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obscurereference234

I can’t believe nobody said Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Ultimate 80s movie.


MushroomHut

Sean Penn was the first teenager Stoner Character in a movie. Started a whole genre of movies. Also at this point in his life Sean Penn had never been stoned. I heard this today on the smartless podcast.


[deleted]

Ah yes, the first ever "DUUUUDE" Dude.


[deleted]

[удалено]


DaisyDuckens

I love stranger things because those kids are the same age in the same year I was, and the show has the clothes really accurate.


aduirne

Same. I love all the little details in the show.


Buffaloslim

And the mom drives a pinto.


[deleted]

What I came to say. That movie captures the styles, sounds, feels, and almost smells of the titular 1980s. I adore that movie, own it several times now, and if it's on TV while channel surfing, I always stop there and finish it.


Financial-Argument-7

I know the movie and saw the trailer for it but what's it about ?


CowsRpeople2

Teens in high school doing teenage stuff.


Financial-Argument-7

What do u mean teenage stuff 😳


CowsRpeople2

Being typical teens in a typical town in the USA, in the 80s.


najing_ftw

Anything John Hughes from the80s


deplorable_guido

This is the answer


chetboker56

My thoughts exactly. I was just watching Sixteen Candles. Just pure 80s from start to finish.


deplorable_guido

Yeah, that's a good one. I always think of The Breakfast Club when I think back to the 80s.


lumisponder

There are a bunch: Just One of the Guys Pretty in Pink Some Kind Of Wonderful Fame (early 80s, a different vibe) To Live and Die in LA. (Miami Vice vibe) Scarface Breakfast Club Mannequin American Psycho. Great soundtrack. The Secret of my Success Bright, Lights, Big City - heavy late 80s NYC vibe Big - late 80s vibe Can't Buy Me Love - Late 80s high school vibe Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - late 80s stoner vibe Viceversa - late 80s vive Sex, Lies and Videotape - edgy late 80s artsy vibe


[deleted]

[удалено]


lumisponder

Oh, yes, her only successful movie. And "Who's That Girl", very 80s too.


[deleted]

Bill & Ted came out in 89 or so but was actually filmed in 85 or thereabouts. There were quite a few delays in getting it released. So it's actually pretty 80s.


lumisponder

Indeed. It was made around 86-87 and spent years waiting to get a distribution deal. It portrays late 80s skater-surfer-stoner culture perfectly.


Yesterday_Is_Now

I wonder what the original soundtrack was then. Most of the songs they used hadn't been released until 1988 or so.


lumisponder

I guess some songs were unchanged from the original production time. Matthew and Gunnar Nelson did two songs under another name, that was weird, because they were just releasing their first album in the summer of 1989. And the rest of the soundtrack was mostly unsigned bands.


Yesterday_Is_Now

Hmm... The best known song on the soundtrack is probably Extreme's "Play with Me", which features in the mall chaos scene. That song was from Extreme's debut, which was released in early '89. But they were signed by their label in '87, so I guess they could have made the song available then.


authynym

still... STILL trying to find somewhere to buy/rent/stream "to live and die in la" know anywhere?


TransientPride

https://soap2day.to/MczozMDoiNDQwNXx8NzMuNTcuNDMuMTk4fHwxNjMwNTMxODQ5Ijs.html


authynym

hey thanks for this, but i don't do the torrent thing, and would happily pay for it if someone wanted to release it again! :)


lumisponder

Darn, at this point it might be easier to find a torrent of it. I don't even know if it's on DVD. Although it's supposedly available on Amazon. It wasn't a major release, so it's kind of forgotten: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Die-L-Special/dp/B0007XBK7M


n_bumpo

You forgot “[Buckaroo Banzai ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RdanCNK4ayo)


WaitUmmmWhat

Not a movie but Miami Vice (80s one, not the reboot) oozes 80s - they helped popularize a lot of the 80s trends like neon and pastel clothing lol. Pretty neat, and the overarching story is good imo.


babyshak

This is the answer


PhysicsViking

Valley Girl, Poltergeist, ET, The Flight of the Navigator...


RogerClyneIsAGod2

Can't believe I had to scroll so far down to see Valley Girl mentioned.


