Comedies from the 1980s

The Fugitives (Les Fugitifs)
      1986 | France | Laughs: 5.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.1
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On the day of his release from prison, an unlucky bank robber is taken hostage in a bank robbery by a man who can barely tie his shoelaces. One of three comedies starring Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard—not nearly as funny as La Chèvre, but a cute story that fans of these two actors will enjoy watching once. It's also ten times better than the Hollywood remake (Three Fugitives) by the same director. As in many of Francis Veber's comedies, the "clown" is called François Pignon. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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Ghostbusters
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 5.4 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.8
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If you're crazy about Bill Murray and you can still stand the theme music (can you believe they used to play this in night clubs?), watching this 80s classic once won't hurt you, and you'll laugh a few times. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Goodbye, Pork Pie
      1981 | New Zealand | Laughs: 5.2 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.8
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If you can (i) get your hands on it and (ii) get over the accent, this classic New Zealand comedy is sure to give you a laugh and more than a few chuckles. Two petty crims make their way in a stolen yellow mini from Auckland (in NZ's North Island) to Invercargill, at the southern end of the South Island. (Last viewed: February 2010)

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Emoh Ruo
      1985 | Australia | Laughs: 5.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.2
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A young couple lives in a caravan by a gorgeous beach, but the young lady starts to dream "the Great Australian Dream"—moving the family into their very own house. When the couple manages to secure a mortgage and buy a house, everything goes wrong. If you're told that the title is "Our Home" in reverse, you might start to suspect that this movie's jokes are not exactly side-splitting. Charming shots of 1970s Australia; for serious students of Australiana only. (Last viewed: May 2010)

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The Under-Gifted (Les Sous Doués)
      1980 | France | Laughs: 5.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.6
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The staff of a cramming school is determined to make their students pass their high-school graduation exams. The students are determined to have a good time—and that excludes studying. This movie reminds me a bit of the original Police Academy, though it's not as funny. The movie takes a good twenty minutes to get into gear, but if you make that investment, you'll be rewarded with an entertaining hour or so. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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National Lampoon's Vacation (a.k.a Vacation)
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 4.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.4
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Clarke Griswald (Chevy Chase) drives his family across country from Chicago to Wally World. Part of the movie's charm is that it skirts the line between family movie and adult comedy. Definitely very cute, with a few great moments. If you're in a very forgiving mood, you can also watch Christmas Vacation, which I find flat but some people prefer. Do yourself a favor and skip European Vacation and Las Vegas vacation. (Last viewed: October 2009)

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The Gift (a.k.a Bankers Also Have Souls) (Le Cadeau)
      1982 | France | Laughs: 4.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.1
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For his early retirement gift, workmates of a bank employee collect money to buy him a call girl, who accosts him under false pretenses on the train to Milan. What follows is a series of lies and misunderstandings with multiple subplots. This is not the very funniest of French comedies, but it is a neglected film, as it is a pleasant watch with fine characters, pleasant locations and a sweet story overall. Warning: mild nudity and multiple languages. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles
      1987 | USA | Laughs: 4.8 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.6
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This is one of those movies that is probably not as funny as you remember it—perhaps you felt good when you first saw it because it is sweet. I like John Candy, and I have nothing against Steve Martin, though a strange pathology makes me unable to laugh at his act, so in a way for me this is only half a movie. The plot? A study in the "unlikely pair" genre: two strangers get stuck together trying to get back to Chicago from New York City in time for Thanksgiving. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Love and Doves (a.k.a Love and Pigeons) (Любовь и голуби)
      1985 | Soviet Union | Laughs: 4.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 8.1
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This movie gives us a taste of life in a hamlet far from Moscow where women work hard to foil disasters caused by their men who drink, spend too much and sometimes cheat. I laughed a few times and much enjoyed the cast and texture. The second half was a bit long, but it's still well worth a watch. (Last viewed: August 2015)

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The Under-Gifted on Holiday (Les Sous-Doués en Vacances)
      1982 | France | Laughs: 4.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 4.9
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The crew from the original Under-Gifted travels to the French Riviera to rescue Bebel's girlfriend from the claws of a crooner intent on seducing her. This is not one of the great French comedies, but if you're in a tolerant mood and don't expect a laugh a minute, this is entirely watchable. For starters, it's not vulgar, which places the movie well ahead of the many French comedies ridden with below-the-pants humor. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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The Twin (Le Jumeau)
      1984 | France | Laughs: 4.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.1
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After meeting the twin heiresses to an overseas fortune, a scam artist pretends that he too has an identical twin. A surprisingly offbeat and not overly predictable movie that ends better than it starts but can easily be skipped. (Last viewed: April 2013)

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Two Odd Birds (Zwei schräge Vögel)
      1989 | East Germany | Laughs: 4.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.6
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Two top-ranking computer science graduates are exiled to a factory in a remote rural area. The movie is incredibly offbeat. Even without having lived in East Germany or understanding German, it would be hard to miss the sarcasm directed at the system. I smiled the whole time and laughed once or twice. The movie is incredibly offbeat and should only be attempted by those who are in the mood for a cultural experience. (Last viewed: June 2015)

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Weekend at Bernie's
      1989 | USA | Laughs: 4.5 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.4
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This is one of those movies that starts out really well but runs out of steam before the halfway point is reached. Two grunts in a New York company's accounting department discover a large error. When they tell the boss, he invites them for a weekend at his house in the Hamptons—with sinister motives, having embezzled the missing funds. Sadly for him, he gets a lethal injection courtesy of his mafia boss before the young accountants arrive. To enjoy the weekend, they keep up the pretense that Bernie is alive. I really liked the beginning, and probably laughed, but the weekend itself was a grueling session of "more of the same". Too bad. (Last viewed: July 2012)

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The Meaning of Life
      1983 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.2 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.5
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Ah, Monty Python… They've produced the best and the worst of comedy. This is one of those movies where the team travels so far down the path of caricature, gross and grotesque that it's simply not funny—unless you're equipped with a "subtle" British sense of humor. John Cleese and Eric Idle manage to make us chuckle, of course, and we're grateful for that. Rather than waste your time, watch Fawlty Towers instead to see John Cleese in a production that achieves a perfect comic balance. (Last viewed: Feb 1984 July 2010)

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My Best Friend's Girl (La Femme de mon Pote)
      1983 | France | Laughs: 4.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 5.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

This movie is set in a ski resort, where a disc-jockey with a plain physique falls in love with the girlfriend of his best friend, who is classically handsome. I had never seen this story in a movie before, at least not told in this way. The movie is surprisingly good, and it features two actors who are well-suited for each other. One of them, Coluche, was a comical genius. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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