10 Classic 80s Afternoon Comedies We Love!

Remember it’s alive. If some films of the 80s have been immortalized in our hearts, often revisited by moviegoers of all generations, many others are not as commented today as they should be. So for every Goonies (1985), Back to the Future (1985) and Curtindo a Vida Adoidado (1986), we have so many other copies that time is slowly trying to erase for the younger ones. Those who lived through this period also often find it difficult to remember certain beloved productions that were very successful in the endless daytime reruns of Brazilian open TV channels.

It is in this spirit that we have decided to create a very nostalgic story, recalling with you 10 classic comedies of the 1980s. Follow us on this wave for more than 30 years.

Catch yourself there

We start with an absolute classic from the afternoon session – and one that was produced by none other than the almighty Steven Spielberg, a fact many should ignore. Besides the famous filmmaker, who also produces the feature film, there is Aaron Spelling, a famous executive behind programs like Barrados no Baile, for example. And the pedigree doesn’t stop there, signing cinematography (or photography) is Barry Sonnenfeld, director of Men in Black (1997).

At that time, many youth comedies focused on the school environment, the famous North American high school, but this is one of the most creative. Considered a modern, adolescent version of the iconic western ‘Kill or Die’ (1952), the plot depicts a typical high school student having the worst day of his life when he becomes the target of a newly arrived psychotic student, owner. of the worst fame imaginable.

Rental girlfriend

It may even be considered incorrect these days, and seeing it again maybe not so round, but in the 1980s the plot of a boy paying a girl to pretend to be his girlfriend was the theme of this romantic comedy. become cult. Considered a loser and wanting to change his image, Ronald (role of Patrick Dempsey) offers a pact to Cindy, the most popular girl in school. In return for the money she needed, she’ll have to pretend to be in love with the boy long enough until her life changes, like that Upside Down Cinderella. The sad news of the film for fans was the untimely death of protagonist Amanda Peterson, who lives Cindy, at age 43. Girlfriend for Rent was remade in 2003, with a cast of young black actors and the title Love for Rent.

Secret admirer

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Another great representative of youth comedies of the time, the feature film made use of a scenario trick very common in several productions of the genre: the love triangle. Variably we had a shy boy or girl in love with a classmate (almost always their best friend) without them knowing, when they only had eyes for the third element, usually a very popular student or beauty.

This is the formula of Secret Admirer, a comedy for adolescents of errors and discrepancies. Here, an anonymous letter is the starting point, ending up in the hands of several characters, creating confusion as to its author and recipient. In short, we have a love triangle between protagonist C. Thomas Howell, popular blonde beauty Kelly Preston, and subject’s best friend Lori Loughlin.

The king of flirting

Yes, mega-star Robert Downey Jr. started his career in youth comedy in the 1980s. And here we have one of the more shameless examples he’s been involved in – but it’s still a very recognizable title. of the period. Other than that, there’s no shortage of pedigree, as we have a production of none other than star Warren Beatty, and great actors such as Dennis Hopper, Danny Aiello and Harvey Keitel have in the cast.

Oh, and of course, in association with Downey, we have the teenage muse of the time, petite redhead Molly Ringwald (whose name here even weighed more than Iron Man). Ringwald became known for John Hughes films, such as Gatinhas e Gatões (1984) and Clube dos Cinco (1985). In the plot, Downey saw a “fifth-rank” conqueror, applying his punches at random to unsuspecting women. Everything changes when he meets resistance, in a challenge at the height of Ringwald – a young woman with her own issues involving her father’s debts with criminals.

Three girls and a baby

Many don’t know it or may not remember it, but before the Marvel movies and multi-million dollar movie franchises, Three Singles and a Baby was the highest grossing film in the United States in 1987. An American remake of a French production, the story shows three men, convinced single men and women (as the 1980s libretto said), sharing a trendy apartment in New York. The trio were played by Tom Selleck (success in the Magnum series), Steve Guttenberg (success in the Police Academy and Cocoon franchises) and Ted Danson (success in the Cheers series).

Everything changes in their equation when a baby appears at their door, left to care for. The idea was “macho men should change diapers and bottle a newborn baby,” which was unthinkable at the time. Staging is by Leonard Nimoy, the Spock from the classic Star Trek series. This successful feature spawned the sequel Three Spinsters and a Little Lady (1990). Ah yes, that much talked about ghost, which appeared in a scene from the film, was nothing more than a display with the image of Danson – but it served to become one of the most urban legends. memorials of the 80s.

