My Fave Underrated 80's Movies

It's obvious by now that I LOVE THE 90's.  What you don't know is, I used to have an equally hot-burning obsession with the 80's.  I wouldn't say I'm LESS obsessed with that decade, I'd just say my 90's nostalgia kicked in HARD these last few years and overtook my 80's love just a bit.  After all, most of my memorable childhood and coming-of-age years were spent in the 90's.  But back to the 80's--- one of my favorite things about the 80's were the AWESOME movies that that decade brought us.  And since I've been in a movie mood lately, I thought I would share with you some lesser-known, oldie-but-goodie, must-watch movies from the decade of big hair, spandex, neon, and Hair Bands.

Some less popular 80's gems:

Peggy Sue Got Married- This might be my favorite lesser known 80's flick.  It's about a girl who goes to a high school reunion in the 80's, faints, and wakes up in 1960 (her senior year of high school).  Because of many future regrets, she decides that she's going to take this do-over and make different choices. 

• Starring: Kathleen Turner & Nicholas Cage
• Cool Factor: Seeing Jim Carrey as part of a doo-wop group and Nicholas Cage thinking he could rewrite a Beatles song.

Flight of the Navigator- A movie about a kid that travels through space and time and needs to find his way back to his family in the year 1978.  I first saw this on the Disney Channel during a free preview weekend (remember when Disney was a premium channel?).

• Starring: David Kramer
• Cool Factor: Pee Wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) as the voice of the robot on the spaceship.  Also, cool alien critters.

Harry and the Hendersons- Is Bigfoot real??  The Hendersons find out YES when they hit him with their car and bring him into their home

• Starring: John Lithgow & Melinda Dillon (the mom from A Christmas Story)
• Cool Factor: Seeing Harry interact with an adorable Jack Russell Terrier.

Chances Are- This is a late 80's movie and one of Robert Downey Jr.'s early ones.  It's about a husband who dies, but manages to get reincarnated quickly (skipping the heavenly protocol that erases memories).  He grows up, but doesn't remember his former life until fate puts him in his wife's house.  Now, he's 23 and she's old enough to be his mother.

• Starring: Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr., & Ryan O'Neal
• Cool Factor: Robert Downey Jr. at his cutest IMO.

Witchboard- Finally an 80's horror!!  This one is about the infamous Ouija board and the spirit of a serial killer it unleashes

• Starring: Tawney Kitaen (remember those Whitesnake videos???)
• Cool Factor: Cheesy horror was an 80's staple.  B movies like this one were EVERYWHERE and so fun to rent for sleepovers with your friends.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun- An army brat wants to audition for her favorite dance show Dance TV, but her father doesn't approve AND she butts heads with the partner she's paired with.

• Starring: A SUPER YOUNG and adorable Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, & Lee Montgomery
• Cool Factor: Shannon Doherty playing a bratty little sister, plus DANCING and leotards!!

Lady in White- I cannot tell you enough about how awesome this movie is.  It's so unknown and underrated, but I SO recommend finding a copy and giving it a try.  It's a murder-mystery (with creepy ghosts) set in the fall of 1962.

• Starring: Lukas Haas
• Cool Factor: Mona from Who's the Boss playing the craziest looking lady.  It's nightmare inducing.

Teen Witch- This one has become a cult favorite and is a lot more well-known than it used to be.... which- YAY!!!  It's about a nerd-girl named Louise, who finds out she's a witch on her 16th birthday, and uses her powers to make herself popular in order to gain the affections of hunky football-guy, Brad.  You can watch it on Netflix if you haven't yet!!

• Starring: Robin Lively
• Cool Factor: SO MANY!!  Awesome random outbursts of songs and dance routines.  Tons of 80's hair and fashion.  Fun Fact: Robin Lively is the real-life sister of Blake Lively.  Blake is SO lucky!!

Hiding Out- It's DUCKY!!!  But not really.  Jon Cryer plays a stockbroker who disguises himself as a high school student in order to hide from the mob.

• Starring: Jon Cryer, Keith Coogan (AKA Kenny in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead), & Annabeth Gish
• Cool Factor: Babyfaced Jon Cryer in a man-beard and weird skunked-out hair.

18 Again- An 18-year-old grandson and his 81-year-old grandfather switch bodies.  I love the Freaky Friday-switch type movies :)

• Starring: Charlie Schlatter & George Burns
• Cool Factor: GEORGE motherfuckin' BURNS!!  This dude was in his 90's when this movie was made.  Mad props to this guy.

Just One of the Guys- This one is in my top 10 favorite movies of ever.  It's cheesy and 100% 80's... and I LOVE that about it.  Terry wants an internship at the local paper, but when she feels she's being denied because she's a good-looking young woman, she transfers schools, cuts her hair, and goes undercover as a guy.

• Starring: Joyce Hyser
• Cool Factor: Raunchy sex jokes, the BEST 80's outfits ever, total high school movie stereotypes (Geeks, Jocks, etc. and I LOVE it), and April's mom from Gilmore Girls as Sandy, a girl who has a crush on boy-Terry.

License to Drive- I don't think I would classify this as lesser-known, but it's definitely not the most popular "Corey" movie (I think that honor goes to The Lost Boys), but I think it should be!!  It's about  an adorable Corey Haim, who fails his driver test, but lies and takes his grandfather's car on a wild ride to impress a girl.

• Starring: the infamous Corey's- Corey Haim and Corey Feldman
• Cool Factor: An awesomely 80's soundtrack.  Seeing the charisma of the Corey's together.  Heather Graham playing the "hot girl" named Mercedes.

Muppets Take Manhattan- This is the ultimate 80's kids movie.  It has music and cool guest stars-- and of course, a wedding everyone's been waiting for!

• Starring: Well, the Muppets!!
• Cool Factor: Tons of guest stars- including my girl, Joan Rivers...but also Brooke Shields and Liza Minnelli.  And, EPIC soundtrack.

Clue- Movie based on the BOARD GAME!  6 strangers are invited to a dinner party-- then Mr. Boddy is murdered and they all become suspects.

• Starring: Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd
• Cool Factor: Crazy alternate endings, Tim Curry being the raddest butler on the planet.

Stand By Me- Another well-known movie, but it's one of my very, very favorites, so I included it.  I adored this movie growing up.  The cast is AMAZING.  And I loved the overall story about the loss of innocence & childhood.  If you've never watched this, it's on Netflix, so get to watching!!

• Starring: Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland
• Cool Factor: Kiefer Sutherland and his epic gang of bad-guys.  Seeing a chubby Jerry O'Connell (it's so odd).  "Sick balls, Chopper".  Leeches in places that leeches shouldn't be.

St. Elmo's Fire- My favorite "Brat Pack" movie because of the growing up theme.

• Starring: Almost the entire "Brat Pack"-- Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy
• Cool Factor: A freaking awesome title song.

Want to see:

(Movies I have never even heard of, but came across recently)

A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon

• Why I want to see it: A River Phoenix movie that I haven't seen????  I must fix this.  Also, Matthew Perry plays his best friend.  This has to be good.

About Last Night

• Why I want to see it: First, the TITLE!!  Plus a Demi Moore/Rob Lowe movie that I haven't seen??

Heavenly Kid

• Why I want to see it: I love popularity geek makeover movies!!  Plus, guardian angel movies are cool too.

The Wild Life

• Why I want to see it: Lea Thompson!!  Love her!  Also, I love a party movie!

Some of these I haven't watched in WHILE, so I think I'll go fix that now with an 80's movie marathon!!


Tell Me:
Do you love the 80's??  Have you watched any of these, or have any movies you want to recommend to me?