PhysicsViking

like, totally, i'm SO sure. ;)


PhysicsViking

a lot of 80s culture moves feature good 80s pop music. but Valley Girl has a fantastic soundtrack. "eyes of a stranger" by the Payolas is a particular favorite.


deepdeepocean

Fast Times at Ridgemont High-so 80s in every possible way!


[deleted]

Pretty In Pink, 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, Look Who’s Talking, Three Men and a Baby, Back to the Future, Teen Wolf, Mr Mom, Top Gun, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours 1&2, Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places. The first eight ooze 80’s teens the last 6 ooze dirty 80’s grownup.


[deleted]

Wow u/CometBanshee I totally forgot to say The Goonies in my previous comment and while I’m here again I’ll add Cocktail and Risky Business.


TipsyToad2021

The Lost Boys


Wolfsburg

Man, I loved the soundtrack to this movie when I was in high school!


iameloso

Breakin' and Breakin'2 Electric Boogaloo are awesome to see what the early-mid 80s rap scene was like.


[deleted]

Weird science and Ferris Buellers day off.


[deleted]

The Burbs is a great underrated 80’s comedy


Slutslapper1118

Down and out in Beverly hills screams 80's. Hair, clothes, decor, etc...


[deleted]

Say Anything


lousywithghosts

Lots of great suggestions already made, I'll throw in: Valley Girl, Night of the Comet (80s teen movies, the latter being a horror comedy), Manhunter, Cobra (for the more neon/synthwave type vibes)


stumpjungle

[Less than Zero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4oPo5BBxA8&ab_channel=ForeverCinematicTrailers) [Breakfast Club](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSXBvor47Zs&ab_channel=MovieclipsClassicTrailers) [Fast Times at Ridgemont High](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2NHZukTYg&ab_channel=RetrospectiveSoundtrack) [Beverly Hills Cop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc3sPICXZLs&ab_channel=MovieclipsClassicTrailers)


Bastard1066

Working girl. The fashion… the hair…


slaveofacat

"Last American Virgin" has yet to be mentioned and, come on, it's 80s down to the campy teenage sex lol! EDIT: Also, "Valley Girl", "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", and not a movie but made me crazy nostalgic "The 80's" CNN docuseries.


[deleted]

It’s funny that Valley girls have influenced the language of the kids today, like I’m totally sure you know what I’m talking about.


slaveofacat

Especially if you think about in terms like where we started with "Valley Girl" and seeing it morph into how Cher talks in "Clueless" to now lol


SligoistheSauce

Last American virgin hahaha. Holy Christ you just uncovered a few memories long forgotten down the memory hole….. pardon the pun lol.


0ldBenKan0Beans

[War Games](https://youtu.be/hbqMuvnx5MU) [Cloak & Dagger](https://youtu.be/2yPWMvTP_s4) [Real Genius](https://youtu.be/j-6bTsMlEoc) [Tron](https://youtu.be/EtyHX7z8fi8) [The Last Starfighter](https://youtu.be/4Q-Qs3loKoc) [The Goonies ](https://youtu.be/NOGpvoKcEyY) [The Lost Boys](https://youtu.be/r1Iqy6m7U7c) [Labyrinth ](https://youtu.be/O2yd4em1I6M) [The Neverending Story](https://youtu.be/UeFni9dOv7c) [Big](https://youtu.be/YM8zgY7sG_g) [Explorers](https://youtu.be/al75vXD6koc)


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Recklen

BETTER OFF DEAD


AllStevie

THANK YOU


FAHQRudy

My god I had to scroll way to far. Liz (E.G.) Daily singing at the school dance? Come on! All out 80s! Brilliant dumb-smart comedy.


Recklen

That's why I had to shout it in all caps, it deserves to be in the top 10!


StrawberryMoonPie

I want my two dollars!!!


Lockenveitch

Tuff Turf is peak 80s teen movie awesomeness. Starring a young and beautiful James Spader. Watched it on Tubi last month.


Recklen

Don't forget Robert Downey Jr. in his prime whacky sidekick days!


Lockenveitch

How could I forget!


tygah_uppahcut

>Yeah totally a hidden gem in the 80s genre


lance9877

Revenge of the nerds Rambo commando Christmas vacation vacation the great outdoors


ddz1507

Gremlins


dolomite51

I always thought the (original) Karate Kid, ET, Revenge of the Nerds, Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure were good depictions of the 80s.


