Johnny Showtime: 10 Obscure Comedies for '80s Comedy Day

 by JB

Oh, sure... you can have your Airplanes, your Back to the Futures, your Back to Schools, your Beetlejuices, your Caddyshacks, your Ghostbusterses, your Major Leagues, your Midnight Runs, your Naked Guns, your Princess Brides, your Spaceballses, your Stripeses, your Trading Placeses, and your Uncle Buckseses, but have you seen any of the following great '80s comedies?

Funny Farm (1988, George Roy Hill): Andy (Chevy Chase) wants to get away from the rat race and so buys a farmhouse in bucolic Vermont. Life is not what he expects there, and all of the townspeople are ignorant, selfish, greedy pricks. Everywhere you turn, this film is the opposite of what you expect and defies cliche. Terrific supporting performances by Madolyn Smith, Joseph Maher, Jack Gilpin, Mike Starr, Dakin Matthews, and Alice Drummond. This is supposedly Chase’s favorite of all the films he has made.

Modern Romance (1981, Albert Brooks): Apparently, one of Stanley Kubrick’s favorite films of all time, Modern Romance is the romantic comedy for viewers who can see right through most Hollywood romantic comedies. Albert Brooks’s Robert and Kathryn Harrold’s Mary are madly in love, but only when they are in bed together. The rest of the time, his insane jealousy and her utter passivity threaten to tear them apart. The film also features a very funny subplot. Brooks’s character is a professional film editor and he’s working on the worst science fiction film ever made, directed by James L. Brooks.

Neighbors (1981, John G. Avildsen): This one got a bad rap when it was released, and with the benefit of hindsight, one can see why. It was based on a troubling book by noted “literary” author Thomas Berger. The screenplay was by comic genius Larry Gelbart, but he complained that the filmmakers took too many liberties with his script. Stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd complained that director Avildsen (Rocky, Blue Thunder) had no comedic sensibilities and actively tried to have him fired. Avildsen complained that the soundtrack music by the punk band Fear, which Belushi had insisted upon, did not fit the rhythm or tone of his film and hired Tom Conti to write more “suitable” music. Fans of the two SNL stars complained that they were both playing against type, having switched roles during pre-production: Belushi would play the “normal” neighbor Earl Keese, and Dan Aykroyd would play the crazy, crude Vic.

All of those whiners can bite my substantial ass, because I love this movie. Time has been kind to Neighbors. Most amateur reviewers on IMDB and Amazon Instant Video tend to start their reviews the same way, with some variation of “I thought I was the only person who ever loved this film.” Looking at it now, I see a funny, offbeat film unlike any other comedy. Although admittedly it is a film with problems, the laughs outweigh the quibbles.

S.O.B. (1981, Blake Edwards): Blake Edwards’ take on '80s Hollywood is a nutty, nutty farce. Filmmaker Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan) makes an expensive, bloated musical that no one wants to see. He buys the film back from the studio, vows to reshoot sequences turning it into soft porn, and convinces the star of the film, his wife Sally Miles (Julie Andrews) to film a nude scene for it. Richard Mulligan plays a man possessed. Julie Andrews plays herself; she was really married to real director Blake Edwards. A supporting cast for the ages: William Holden, Larry Hagman, Stuart Margolin, Robert Loggia, Robert Preston, Robert Vaughn, Robert Webber, and Shelly Winters. One of the few Hollywood musicals to include a Viking funeral.

Student Bodies (1981, Mickey Rose & Michael Ritchie): Funny parody of slasher films, made just three years after the original Halloween. Like the original Airplane, this one has jokes aplenty: from the ongoing, complaining voice-over of the POV killer, “The Breather;” to an onscreen “Body Count” monitor; to paper clips, chalk board erasers, and eggplants being used as murder weapons; to a shop teacher obsessed with horse-head bookends. This film has it all. Co-director and screenwriter Rose also co-wrote Take the Money and Run and Bananas with Woody Allen.

The Tall Guy (1989, Mel Smith): A very funny British comedy starring Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson. Just see it.

Teachers (1984, Arthur Hiller): Finally, a film that shows us a real American high school in all its glory. I am not talking about the endless preachifying of the Nick Nolte character; I am talking about the film’s many subplots. For instance, Royal Dano plays “Ditto,” a burned-out teacher who prepares copious worksheets to occupy his students. They are expected to work independently while he sits at the back of the room at his desk and reads the newspaper. One day he dies in the middle of class, still clutching his newspaper. No one notices. Students continue to file into his class, pick up worksheets, complete them, and hand them in at the bell. This has actually happened at my school. No names.

All of the supporting performances sing: JoBeth Williams, Judd Hirsch, Allen Garfield, Lee Grant, William Schallert, Laura Dern, Crispin Glover, and Morgan Freeman. (Remember when Hollywood movies had CASTS?) Best of all there is a wonderful subplot involving Richard Mulligan as an escaped mental patient who somehow becomes a substitute history teacher. The students love him. He is a complete success, the best teacher in the school. Eventually the authorities catch on to the subterfuge, and as the police haul him out of the building in handcuffs, he pauses long enough to exclaim, "Sir, unhand me! You will treat me with respect! For I... am a TEACHER!"

Tin Men (1987, Barry Levinson): The middle film in Levinson’s “Baltimore trilogy” is this funny slice-of-life tale in which two aluminum siding salesmen, BB (Richard Dreyfuss) and Tilley (Danny DeVito), grow to hate each other and engage in an epic game of revenge. Levinson has his whole “Baltimore schtick” down pat here after his earlier film Diner—the accents, the houses, the cars, and the period references are all on point. Excellent supporting cast includes Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney, Jackie Gayle, Seymour Cassel, Bruno Kirby, J.T. Walsh, and Michael Tucker, returning from Diner as “Bagel.”

Used Cars (1980, Robert Zemekis): A very funny movie. Watch it today.

The War of the Roses (1989, Danny DeVito): Remade poorly in 2025, the original is the real deal—a nasty, knock-down, black comedy about divorce. Great performances by the two leads, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, reuniting after the Romancing the Stone pictures; great dialogue (“That depends on what the paté is made of... Woof. Woof.”); and a conclusion that is darker than dark. This did not do well upon its original theatrical release. It figures.

Boy, 1981 was a great year for comedies. Right?