Movie Comedies
By Shane Rivers
A number of the best comedy movies were made in the ’80s and ’90s, and that’s what we’ll be looking at in this list. A1 Movie Reviews also has a large selection of comedy movie reviews and comedy movie essays for your enjoyment.
1. Beverly Hill Cop – (1984, Eddie Murphy) A wisecracking Detroit detective goes to Beverly Hills to find out who killed his friend. One of Murphy’s best comedy movies.
2. Beverly Hills Cop II – (1987, Eddie Murphy) Murphy returns to Beverly Hills when his friend – a fellow detective – is wounded while solving a case. Almost as funny as the first.
3. Coming to America – (1988, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones) Murphy is a wealthy African prince who goes to New York City to find a wife, but encounters a way of life much different than the pampered lifestyle he’s used to. Hysterical and the last truly funny movie Murphy made. When the comedy movie reviews came out for this one, the results were overwhelmingly positive.
4. Running Scared – (1986, Billy Crystal, Gregory Hines, Jimmy Smits, Joe Pantoliano) Two wisecracking Chicago cops try to nab a drug lord. Great one-liner comedy.
5. Midnight Run – (1988, Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina) A cynical bounty hunter is offered $100,000 to capture an accountant who embezzled from the mob, gave the money to charity, and then jumped bail. Great banter between Grodin and De Niro.
6. The Naked Gun – From the Files of Police Squad! – (1988, Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley) Los Angeles detective Frank Drebin makes a mess as he uncovers an insidious plot to assassinate the Queen of England during a Los Angeles Dodgers game. Nielsen is hilarious doing stupid comedy.
7. American Pie – (1999, Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Eugene Levy, Shannon Elizabeth, Seann William Scott) High school seniors make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night.
8. Home Alone – (1990, Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) A young boy learns to fend for himself after his family accidentally departs for a Christmas vacation in France without him.
9. See No Evil/Hear No Evil – (1989, Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Kevin Spacey) Wally is blind. Dave is deaf. The two find themselves in a dangerous situation when a man is murdered in front of them. Unfortunately, Dave had his back turned, and Wally can’t see, but they become suspects anyway. Great chemistry between Pryor and Wilder.
10. Look Who’s Talking – (1989, Kristie Alley, John Travolta) An underrated Travolta movie. We hear the thoughts of Baby Mikey (through the voice of Bruce Willis) as his mother searches for a good father and falls for a cab driver turned babysitter.
11. Police Academy – (1984, Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Bubba Smith, Kim Catrall) The title says enough.
12. Rush Hour – (1998, Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker) Tucker is a wisecracking, out-of-control detective who teams with Jackie Chan, a martial arts master and detective from Hong Kong, to battle bad guys.
13. Tootsie – (1982, Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange) A hopelessly straight, struggling actor dresses as a woman to become America’s hottest new actress.
14. Lethal Weapon 4 – (1998, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock) Gibson and Glover return as Los Angeles detectives who can’t seem to get through a day without a shooting, robbery or car chase. Pesci and Rock add great fun to the hilarious comedic chemistry between Gibson and Glover.
15. Grumpy Old Men – (1993, Jack Lemon, Walter Mathau, Ann Margret, Daryl Hannah, Bergess Meredith) Two crusty, feuding neighbors vie over the affections of a beautiful woman who moves in on their street.
If you’re still looking for movies of the genre, check out our wide variety of comedy movie essays and reviews.