The best comedy movies of the 1980s
The top 3 according to 387 votes from people: Airplane! (1980) · Caddyshack (1980) · This Is Spinal Tap (1984). (Updated Mar 24, 2025.)
Airplane!, Ghostbusters and Ferris Bueller: the decade of endlessly quotable comedies (24/7 Wall St., CEOWORLD, Flickfeast).
Top 12
-
1
Airplane! (1980)
Abrahams and the Zuckers' joke-a-second disaster parody.
-
2
Caddyshack (1980)
Anarchy on the golf course with Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield.
-
3
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The mockumentary whose amps go up to eleven.
-
4
Ghostbusters (1984)
Comedy and sci-fi spectacle, a cultural juggernaut.
-
5
Tootsie (1982)
Dustin Hoffman as an actor who becomes a soap star in disguise.
-
6
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Fourth-wall breaks and the ultimate skipped school day.
-
7
The Princess Bride (1987)
Rob Reiner's fairy tale, inconceivably quotable.
-
8
Coming to America (1988)
Eddie Murphy as an African prince in Queens.
-
9
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase and family chaos, a seasonal staple.
-
10
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis and an Oscar for Kevin Kline.
-
11
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Robert Zemeckis mixes cartoons and film noir.
-
12
Trading Places (1983)
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd swap lives.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
Airplane! is still the funniest movie ever made. Surely you can't be serious? I am serious.