Back to school

Speaking of hit comedies in the 1980s, Back to School was the sixth largest film of 1986 in the United States. The legendary Rodney Dangerfield, who died in 2004, was one of the country’s best-known comedians and has appeared in some famous comedy productions. Here he plays a simple guy who made a fortune out of his own sweat, creating a successful store for overweight men. To help his son, he decides to enter the same university, and begins to change things in his irreverent way.

The idea for the screenplay was that of Dangerfield and the text was signed by Harold Ramis (The Ghostbusters). Other than that, the soundtrack is by Danny Elfman (from the Tim Burton movies). In the cast we have Downey Jr. again, as a kind of punk, who is the protagonist’s son’s best friend.

Almost equal to others

Speaking of incorrect and surreal plots, which may not go well today, we have this feature that has good intention to empower women. For starters, we have one female directing, something rare in the genre and at the time – Lisa Gottlieb is the one in charge, making her debut in the role. The plot revolves around Terry, a young woman who wants to become a respected journalist, but realizes that she will have no academic chance to show her worth as a woman – already by bridging the gap of opportunity between them. sexes.

So she decides to pretend to be a man for the task and begins studying at another school, enrolled in the form of the opposite sex – her disguise is almost as fake as Clark Kent’s, and it boils down to a haircut and a change. voice and forced clothing. In the cast, Joyce Hyser saw the protagonist and was not very famous. But we also have William Zabka, Johnny from the Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai, Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks) and the duo Clayton Rohner and Deborah Goodrich – who will double the following year with the great slasher The Night of the Deadly Games (1986 ).

Jonathan’s first fuck

Don’t be fooled by the title in Portuguese, it’s actually a very affectionate film, with an interesting dramatic charge, and taken in a tone that can set it apart from the rest of the genre. It’s fitting that the protagonist is a young virgin looking to conquer the girl of her dreams – the role of Kelly Preston, who appears on the roster again. So far, one might think that this is the typical coitus comedy, in which young people are only looking for the first night of sex.

The first differential here is the decade chosen as the setting: the 1950s. The real draw of the film, however, is the side story of Gene (Chris Nash), a young rebel and biker in James Dean’s best style. He moves into the house next to the protagonist and soon catches the attention of the small town. While teaching Jonathan to be cooler with girls and to fight daily with his father and local playboys, he develops a relationship with engaged Bunny (role of Catherine Mary Stewart – one of the hot names of the 80s). The story of this couple and its outcome in the film make the film one of the best copies of the genre.

Someone very special

Here we return to the land of teenage love triangles. In fact, this feature looks like Secret Admirer, released two years earlier – removing, of course, the MacGuffin from the letter itself. This, however, is a film from John Hughes’ collection, which is no longer his own as he did not have the filmmaker in the direction. However, Hughes produced and wrote the screenplay. The plot is simple and shows the misfortunes of a boy of humble origin, in love and pursuing his dream of living next to the little school princess. All of this, of course, without knowing that his best friend, the Watts alternative, has a crush on him.

Despite the simplicity, Someone Very Special was one of the most cited and fan-adored films of the era, in part due to its more attracted tone for the drama and romance of a so-called ‘come to town’. adulthood”. Here, for example, as usual in Hughes films, women are gaining prominence and development, moving away from unwilling props as was very common.

In fact, they are characters much better explored than the protagonist of Eric Stoltz. The patricinha played by Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) has more depth, issues, and is more human than most movies like this. One curiosity is that Stoltz was almost the protagonist of the time travel film mentioned above. And Watts by Mary Stuart Masterson is always remembered as one of the female representatives of the genre so as not to fall into stereotypes.

Summer courses

Completing the list is another film with a score by Danny Elfman. Here, we have the mix of three very emblematic sub-genres of the 80s. First, high school films. Second, the films of teachers and their dysfunctional classrooms. And third, films with a range of crazy characters, each with their own unique characteristics, in which each gains importance. The best example would be the Police Academy (1984) and its sequel. Pass this on to the high school world and we have summer courses.

At a California seaside school, substitute teacher Shoop (Mark Harmon) is tasked with teaching mission vacations to rebellious students who have recovered and do not want to know about their studies. Their teeth: two horror movie fanatics, a young pregnant woman, a nerd, a sportswoman, a dyslexic, an Italian exchange student, an attention deficit surfer and a gogo boy in a nightclub. In the cast, Kirstie Alley (who will be successful two years later with Look Who’s Talking) lives as a teacher.

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