80’S MOVIES
There are so many classic 80s movies that are so great to watch with your kids. Some you may have never seen or you have forgotten about.
I put together a list that I am working through myself with my kiddos.
Each movie mentioned, has a parental rating and age suggestion (according to Common Sense Media) to use as a benchmark. Some kids can handle more than others. I would let my 9 year old son watch every movie on this list except Just One Of The Guys.
I hope you enjoy!
The Secret Of Nimn (1982)
Plot Summary
Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, must move her children out of their home in a field before the local farmer starts plowing. Unable to leave because her son is ill, Mrs. Brisby seeks the help of nearby rats, who have heightened intelligence after being the subjects of scientific experiments. She receives an unexpected gift from the elder rat, Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi). Soon Mrs. Brisby is caught in a conflict among the rats, jeopardizing her mission to save her family.
Rating: G
Suggests Age 8+
Fascinating, but very dark with some creepy imagery.
The Carebears Movie (1985)
Plot Summary
This animated movie, featuring the popular children’s characters, begins with orphanage manager Mr. Cherrywood (Mickey Rooney) telling a story about the Care Bears. In it, a young magician’s assistant falls prey to an evil spirit (Jackie Burroughs) intent on destroying all happiness in the world. It is then up to a group of Care Bears, including Friend Bear and Love-a-Lot Bear, with help from a couple of orphans, to stop the spirit using their caring powers.
Rating: G
Suggests Ages 4+
Not all rainbows and hugs -some scares, too.
Oliver & Company (1988)
Plot Summary
In this animated update of the classic “Oliver Twist” tale, Oliver (Joey Lawrence) is an orphaned kitten taken in by a gang of thieving dogs, led by cavalier canine Dodger (Billy Joel) and owned by down-and-out pickpocket Fagin (Dom DeLuise). While pulling a job in the streets of New York City, Oliver winds up being adopted by a rich girl, Jenny (Natalie Gregory), and landing on easy street. But through a series of events, a loan shark threatens the peaceful new arrangement.
Rating: G
Suggests Age 5+
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
Plot Summary
When kids sneak into inventor Wayne Szalinski’s (Rick Moranis) upstairs lab to retrieve an errant baseball, his experimental shrink ray miniaturizes them. When Szalinski returns home, he destroys the device — which he thinks is a failure — and dumps it in the trash, throwing out the kids along with it. The four children, now 1/4-inch tall, must survive the journey back to the house through a yard where sprinklers bring treacherous storms and garden-variety ants stampede like elephants.
Rating: PG
Suggest Ages 6+
Silly but occasionally scary.
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
Plot Summary
Fantasy adventure with the precocious Pippi Longstocking, who falls off her father’s pirate ship and washes up in a small coastal town in Florida. Before long she is influencing the local children with her mischief-making and infectious attitude.
Rating: G
Suggests Ages 7+
The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
Plot Summary
In this animated film, five sentient household appliances — Toaster, Blanky, Radio, Lampy and a vacuum cleaner named Kirby — living in an abandoned cabin have grown lonely. Longing to reunite with their owner, a young man named Rob, the appliances set off on a harrowing trek through the wilderness, surviving as best they can despite limited sources of electricity. Worse yet, when they arrive in the big city they discover they may no longer be useful because of new, modern appliances.
Rating: G
Suggests Ages 5+
Overboard (1987)
Plot Summary
Snobbish and wealthy Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) is living a life of leisure with her husband, Grant (Edward Herrmann), when she falls off their yacht and suffers amnesia. Grant takes the opportunity to rid himself of the demanding Joanna — but Dean (Kurt Russell), a widowed carpenter with four kids who once worked for Joanna, arrives and claims she’s his wife. Joanna can’t remember her past identity, but has trouble believing that she was ever meant to be a working-class mother of four.
Rating: PG
Suggests Ages 12+
’80s comedy has some strong language, iffy messages.
Adventures In Babysitting (1987)
Plot Summary
When plans with her boyfriend fall through, high school senior Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) ends up babysitting the Anderson kids, Brad (Keith Coogan) and Sara (Maia Brewton). What should be a quiet night in, however, turns into a series of ridiculous exploits, starting when they leave the house to pick up Chris’ friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller). Soon, Brad’s buddy Daryl (Anthony Rapp) is involved, and the group must contend with car thieves, blues musicians and much more.
Rating: PG-13
Suggests Ages 13+
’80s comedy has lots of profanity, peril, innuendos.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Plot Summary
Down-on-his-luck private eye Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) gets hired by cartoon producer R.K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern) to investigate an adultery scandal involving Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), the sultry wife of Maroon’s biggest star, Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer). But when Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye), Jessica’s alleged paramour and the owner of Toontown, is found murdered, the villainous Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) vows to catch and destroy Roger.
Rating: PG
Suggests Ages 12+
Deceptively mature movie mixes fun with guns, innuendo.
The Wizard (1989)
Plot Summary
After his little brother, Jimmy (Luke Edwards), is put in a mental institution, Corey (Fred Savage) breaks him out and the pair run off together to California. On their travels, Corey meets a girl named Haley (Jenny Lewis) and discovers that Jimmy is a master at playing video games. With talents like his, he could easily win the top prize of $50,000 at Video Armageddon. While the three travelers hitchhike to the competition, the boys’ parents hire a bounty hunter to track them down.
