Classic '80s Comedies that Should Not Be Missed

Turns out the 1980s was a terrific decade for comedies. Who knew? Two years into the 1980s and there were already more classic comedies produced than have been released in the last seventeen years. What's even more amazing is the tremendous range of comedies made during the 1980s. From very highbrow issues-oriented comedies to the lowbrow movies that are just plain funny, looking back at that decade is an abject lesson in how low movies have sunk. Here, in no particular order, are a few classic comedies of the 1980s that you should Netflix.

Tootsie

Tootsie is a classic comedy and a highbrow one at that because it deals with relationships and issues about sexuality and gender stereotypes. But the reason Tootsie qualifies as a classic comedy is because it's so damn funny. Almost thirty years later and an unknown number of viewings have done nothing to dampen the hilarity that results when Dustin Hoffman barges into his agent's office and goes on a tirade about what a fantastic job he does playing vegetables.

Broadcast News

Probably James L. Brooks' best film, although certainly As Good as it Gets runs a close second. Again, this one is highbrow because it is about relationships. But it is also about the news business without reaching for the shrill heights that sometimes mars Network. The secret to this movie's elevation is, much like Tootsie, the uniformly great acting. From Holly Hunter delivering her second best performance ever-more on that later-to William Hurt showcasing why he was the best actor of the mid-80s to supporting turns by Jack Nicholson and Joan Cusack, this movie pops due to great acting. But, as is almost always the case, the real comedic center of Broadcast News is the stupefyingly funny Albert Brooks. This movie is worth watching-if for nothing else-for the sequence in which he profoundly perspires as he tries out anchoring for the first time. If you think funny requires far more than simply filming a guy reading news, then you obviously haven't yet seen Broadcast News.

S.O.B.