{"id":224751,"date":"2026-02-24T14:05:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/5-greatest-r-rated-1980s-comedy-movies-ranked-a-fish-called-wanda-and-more\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:05:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:05:53","slug":"5-greatest-r-rated-1980s-comedy-movies-ranked-a-fish-called-wanda-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/5-greatest-r-rated-1980s-comedy-movies-ranked-a-fish-called-wanda-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Greatest R-Rated 1980s Comedy Movies, Ranked: A Fish Called Wanda and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The \u201980s were ruled by comedy movies that weren\u2019t afraid to go for an R-rating and everything that entailed.<\/p>\n<p>By comparison, a lot of modern comedies in theaters seem toothless compared to the films from four decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>There were so many to choose from that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/watch-with-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch With Us<\/a> team had a hard time narrowing them down for a roundup.<\/p>\n<p>But after careful consideration, these are the five greatest R-rated 1980s comedy movies. Some of these films could even be ranked among the very best of the decade.<\/p>\n<h2>5. \u2018National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation\u2019 (1983)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"National Lampoon&#039;s Vacation | 4K Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IGnrHNVIJkg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>An argument could definitely be made that <em>Caddyshack<\/em> \u2014 the previous collaboration between director <strong>Harold Ramis<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/chevy-chase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Chevy Chase<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 could have landed on this list. But in terms of impact, <em>National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation<\/em> launched a franchise that extended all the way to 2015\u2019s <em>Vacation<\/em>. This is the film where Chase originated his role as Clark Griswold, the well-meaning husband of Ellen (<strong>Beverly D\u2019Angelo<\/strong>), and the father of their children, Rusty (<strong>Anthony Michael Hall<\/strong>) and Audrey (<strong>Dana Barron<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p>Clark\u2019s attempt to bond with his family on a cross-country road trip to the Disneyland-like Walley World goes disastrously wrong in every way possible. Cameos by <strong>Christie Brinkley<\/strong>, <strong>John Candy<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/eugene-levy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Eugene Levy<\/strong><\/a> only made the movie even funnier. The other <em>Vacation<\/em> films are also very good, but this one stands above them.<\/p>\n<p><em>National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation<\/em> is available for rent or purchase on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/video\/detail\/B0CFV5Z6S3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>4. \u2018Beverly Hills Cop\u2019 (1984)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BEVERLY HILLS COP | Official Trailer | Paramount Movies\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1UV-lUZIyQk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/eddie-murphy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Eddie Murphy<\/strong><\/a> was already famous before<em> Beverly Hills Cop<\/em>, but this film made him a mega star at the box office. Its impact on action comedies can\u2019t be overstated, as even the <em>Beverly Hills Cop<\/em> sequels couldn\u2019t quite match the lightning in the bottle of this film. Murphy plays Detective Axel Foley, a maverick among the Detroit police. When Axel\u2019s friend, Mickey Tandino (<strong>James Russo<\/strong>), is murdered, he defies his superior officer by going on \u201cvacation\u201d so he can investigate it himself.<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__thumbnail related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/best-comedy-movies-on-netflix-right-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__title-link related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/best-comedy-movies-on-netflix-right-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">12 Must-Watch Comedy Movies on Netflix Right Now (January 2026)<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tThe modern comedy movies that arrived on Netflix in January are very unimpressive and not worthy of a place among the best. So, we\u2019ll just have to look to the past when deciding the films that should bring you the laughs to kick off 2026. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The killers\u2019 trail brings Axel to Beverly Hills, California, and trouble isn\u2019t far behind. Detectives Billy Rosewood (<strong>Judge Reinhold<\/strong>) and John Taggart (<strong>John Ashton<\/strong>) are assigned to keep Axel out of trouble, but he runs rings around them. Axel\u2019s a funny guy, but he doesn\u2019t lose sight of his mission. He\u2019s only in town to get justice for Mikey, no matter how much property damage he leaves in his wake.<\/p>\n<p><em>Beverly Hills Cop<\/em> is streaming on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paramountplus.com\/movies\/video\/M_Y5u6rj0TzbA3AOW8uVI2YAazfX6pPk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paramount+<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>3. \u2018Fast Times at Ridgemont High\u2019 (1982)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fast Times at Ridgemont High Official Trailer #1 - Eric Stoltz Movie (1982) HD\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vzva_I8WPAg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Reinhold also had a leading role in <em>Fast Times at Ridgemont High<\/em>, one of the most influential teen comedies of the decade. Screenwriter <strong>Cameron Crowe<\/strong> went undercover at a real high school for a year before writing a book and a screenplay about his experiences. That gave the film a greater authenticity than similarly themed movies from that era. There are also some serious subplots, including an unwanted pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/forest-whitaker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Forest Whitaker<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/nicolas-cage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Nicolas Cage<\/strong><\/a> had minor parts on the way to greater stardom, while <strong>Phoebe Cates<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/jennifer-jason-leigh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Jennifer Jason Leigh<\/strong><\/a> had breakout performances. But the actor who steals this film is <strong>Sean Penn<\/strong> with his unforgettable stoner surfer character, Jeff Spicoli. That character is so different from Penn\u2019s subsequent parts that it\u2019s hard to believe he was once so effortlessly funny.