Rating: PG
Suggests Ages 10+
Three Fugitives (1989)
Plot Summary
Lucas (Nick Nolte) is a former bank robber who, after prison time, has given up his unlawful ways. One day, inexperienced criminal Ned Perry (Martin Short) holds up the bank Lucas is visiting. Ned is in desperate need of money; his wife died several years earlier, and his mute daughter, Meg (Sarah Rowland Doroff), requires specialized education. Ned holds Lucas hostage. But, when a detective (Alan Ruck) mistakenly thinks Lucas is in on the job, things take an unexpected turn.
Rating: PG-13
Suggests Ages 13+
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
Plot Summary
With her marriage breaking up, Beverly Hills housewife Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) boosts her self-esteem by leading a local troop of Wilderness Girls. Although Phyllis’ version of roughing it is spending the night at the Beverly Hills Hotel, that suits her privileged troop members just fine. Unfortunately, when Phyllis falls afoul of a rival leader, the girls are threatened with having their group dissolved — unless they can prove their wilderness skills at the annual jamboree.
Rating: PG
Suggests Ages 12+
Baby Boom (1987)
Plot Summary
J.C. Wiatt is a successful New York business woman known around town as the “tiger lady.” She gets news of an inheritance from a relative from another country and off the bat she suspects it’s money. Well it’s not money, it’s a baby girl. At first she doesn’t accept until the lady that gives the baby to her has to catch her flight. J.C. is now stuck with an annoying baby girl. Her boyfriend doesn’t like the idea of a baby living with them and he leaves her. J.C. has enough of it and takes her to meet a family ready to adopt her. She leaves but hears the baby cry while walking away and has to go back. The baby is too attached to her now and won’t let her go. Later, her baby gets into mischief which causes her to get fired. Now, she sets her eyes on an old two story cottage in Vermont to get out of the New York life. When she arrives, the house needs more help than originally thought.
Rating: PG
Splash (1984)
Plot Summary:
Allen Bauer is rescued from drowning as a young boy off Cape Cod by a young mermaid. Years later, he returns to the same location, and once again manages to fall into the sea, and is rescued once more by the mermaid (Allen isn’t sure what he has seen and what he has imagined). Using maps from a sunken ship, the mermaid decides to search for Allen in New York City, sprouting legs when her tail dries. On finding Allen, they fall in love, but she has a secret, which will no longer be a secret if she gets her legs wet.
Rating: PG
’80s fishy fairy tale has sex, some cursing.
My Bodyguard (1980)
Plot Summary
Clifford Peache is the new kid in Lake View High School. Faced with all the stress that role entails he makes his situation worse by insulting Moody, the leader of a group of toughs who extort lunch money from kids. These punks pretend to be bodyguards for the kids to protect them from Linderman who, it is rumored, killed his brother in cold blood. Clifford befriends the sullen Linderman and hires him as his bodyguard. When Moody ups the ante, Linderman must decide whether fighting for what he believes in, with his haunted past and image, is justified.
Rating: PG
Revenge Of The Nerds (1984)
Plot Summary
When lovable nerds Gilbert and Lewis embark on their freshman year at Adams College, little do they realize the dangers that await them. They are beset by taunting from the jocks of Alpha Beta fraternity, which only worsens when the jocks accidentally burn down their house and toss the freshmen out of the freshmen dorm. To make matters more problematic, Lewis develops a crush on pretty Betty Childs, popular sorority sister and quarterback’s girlfriend. Joined by the aptly named Booger and the violin-playing Poindexter, the nerds soon realize they must form their own fraternity in self-defense. Soon the tables are turned as the nerds employ high-tech warfare against the jocks…. but can they really succeed and make a difference?
Rating: R
Age 16+
Racy college comedy has heart; OK for older teens.
Weird Science (1985)
Plot Summary
Two unpopular teenagers, Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly, fail at all attempts to be accepted by their peers. Their desperation to be liked leads them to “create” a woman via their computer. Their living and breathing creation is a gorgeous woman, Lisa, whose purpose is to boost their confidence level by putting them into situations which require Gary and Wyatt to act like men. On their road to becoming accepted, they encounter many hilarious obstacles, which gives the movie an overall sense of silliness.
Rating: PG-13
Age 15+
Guilty-pleasure ’80s horny-geek sci-fi sex comedy.
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Coming To America (1988)
Plot Summary
It is the 21st birthday of Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life.
Rating: R
15+
Silly, curse-happy ’80s Eddie Murphy vehicle.
Just One Of The Guys (1985)
Plot Summary
Terry Griffith has got it all — looks, popularity, the perfect college boyfriend, and an article that’s a shoo-in to win her a summer internship at the local newspaper… or so she thinks. When Terry’s journalism teacher passes her article up in favor of a couple of pieces written by boys, Terry is convinced that sexism is to blame. Determined to win the internship at any cost, Terry goes undercover at a rival high school to resubmit her article… as a boy. But Terry gets more than she bargained for when she finds herself fending off a bully and the advances of an oversexed female admirer, and falling for her new pal Rick.
Rating: PG-13
Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
Plot Summary
Ronald Miller is tired of being a nerd, and makes a deal with one of the most popular girls in school to help him break into the “cool” clique. He offers her a thousand dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. It succeeds, but he soon learns that the price of popularity may be higher than he expected.
Rating: PG-13
Dated ’80s teen comedy has cursing, sex, stereotypes.
OTHER 80’s MOVIES I RECOMMEND
*Dirty Dancing (1987)
*Beetle Juice (1998)
*Big (1988)
*Pretty In Pink (1986)
*Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
*The Breakfast Club (1985)
*The Neverending Story (1984)
*Ghostbusters 1 & 2 (1984)
*ET (1982)
*Back To The Future Triliogy (1985)
*The Princess Bride (1987)
*16 Candles (1984)
