To Be Young in the 1980s
by eyescorp | created - 23 Jan 2022 | updated - 06 Feb 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Breakfast Club (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Votes: 436,960 | Gross: $45.88M
2. Pretty in Pink (1986)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts
Votes: 88,656 | Gross: $40.47M
3. Sixteen Candles (1984)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
A girl's "sweet" sixteenth birthday is anything but special: her family forgets about it, and she suffers from every embarrassment possible.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling
Votes: 126,487 | Gross: $23.69M
4. St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
R | 110 min | Drama, Romance
A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez
Votes: 46,426 | Gross: $37.80M
5. Mystic Pizza (1988)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
Director: Donald Petrie | Stars: Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 32,500 | Gross: $12.79M
6. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Romance
When Keith goes out with Amanda, the girl of his dreams, Amanda's ex-boyfriend plans to get back at Keith. Meanwhile, Keith's best friend, tomboy Watts, realizes she has feelings for Keith.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer
Votes: 34,696 | Gross: $18.55M
7. Valley Girl (1983)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.
Director: Martha Coolidge | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Michael Bowen
Votes: 18,461 | Gross: $16.80M
8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.
Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus
Votes: 115,844 | Gross: $27.09M
9. Repo Man (1984)
R | 92 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A young punk, recruited by a car repo agency, finds himself in pursuit of a Chevrolet Malibu with a huge, $20,000 bounty--and something otherworldly stashed in its trunk.
Director: Alex Cox | Stars: Harry Dean Stanton, Emilio Estevez, Tracey Walter, Olivia Barash
Votes: 41,182 | Gross: $3.57M
10. Fame (1980)
R | 134 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean
Votes: 24,719 | Gross: $0.12M
11. School Daze (1988)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A not so popular young man wants to pledge to a popular fraternity at his historically black college.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell, Kyme
Votes: 8,040 | Gross: $14.55M
12. Red Dawn (1984)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
It is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
Director: John Milius | Stars: Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen
Votes: 63,148 | Gross: $38.38M
13. Just One of the Guys (1985)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Romance
Terry feels discriminated against when the summer jobs at the Sun Tribune go to two guys. She decides to do something about it. She dresses like a guy and gets a haircut. Will students at the other high school notice? Girls notice "him".
Director: Lisa Gottlieb | Stars: Joyce Hyser, Clayton Rohner, Billy Jayne, Toni Hudson
Votes: 17,886 | Gross: $11.50M
14. About Last Night (1986)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair, despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi, Elizabeth Perkins
Votes: 17,324 | Gross: $38.70M
15. Less Than Zero (1987)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama
A college freshman returns to L.A. for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
Director: Marek Kanievska | Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader
Votes: 22,139 | Gross: $12.40M
16. Class (1983)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young man in private school spends one crazy night out, and only later does he learn more about the woman who enlivened his night.
Director: Lewis John Carlino | Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Cliff Robertson
Votes: 12,082
17. The Sure Thing (1985)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Walter Gibson is a university freshman going through a dry spell. His old buddy arranges a "sure thing" for him in California. Gibson and his classmate Allison then take a long road trip out to Cali, and both foil each other's plans.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Anthony Edwards, Boyd Gaines
Votes: 22,196 | Gross: $18.14M
18. Better Off Dead (1985)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
After his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. Filled with the wildest teen nightmares.
Director: Savage Steve Holland | Stars: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade
Votes: 49,408 | Gross: $10.30M
19. Heathers (1988)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime
At Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.
Director: Michael Lehmann | Stars: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk
Votes: 115,981 | Gross: $1.11M
20. Flashdance (1983)
R | 95 min | Drama, Music, Romance
An 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.
Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala, Sunny Johnson
Votes: 59,609 | Gross: $94.90M
21. Purple Rain (1984)
R | 111 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.
Director: Albert Magnoli | Stars: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos
Votes: 23,833 | Gross: $68.39M
22. Reckless (1984)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A motorbike riding loner rebel on the high school football team wins a date with a cute, rich cheerleader. At the high school dance, her boyfriend's behavior leads to a breakup - opening doors.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Aidan Quinn, Daryl Hannah, Kenneth McMillan, Cliff De Young
Votes: 2,364 | Gross: $8.29M
23. Satisfaction (1988)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Justine Bateman rocks out as the leader of an all-girl band that struggles with men and drugs during a summer resort gig.
Director: Joan Freeman | Stars: Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson, Trini Alvarado, Scott Coffey
Votes: 3,860 | Gross: $8.25M
24. Johnny Be Good (1988)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Sport
Johnny's the top high-school football player and many colleges want him. His girlfriend, coach and best friend want him in the college, serving themselves most.
Director: Bud S. Smith | Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., Paul Gleason, Uma Thurman
Votes: 7,383 | Gross: $17.55M
25. Dudes (1987)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy
Three punk-loving New York City dudes need a change and drive a VW Beetle to California. After rednecks kill one of them in Arizona, they want justice. A cute girl helps them.
Director: Penelope Spheeris | Stars: Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, Flea, Lee Ving
Votes: 1,702
26. Modern Girls (1986)
PG-13 | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A pair of women decide to prank their roommate's nerdy blind date after she stands him up, but end up developing a friendship with him after their practical joke sends them on an all-night odyssey through the 1980s club scene.
Director: Jerry Kramer | Stars: Daphne Zuniga, Virginia Madsen, Cynthia Gibb, Clayton Rohner
Votes: 1,718 | Gross: $0.60M
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