Do They Hold Up?: 80s Comedies

How do these 80s comedies hold up by today’s standards?

By DANIEL HUANG

Comedy is one of those genres that seems to age poorly no matter what. What we consider clever and cutting now may seem dated in less than ten years. This can be especially glaring when we look back at an era of cheesy gags, needless raunchiness, and blatant political incorrectness…the 80s. And yet, there are always some movies that stand the test of time. I sat down with three “classics” to see if they can still get a laugh today. 

Big (★★★★☆)

Big, the 1988 hit starring Tom Hanks, is a refreshing comedy with interesting perspectives into both an adult's and child’s life. With his playful and emotive performance, Hanks provides a laugh to all ages. 

Tired of being little, Josh Baskin (Hanks) stumbles upon a mysterious mechanical fortune-telling booth where he wishes to be “big.” The next morning he wakes up in the body of a grown-up version of himself. Panicking, with no one believing him, he rushes to New York with his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton).

When they get there, Josh finds himself working at MacMillan Toys. With his perspective as a child, he quickly gets promoted and finds himself in the world of adults. Facing these issues he quickly matures, making it unclear if he ever wants to go back to being a child after living such a successful life. 

Hanks’ empathetic acting makes it seem extremely realistic that he was actually a child in an adult's body. The one scene that really emphasizes this is when Josh has just reached New York and is settling in, where he cries in bed. This scene really establishes the child’s loneliness and nervousness despite them being portrayed by a grown man. The fact of a child in an adult’s body also serves as comedy because of how he tries to pretend to be an adult in front of actual adults. The innocence of a child provides interesting and comedic interactions with others as they try to figure Josh out. Hanks’ chemistry with Rushton as his best friend is particularly touching and realistic despite the fact that one was an adult and one was a child. 

The premise of a kid being thrown into the life of an adult was very intuitively done with how the film combines the innocence of a child with the realities of being an adult while still making it seem realistic. This classic is a solid watch for all ages despite it being a little dated.

The Princess Bride  (★★★★☆)

An enchanting fantasy, The Princess Bride (1987) is a story of true love coupled with witty jokes. Based on a book by William Goldman, the film is a timeless classic that displays adventure, comedy, romance, and even revenge all in one. 

The film follows the story of Buttercup (Robin Wright), a young woman in the land of Florin, and Westley (Cary Elwes), the farmhand. They find themselves in true love with each other, and shortly after, Westley leaves in search of riches, only to be presumed dead. 

Years later, Buttercup finds herself forcefully engaged to Prince Humperdinck and gets kidnapped right after by a trio of curious characters (Iñigo Montoya, played by Mandy Patinkin, Vizzini, played by Wallace Shawn, and Fezzik played by wrestler André the Giant). They find themselves pursued by a pirate – who turns out to be Westley – leading them on a journey with many battles to reunite the true love. 

The film’s comedic atmosphere makes it a very relaxing and amusing watch without much stakes until the more adventurous atmosphere in the second half of the film. A delicate combination of comedy and adventure that doesn’t become off-putting, along with the charming dynamic of Westley and each character, makes it a story that instantly pulls you in. 

But as enchanting as The Princess Bride is, it’s not without its faults. Throughout, the film is presented as a story read by a grandfather to his grandson, making it so that every now and then, the audience gets pulled out of the story when the two appear on screen. This framing device feels insignificant, adds nothing to the overarching plot, and serves as nothing but an interruption. 

Despite this, the movie still remains a timeless classic in its ability to blend so many things into one coherent and delightful story. Even compared to movies of the same genre, it does not fall short and will be sure to provide you with a laugh. 

National Lampoon’s Vacation (★☆☆☆☆)

As a half-baked comedy, National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) is filled with jokes that don’t seem to land by today’s standards, and it’s hard to understand how it was funny even 40 years ago. The plot is full of poor writing and predictable jokes. 

The movie follows Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), a family man determined to give his family the perfect vacation to the amusement park Walley World. He decides to go on a road trip with his wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and their children Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron).

Throughout the entire journey, they face mishap after mishap, each one being bigger in scale, including chaotic times with other family members, ending up in bad neighborhoods, and almost dying.  

While National Lampoon’s Vacation might be able to provide a rare laugh, it isn’t because the movie is genuinely funny. For example, in the middle of their road trip, they pick up Ellen’s Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) as well as a dog. Because the dog is extremely bothersome, it is implied that to get rid of it Clark “accidentally” kills it. Though the overall tone of this scene is supposed to be comedic, it really wasn’t that funny at all. This issue was present in many scenes, making it hard to actually enjoy the comedy.

Another problem is how the main characters are all pretty unlikable. For example, Clark is supposed to be a caring family man but ends up being depicted as a crazy person desperate to make everything work while at the same time acting in a way that goes against what he wanted. None of the family members except for Clark and Edna really act in a charming way or have a lot of presence in the film. It feels like they are just there because it’s supposed to be a family.  

Everything from the visuals, acting, delivery, and music all seem extremely dated. While watching you can tell that the movie is trying really hard to be funny, but it definitely falls short in this day and age. While there are not many films that fit this specific niche, if you only want a good laugh, this is not for you.