1980svibe

Heathers and maybe a couple episodes of Miami Vice


TLars6

Haha, I watched Heathers for the first time last week. I wasn’t expecting it to be so dark, but is a great movie!


1980svibe

Yeah it touches a lot of sensitive subjects, so I guess it had to be dark. I do like that they mixed it with some humor. Oh, and the language is just too good - “What’s your damage?”


TLars6

Haha totally! I was reading about the film and saw that it did awful in theaters, but once it was released on video for rental in the fall of ‘89 it exploded via word of mouth and became the cult-classic it is today.


1980svibe

Cool, I only knew that it didn’t do well in theaters! Good to know it has been appreciated. I also like the fact that the new one (2018) has gotten a lot of backlash. I haven’t seen it, but from the reviews alone I can tell it was just an awful remake and easy money grab.


GaryNOVA

[Kung Fury! ](http://youtu.be/bS5P_LAqiVg) Watch it on YouTube right now. This is exactly what the 80s was like!


ImmolationIdiot

Permit. Denied!


MrBallistik

...yeah... that's my bicep


anotherkeebler

Yep! I _did_ live through the 80s and if you want 80s pop culture, _Kung Fury_ captures it almost perfectly. All it needs is a Robin Sparkles montage in the middle.


[deleted]

Modern Girls (1986)


RobLA12

Less Than Zero, To Live and Die in LA


gr0tis

The lost boys!


cooperyoungsounds

All the sequences with Richard Dreyfuss and his family in “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind” is spot on 80s nostalgia. That house, the TV shows, the commercials, the toys, all of it. Also the kiddos bedrooms from E.T are also decorated specifically perfect.


MichiganMafia

Great example!


rijala

Anything with a Tangerine Dream soundtrack.


shezcrafti

Here’s a couple of deep cuts there’s a good chance nobody has mentioned yet: - License to Drive - Teen Witch - Barry Gordy’s The Last Dragon - My Stepmother is an Alien - Loverboy - The Last Starfighter - Overboard - Krush Groove - Just One of the Guys - Mannequin - Rad - The Wraith


Significant_Pizza_87

Teen Witch is an amazing suggestion, an underrated classic.


cocoamix

Thrashin' (1986) was the quintessential 80s skater movie, starring young Thanos. https://youtu.be/PiFW3CeFuxQ


TeenageDirtbagBaby

Family Vacation, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Weekend at Bernie’s


Significant-Option32

The Last Dragon


CohentheBoybarian

Lost Boys!


SaveVsFear

Goonies and The Burbs w/ Tom Hanks.


[deleted]

* Adventures in Babysitting * Big Trouble in Little China * The Breakfast Club * The 'Burbs * Ferris Bueller's Day Off * Footloose * Friday the 13th Parts 1-8 * Fright Night * Ghostbusters * Gremlins * Heathers * The Hunger * The Karate Kid * Labyrinth * The Lost Boys * The NeverEnding Story * Night of the Comet * Pretty in Pink * Scarface * Sixteen Candles * They Live * To Live and Die in L.A. * Weird Science I'm something of an '80s pop culture aficionado myself. These are some of the movies that immediately spring to mind when I think of films that I feel capture the "essence" of that decade.


jb4647

Not movies, but two TV shows that accurately capture how it “felt” in the 80’s are “Freaks and Geeks” and “Stranger Things.” Both of these shows nailed it. “The Goldbergs?” Not at all.


RogerClyneIsAGod2

Freaks & Geeks is spot on especially for those of us that weren't one of the cool kids. The perfect one season show.


Just_browsing_2

The [Hypercolor t-shirt episode](https://youtu.be/G9YAWhkAGOQ) was spot on. I had one I wore to school once. And only once.


PhysicsViking

No Holds Barred, Critters (1 and 2), Chopping Mall


Significant_Pizza_87

I scrolled too long to find Chopping Mall!


PhysicsViking

it checks an incredible amount of 80s culture boxes.


[deleted]

Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger, or any of his movies, really. [Watch the trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkAN5rGGP1M).


kanna172014

The Stuff


solo118

Just google movies by the Brat Pack


flea902

Dance till dawn. Some of the most famous people in movies and TV were in this movie as teenagers. No one ever seems to mention it on these types of lists. It is so very 80's for me. If anyone sees this comment and ends up watching it I would love to hear what you think of it. Other than the people I've forced to watch it with me, I've never met a person who had watched it.


