10 performances in 1980s comedies we’ll never forget

The best comedy shows of the 1980s are still just as funny decades later. The 1980s produced many hilarious comedy movies, with studios investing in original ideas and fresh talent. Actors like Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray were at the top of their game in the 1980s, delivering some iconic performances that have stood the test of time. 40 years later or more, they are still career-defining.

1980s comedies have a distinct feel to them. Before the cynicism and dark comedies of the 1990s, Hollywood comedies in the 1980s were mostly optimistic and comforting. Characters still went through great hardships, but there was always hope that they would come out on the other side better and happier. People. This style of comedy is always popular, because its hopeful nature is great to rewatch over and over again.

10

Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop

Axel Foley

Many of Eddie Murphy’s best movies came out in the 1980s, including Come to America And 48 hours. Beverly Hills Cop It might be the best of them all, and it started a franchise for Murphy’s fast-talking, street-smart cop Axel Foley. Murphy gives one of his most charismatic and entertaining performances as Axel Foley. He often plays multiple characters in the same movie, but he is more focused and reserved in Beverly Hills Cop.

Axel is smart and kind. He knows exactly what to say to get a room at a fancy hotel, or how to talk his way out of trouble when he’s caught in a strip club while on duty. The character wouldn’t work as well if Murphy wasn’t so fun to watch. He can always get laughs with broad strokes, though Beverly Hills Cop Shows he can be just as funny while playing a more grounded character. Murphy is not just a soloist, however, and he bounces off the other performers brilliantly.

9

Bill Murray in Ghostbusters (1984)

Dr. Peter Venkman

Bill Murray is the best in his death Ghostbusters. While Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd are constantly surprised by their paranormal findings, Murray plays it cool. He takes everything in his stride, whether his friend is babbling about his latest ghost-busting invention, or whether he’s glimpsed a demonic portal. Murray is hilariously underwhelmed at all times. He knows that when everything around him is already funny, he can get a laugh by doing nothing at all.

The Ghostbusters The franchise has struggled to recapture the raucous comedy of the original movie. The legacy sequels may have introduced some fun new characters and delivered some jaw-dropping sci-fi spectacle, but they lacked the humor of Murray, Ramis and Aykroyd. Peter Venkman is an egotistical showman, but Murray’s nonchalance makes him a lovable character all the same.

8

Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Sally Albright

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan develop dazzling chemistry in When Harry met Sally. So many of the movie’s biggest laughs come from their dynamic that it’s hard to talk about one performance without considering how it complements the others. Where Crystal is self-confident and borderline smarmy, Ryan is positive and curious. Harry and Sally are polar opposites in some ways, but this gives their conversations the perfect amount of comic friction.

Although Ryan is hilarious in her interactions with Crystal, she shows that she can be just as funny without a helping hand. in one of When Harry met SallyIn the most iconic scene, Crystal is a silent audience member when Ryan erupts into a fake orgasm in the middle of a crowded diner. Sally is more in touch with her emotions than Harry, so Ryan often shoulders the emotional burden of the movie. The fact that she can do this while still being hilarious is very impressive.

7

Rick Moranis In Spaceballs (1987)

Dark helmet

Dark Helm is one of Mel Brooks’ funniest charactersThanks in part to the performance of Rick Moranis. In Brooks Star Wars Spoof, Dark Helm is his miniature stand-in for Darth Vader. He and Moranis turn one of the most terrifying villains in film history into a ridiculous sideshow with a Napoleon complex. Moranis’ short stature and expressive facial features make the character funny before he even opens his mouth. He’s probably the last actor anyone would choose to play an imposing villain.

Moranis barks his lines in spaceballs, As if Dark Helm is trying desperately to appear more intimidating and important than he really is. Between his frequent tantrums and his dolls, Dark Helm is an overgrown child. That’s only half the joke, but to make it whole, Moranis has to insist on his own delusions of grandeur. He puffs out his chest, but Moranis’ flair for slapstick means that Dark Helm never seems threatening.

6

Nicolas Cage in Raising Arizona (1987)

Hi McDunnough

Nicolas Cage can play dramatic and comedic roles with equal success. No matter what kind of movie he is involved in, he always commits to the character with every fiber of his being, and he is not afraid to take big swings. This is what makes Hi feel so unhinged and melodramatic rise arizona, Especially when he leads the police on a relentless chase after his kidnapping.

