of only a handful of animated movies powerful enough to make me feel so strongly on both ends of the emotional spectrum. Some of the joy can be found in the music, which I had on cassette growing up and played all of the time. This is a defining movie of my childhood.
11. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
This movie is just really cool. I’m sorry, but The Thing and Halloween may be Carpenter’s greatest achievements. But Little China was a blast! It’s just so imaginative: men with wind and lightning powers, Chinese gang fights in alleys, ancient sorcerers, monsters, Kurt Russell… it was irresistible to me as a kid in the ‘80s. Also, Victor Wong and James Hong are national treasures.
9. The Little Mermaid (1989)
The ‘80s were simply not a great decade for Walt Disney Animation Studios. The ‘70s and ‘80s were pretty rough for the studio. But the saving grace from the ‘80s was The Little Mermaid, one of the studio’s greatest films. It is also, I’ve decided, my favorite Disney animated movie. Majority of my favorite Disney animated movies have solid songbooks. The Little Mermaid has one of the best in the studio’s history. Yes, the film also has colorful, unforgettable characters, and many amusing moments. The standout moment for me that really elevates the film is ‘Part of Your World’, which is so beautifully animated, the song exquisitely composed, and the vocals by Jodi Benson arouse such powerful feelings in me I am moved to tears. These add up to reasons why nobody will be remembering the remake fondly and this will always be the definitive version of The Little Mermaid.
7. The Princess Bride (1987)
Director Rob Reiner made 5 films in the ‘80s, almost every single one excellent. He made many more films afterwards, but only really had 2 or 3 great ones left in him it seems. This is my favorite of his ‘80s films. It’s a fantasy film, a comedy, and a family film all rolled into one. It’s pretty magical. As you’ve seen in this article there are several movies in the ‘80s with amazing cast lists. This was one of them: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Mel Smith, Carole Kane, and Billy Crystal. It’s got giants, swordsmen, poison, torture, rats of unusual size, and fire swamps! The music by Mark Knopfler is lovely, as is the script. It’s a perfect film.
5. Back to the Future (1985)
Who doesn’t love Back to the Future? How can anyone not love it? The original is the best without question, but it sparked a trilogy of films that many consider to be one of the few trilogies that should never be touched again by Hollywood. Every now and again someone keeps threatening to and I feel like it’ll be a matter of time after producer Bob Gale, director Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd pass that someone will remake this just because they legally can. But this film is a perfectly-crafted bit of sci-fi adventure. It’s so much fun. It’s hilarious. It’s nostalgic as all hell. It is the movie that is usually thought of or referenced when people think about time travel! This is about as great as ‘80s popcorn filmmaking got.
3. Ghostbusters (1984)
This movie, its sequel, and the cartoon based on them were a big part of my childhood… maybe less so the sequel. But the images in this film were terrifying as a child, the humor enjoyable even if some of it went over my head, the concept irresistible for an imaginative boy. It’s world-building - from the various ghosts to the technology - was unparalleled. To Ivan Reitman it was just a comedy about pest control for ghosts. But it blew my mind. I grew up with the soundtrack on vinyl and would stare at the screenshots on sleeve forever. I still quote this film occasionally (“Chew your food. Slowly.”, “We came. We saw. We kicked its ass!”). It’s almost as big a part of my life as Star Wars or Marvel Comics. Yet… it isn’t quite my favorite movie of the ‘80s.
1. Return of the Jedi (1983)
My favorite ‘80s movie is also my favorite movie of all time. I know, I know, I know… most people would assume any cinephile or aspiring critic worth their salt would pick something by Christopher Nolan, Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut, Federico Fellini, or Stanley Kubrick as their favorite movie of all time. I chose a film by Richard Marquand. And it’s not even one of the most revered Star Wars movie either! Look, Return of the Jedi expanded the Star Wars universe in ways not even Empire Strikes Back did in terms of creature design and character quotient. And it is a lot more fun and less brooding than Empire Strikes Back. I love this film for every location the acts take place in: Jabba’s Palace, the forest moon of Endor, the Death Star. I love the battles in the stars and on the ground. It’s the film that had the biggest impact on me and I realize I practically have every line memorized as I watch it. There is no film from the ‘80s I love more.
So, those are my favorite movies of the 1980s. Every year of the decade is represented. The year 1987 made the list the most with a whopping 16 films! Following just behind that was 1989 with 15 films. The years 1986 and 1988 tied with 11 films each. When we did our favorite years in film on The Movie Lovers podcast all of those years made my list - and 1984! The year to be represented the least was 1980 with only 2 films. There were several directors who had two films appear on this list. James Cameron, Rob Reiner, and Robert Zemeckis all had 3 films appear. But the one filmmaker whose work appeared the most on this list is my favorite director, Steven Spielberg. Similarly, there were several actors who appeared 3 times on my list. Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, and Rick Moranis all appeared 4 times on my list. But the only actor to appear more than that is Christopher Lloyd with 5 films.
That does it for one of my favorite decades of all time. Again, the best resources for films from this decade are Amazon Prime and Max. You can also rent many films on Amazon. I hope you find some new favorites. What are some of your favorites from the decade already? Feel free to share.