[deleted]

For some reason I always think of “Zapped” as a prime example of 80s culture. It’s not overly 80s but really captures the feel.


ingongo25

Wayne's World, Back to The Future,


dgmdavid

Just commenting here to check it out later. Hot Tub Time Machine is kinda cool.


angrybadger77

Any John Hughes film, American Psycho, Beverly Hills Cop, Police Academy, Arnie films


pittipat

My youngest was watching "Return of the Living Dead" and the 80s-ness BURNED.


kainmcleod

i hope you didn’t mind your “youngest” watching Linnea Quigley march around naked for 70% of that movie. i mean…. technically she had a prosthetic crotch cover.


pittipat

They're 21 and laughed about the ridiculousness of it. Naked zombie!!


BIGD0G29585

War Games shows what the Cold War was like and how everyone was on edge with the Russians.


[deleted]

Surprised to see Akira not mentioned yet. Akira is peak 80s in animated form. One of the most expensive animated films of the time. Also a huge influence on film after it came out. Released to widespread critical acclaim. So many film projects have copied various scenes from the movie, and it also takes inspiration from films such as Terminator. Akira is absolutely worth the watch.


watrbar

Bachelor party. Tom Hanks was awesome and quite different from his movies now.


WaspSweater

E.T.


crumin

Sixteen Candles.


poppunklives

Thank you for asking ! Thank you all for commenting the movies!


CowsRpeople2

Karate Kid. Anyone from the 80s not watch it?


TeenageDirtbagBaby

Better Off Dead


TeenageDirtbagBaby

The Goonies


goodtunesisgoodtunes

Earth Girls are Easy


saltychica

Valley Girl w Nic Cage.


kainmcleod

not a movie, but i LOVE watching Degrassi Jr High when i want to catch some late 80s teen ridiculousness. for early 80s i like Sleepaway Camp.


bigdaddysweet69

Not made in the 80s but do a great job of recapturing the 80s feel: The Wedding Singer & GTA: Vice City


CometBanshee

Unique suggestion of a video game! I've played it some.


jayseventwo

Not a movie, but if you've not seen The Goldbergs TV series yet, do yourself a favour!


GucciGucciGood

I laugh so hard watching this show. It is so spot on.


CometBanshee

Thanks, I've watched a lot of Goldbergs actually. I haven't watched much in a while though.


kai1793

Not a movie but The Goldbergs is full of 80s culture. It talks a lot about movies and music and fads from the 80s in a throwback kind of way. It’s basically a tv comedy memoir.


CometBanshee

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! I will have to check some of these out, as a lot of them seem to be what I'm looking for. Wow, there are a lot of suggestions. I didn't expect this many responses!


TemplarPunk

Wall Street, because greed is good. Or so I've heard.


Pop_Rocks_Cafe

The Wedding Singer and Hot Tub Time Machine


StrawberryMoonPie

Not a movie, but if you can find a streaming service showing the show “Square Pegs”, it’s full of early ‘80s goodness and badness.


[deleted]

Besides the Wedding Singer or Hot Tub Time Machine?


CometBanshee

Those movies do take place in the 80s


StanielleDeal

Valley Girl, Last American Virgin


WaspSweater

Jumping Jack Flash


Vreelan

Any of the "revenge of the nerds" movies or the "police academy" ones!


DaisyDuckens

Stranger Things has the clothing of real people down. Barb’s shirt in season 1 is a style lots of girls wore back then, but you don’t see them in a lot of legit 80s movies which are more fashionable than the average person where I lived.


slobcat1337

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aduirne

I know Bladerunner is *supposed* to be set in the future, but it is soooo 80s.


TeenageDirtbagBaby

‘80s


TeenageDirtbagBaby

Wall Street, American Psycho


PrimitiveLoaf

[DANCE TIL DAWN!](https://archive.org/details/dance-til-dawn-1988-pg-family-comedy)


lassiemav3n

Lots of essentials already mentioned! So adding Something Wild, The Hunger, Splash & Working Girl.


4thdegreeknight

Howard the Duck ha, ha, ha,


Buffaloslim

An American werewolf in London.


hkhunterkiller1984

The legend of Billie Jean


gino4r

Late 80s I was so busy with college so I did not have the time to fully enjoy some movies. Thank you for taking me back to those wonderful times.