<\/p>\n<p><em>Fast Times at Ridgemont High<\/em> is available for rent or purchase on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/video\/detail\/B00D5UK9F8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__thumbnail related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/the-best-movie-of-every-year-of-the-80s\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/et-1982.jpg?crop=0px%2C8px%2C1920px%2C1085px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=70&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 200px\" alt=\"Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton in E.T.\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" data-fallback-img=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/et-1982.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__title-link related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/the-best-movie-of-every-year-of-the-80s\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">The Best Movie of Every Year of the &#8217;80s<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tThe \u201980s were a great decade for film, and many of its movies remain popular four decades later. In many ways, the \u201980s paved the way for Hollywood\u2019s turn towards blockbusters, but there were still serious films that could become breakout hits. Watch With Us has selected our picks for the best movies of every [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>2. \u2018The Blues Brothers\u2019 (1980)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Blues Brothers Official Trailer #1 - Dan Aykroyd Movie (1980) HD\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2HCR4c1zPyk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>The Blues Brothers<\/em> just might be the greatest<em> Saturday Night Live<\/em> spinoff film. Original <em>SNL<\/em> cast members <strong>John Belushi<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/dan-aykroyd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Dan Aykroyd<\/strong><\/a> reprised their roles as \u201cJoliet\u201d Jake and Elwood Blues, a pair of blues musicians and small-time criminals. But after Jake is released from a stint in prison, the Blues brothers experience a religious epiphany that inspires them to come up with the money to save the orphanage where they grew up.<\/p>\n<p>Music icons <strong>James Brown<\/strong>, <strong>Cab Calloway<\/strong>, <strong>Ray Charles<\/strong> and<strong> Aretha Franklin<\/strong> lend their vocals to the songs while taking on minor roles in the film. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/carrie-fisher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Carrie Fisher<\/strong><\/a> also has a small part as a woman who is obsessed with murdering Jake. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film is that the car chases and vehicular action still look great decades later. Let\u2019s just pretend that the 1998 sequel, <em>Blues Brothers 2000<\/em>, never happened.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Blues Brothers<\/em> is streaming on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/video\/detail\/B00D5UG34O\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>1. \u2018A Fish Called Wanda\u2019 (1988)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Fish Called Wanda (1988) | Official Trailer | MGM Studios\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0WTwVpEEMps?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"news-block\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form  \">\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__success\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<h3>Thank You!<\/h3>\n<p>You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>John Cleese<\/strong> wrote and starred in <em>A Fish Called Wanda<\/em>, one of the wildest heist comedies ever made. Cleese plays Archie Leach, a barrister (lawyer) who is representing a jewel thief, George Thomason (<strong>Tom Georgeson<\/strong>). Archie has no idea what he\u2019s walked into, but George\u2019s former crew, Wanda Gershwitz (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/jamie-lee-curtis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Jamie Lee Curtis<\/strong><\/a>) and Otto West (<strong>Kevin Kline<\/strong>), betrayed their ex-teammate. And they want to use Archie to make George reveal the location of the diamonds they stole.<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__thumbnail related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/the-best-movie-of-every-year-of-the-90s\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"00\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fight-club-pitt-norton.jpg?crop=0px%2C9px%2C1920px%2C1086px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=55&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 200px\" alt=\"Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in Fight Club\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" data-fallback-img=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fight-club-pitt-norton.jpg?quality=74&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__title-link related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/the-best-movie-of-every-year-of-the-90s\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"00\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">The Best Movie of Every Year of the &#8217;90s<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tHollywood may have embraced blockbusters in the \u201990s, but it\u2019s an underrated decade when it comes to movies. Some of the films made during the 1990s can easily be counted among the best movies ever made. However, the Watch With Us team feels that the Oscars only named the correct Best Picture winners three times [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wanda doesn\u2019t have to work very hard to seduce Archie, but it makes Otto so insanely jealous that he jeopardizes both the con and their freedom when he tries to sabotage their affair. This is an all-time classic, and few comedy films have been able to match its critical acclaim or its box office success.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Fish Called Wanda<\/em> is streaming on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/video\/detail\/B00BZHL70O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/5-greatest-r-rated-1980s-comedy-movies-ranked-a-fish-called-wanda-and-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201980s were ruled by comedy movies that weren\u2019t afraid to go for an R-rating and everything that entailed. By comparison, a lot of modern comedies in theaters seem toothless compared to the films from four decades ago. There were so many to choose from that the Watch With Us team had a hard time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-224751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}