Hi is a true original, and he only works as a character thanks to Cage’s goofy charms and his intensity. Hi may have a good heart, and he wants to provide for the love of his life, but he lacks any sense. Cage is hard to dislike as HiEven when he’s kidnapping a baby or robbing a convenience store. His exaggerated Southern accent and blank look make him a likable and hilarious hero.

5

Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982)

Michael Dorsey

Tutsi Star Dustin Hoffman as a struggling actor who impersonates a woman to get a female role on a popular TV show. The script draws a lot of dramatic irony from the fact that no one knows Michael’s true identity as a man who plays a woman in real life who plays a woman on television. Hoffman shows just enough of his masculine side to keep the jokes entertaining, but never so much that it becomes obvious that the other characters should see through the impulse.

Hoffman performs a careful balancing act in Tutsi. He differentiates Michael from his female alter ego in subtle ways that suggest he’s swept up in his own lies, but he also has moments of clarity when Michael’s performance is dangerously close to being uncovered. As the stakes get higher and Michael gets too deep in, Hoffman becomes a bundle of nervous energy.

4

Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Police Squad Files (1988)

Frank Drebin

Leslie Nielsen famously began his career as a dramatic actor, and this equipped him with all the skills he needed to be one of the funniest deadpan performers in Hollywood. The bare gun Makes full use of his comedic persona as he plays an incompetent, bumbling detective in a noir-style mystery. The bare gun is a spoof of hard-boiled detective movies, and Nielsen plays his role as if he’s auditioning for the role of Sam Spade.

Nielsen’s deep, languid voice makes The bare guns best quotes even fancier. He has an extraordinary knack for saying ridiculous things with a completely straight face. He pairs this aspect of his performance with some oafish slapstick. Frank Drebin may be able to talk like a real cop, but his actions often betray him. Liam Neeson has a tough act to follow in the Bare gun Reboot.

3

Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

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Kevin Kline won an Oscar for his performance in A fish called WandaWhich is a rare feat for a comedy movie. Klein plays Otto, an unhinged member of the gang who tries to stab his partners in the back. Otto constantly tries to prove his intelligence to others in order to hide his insecurity, but reading Nietzsche obviously does not give him any sense. Cline plays him with an intense anger bubbling beneath the surface.

Kline gives Otto a frantic energy that betrays his deep anxiety. Otto tries to assert his dominance while his boss is facing trial, but he is easily brushed aside by Wanda. To cope, he heaps even more misery on Ken, who he sees as the only person firmly below him in the pecking order. It is a joy to watch Kline’s performance as Otto gradually loses his cool. This is perfectly captured by his death scene, in which he runs through all five stages of grief in a matter of seconds before crashing to death.

2

Jamie Lee Curtis In Trading Places (1983)

Ophelia

Between the fast-paced hilarity of Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd’s jaded, world-weary act, Jamie Lee Curtis could easily have flown under the radar in Trading places. Instead, her performance is arguably the most compelling of the lot. Her character is designed to counter Aykroyd’s doom and gloom with some tough love and realism. Curtis also injects a lot of empathy, but Ophelia has her limits, and she’s not content with being a shoulder to cry on.

Ophelia welcomes Louis to the real world. She starts out with cynical intentions, expecting a big payoff in return for her help, but she soon calms down and shows the goodness of her heart. If Trading places is a screwball comedy that comes late to the party, Curtis’ performance is what makes his battle-of-the-sexes angle work. The confidence she exudes makes Aykroyd’s cocky character even more laughable.

1

Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller

Matthew Broderick gives a charismatic performance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Which is important because so much of the movie’s appeal hinges on how much fun the audience has spending time with it. Ferris is a teenager with a certain worldview and an ability to drag his friends into his own fantasy world. This could make him seem selfish or flighty, if not for Broderick’s inherent charm.

Ferris is a character the audience wants to see succeed, even if his version of success involves slacking off. Broderick’s breaking of the fourth wall and his witty demeanor work wonders, and he also lends himself to some of the film’s most memorable quotes. Broderick needs to be funny and philosophical like Ferris. Ultimately, he makes Ferris’ appeal to slow down and enjoy life hard to resist.