My 13 Favorite 80’s Movies

Today wraps up my 80’s rewind series with my 13 favorite 80’s movies (in countdown format). This one was tough. I had 26 movies on my list, and it was not easy to cut them in half. So, I don’t want to hear, “Why is there no Sixteen Candles or Breakfast Club?” I tried to limit the John Hughes movies. Anyway, enjoy the list, and next week, I will get back to my regularly scheduled programming.

13. Space Camp (1986) Remember when Joaquin Phoenix was known as Leaf Phoenix. Ahh, those were the good old days. I’m a lover of the implausible concept. That’s probably an easy guess since I love this movie of a bunch kids who accidentally get launched into space. This is a fun movie that didn’t get the attention it deserved because it had the misfortune of being released the same year as the Challenger explosion.

12. Dead Poets Society (1989) This is one of my favorite movies ever. An English professor teaches his students to love poetry and motivates them to seize the day. As an awkward teenager, who prided myself on nonconformity, this was the movie for me. Plus, it introduced us to the likes of Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke.
Favorite quote: “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

11. Adventures in Babysitting (1987) I babysat so much as a teenager, and it was never this much fun! This is one of those awesome movies that has it all – romance, revenge, drama, action, comedy! Love it!
Favorite quote: “Don’t fuck with the babysitter!”

10. Stand By Me (1986) This is the movie that made me fall in love with River Phoenix, whom I still miss to this day. It was also the favorite movie of my friend Stacey and I. Stand By Me is a classic about true friendship. And besides River, you have evil Keifer, and who doesn’t love that?
Favorite quote: “Suck my fat one, you cheap dimestore hood.”

9. Mystic Pizza (1988) I think a girl always remembers her first Julia Roberts movie. Apparently, I was big on “coming of age” movies in the 80’s. This is another great friendship movie that has three teenage girls each dealing with their own life issues. Plus, it is Matt Damon’s film debut. He has a brief cameo in the scene where Julia’s character goes to dinner with her boyfriend’s family.

8. Footloose (1984) This movie made me want to dance my ass off. I have the soundtrack on cassette and CD. Kevin Bacon plays a city boy who comes to live in a small town that has outlawed music and dancing. Being from a small town . . . well, let’s just say I can certainly appreciate this movie. And just for the record, I never straddled two moving cars on the highway.

7. The Princess Bride (1987) My husband soooo does not get this movie. But what is not to love? The Pit of Despair! Rodents of Unusual Size! Giants! Swordplay! An evil prince! Oh! What a freaking classic!!

Favorite quote: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

6. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) This is my husband’s all-time favorite movie. And it really does capture the mood of the 80’s. I will never be able to watch Matthew Broderick in anything without thinking of him as Ferris Bueller.
Favorite quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

5. Top Gun (1986) What a classic 80’s movie! Students of a top flight school compete to be the best in their class, and one romances a teacher (in a kick-ass love scene with lots of tongue). And then there’s the volleyball scene. Mmmmm . . . Wasn’t Tom Cruise sexy before he went crazy? Can anyone hear “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” without thinking of Top Gun? I can’t.

4. Can’t Buy Me Love (1987) McDreamy! He’s hot now, and he was hot 20 years ago! Patrick Dempsey plays a geek who hires the prettiest, most popular girl in school to be his girlfriend. This movie is a great comedy and a great love story! There is also a hilarious performance by a young Seth Green.
Favorite part: “The African Anteater Ritual!”

3. Pretty in Pink (1986) This story is as classic as Shakespeare. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks dates a rich hunk. Chaos ensues. Anyone who ever felt slightly left out as a teenager (hmmm, that’s all of us) can relate to this movie, which is probably why it is still so popular. Hands down, this is my favorite John Hughes film. And the fact that Andrew McCarthy was so pretty back in the 80’s definitely helps.
Favorite quote: “May I admire you?”

2. When Harry Met Sally (1989) Two best friends fall in love after a 12-year friendship. This is one of my favorite movies of all-time. It’s one of the most quotable movies ever. It has Meg Ryan at her best. And I never get tired of watching it. I probably watch it once every couple of months all the way through when I find it on TV. Love it! Love it! Love it!
Favorite quote: “All I'm saying is that somewhere out there is the man you are supposed to marry. And if you don't get him first, somebody else will, and you'll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that somebody else is married to your husband.”

1. Say Anything (1989) The quintessential 80’s movie – an underachiever and the valedictorian fall in love. And the whole world fell in love with John Cusack the second he held up that boom box. Is there a better scene in any movie?
Favorite quote: “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”

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