Under the Radar Teen Comedies of the 80's

[Flick James]

Inspired by Swamp Thing's thread about teen sex comedies.

It got me to thinking about a number of 80's teen comedies in general that were "under the radar." We all know about the mainstream John Hughes movies, and some others that were mainstream teen comedies during the Golden Age of teen movies, the 80's. But what about the lesser-known ones. Some of them did horribly in the theatre, but managed to get some recognition in the still burdgeoning home video market at that time. Just One of the Guys comes to mind. Some of them are straight up b-movies that are great guilty pleasures, while others are genuinely decent movies. Here's a list of some:

Just One of the Guys (1985): mentioned above. This goofy comedy about a girl who poses as a boy in high school in order to get her dream journalist intern job seems to be one of those movies that people love as a guilty pleasure.

Plain Clothes (1988): Wow. This movie is bad. Arliss Howard (yep, Cowboy from Full Metal Jacket) is an undecover cop who poses as a HS student. This movie really required some substantial suspension of disbelief. Arliss Howard looks every bit a 30-year-old, but somehow manages to pass himself as a high school student. Hello.

3 O'Clock High (1987): I love this movie. Jerry (Casey Siemaszko) is the typical awkward high school student who has a run-in with the new ultra tough guy (Richard Tyson) with a legendary bad reputation and temper to boot, and spends the entire day trying to avoid the scheduled showdown after school. This movie is genuinely hilarious and pretty well written. I never even heard of it until it made it's way to cable.

Heaven Help Us (1985): Coming of age story set in an early 60's New York area Catholic school. Pretty decent movie starring Andrew McCarthy (who I usually despise) and Kevin Dillon, and dealing with the typical Catholic school drama, including an abusive Jesuit teacher. Not quite a comedy, not quite a drama. Pretty decent film.

Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (1987): John Cryer, dumped at a boarding school by his senator father, is called back home, mostly to help the family keep up political appearances it turns out. He genuinely craves closeness with his distant parents, and has an obsession with horror b-movies. He meets a girl who shares his interests, but who also doesn't fit in with the lifestyle his parents want for him, and the expected drama ensues. This is not a good movie, per se, but it does manage to have some heart. This movie is one of those movies that carried the "Alan Smithee" moniker as director. If you're not familiar what Alan Smithee means, look it up.

Those are a few of the forgotten or lesser-known 80's teen movies. I'm sure you all can come up with loads more.

[Jack]

I've always been a (huge) fan of Lori Loughlin, and some of her movies from the '80s are pretty good. 

The Night Before (1988) is a favorite, starring a young Keanu Reeves.  Lori is the popular girl and she loses a bet and has to go to the prom with Keanu.  After a series of complications she ends up getting sold into prostitution, and Keanu gets into one misadventure after another trying to track her down and rescue her. 

Secret Admirer (1985) is kind of good too.  Lori is in love with C. Thomas Howell, but he's in love with some ditzy popular girl.  Hard to believe because not one guy in a hundred would choose the other girl over Lori     It's full of the usual '80s charm.

[crackers]

3 O'Clock High (1987): I love this movie. Jerry (Casey Siemaszko) is the typical awkward high school student who has a run-in with the new ultra tough guy (Richard Tyson) with a legendary bad reputation and temper to boot, and spends the entire day trying to avoid the scheduled showdown after school. This movie is genuinely hilarious and pretty well written. I never even heard of it until it made it's way to cable.

I love this movie

[Psycho Circus]

3 O'Clock High (1987): I love this movie. Jerry (Casey Siemaszko) is the typical awkward high school student who has a run-in with the new ultra tough guy (Richard Tyson) with a legendary bad reputation and temper to boot, and spends the entire day trying to avoid the scheduled showdown after school. This movie is genuinely hilarious and pretty well written. I never even heard of it until it made it's way to cable.

I love this movie

Me too, I've actually just finished watching it. 

[lester1/2jr]

[66Crush]

"Loose Screws" (1985)- T&A, the cast plays it's own theme song, bad asian stereotype, this flick has it all.

[Flick James]

Better Off Dead - I can't believe I didn't include this one in the original post. This was definately a sleeper that became a cult favorite in the home video and cable markets.

What's interesting about this film is that it has the heart of movies like Repo Man, yet manages to have some 80's teen flick cliches thrown in. I love Better Off Dead. It's got one aspect that always bothers me, however. It happens once the french foreign exchange student starts speaking and we hear her horrible caricature accent. She went from adorable to excruciatingly annoying in 5 seconds. But the movie still rocks.

[Psycho Circus]

Better Off Dead - I can't believe I didn't include this one in the original post. This was definately a sleeper that became a cult favorite in the home video and cable markets.

What's interesting about this film is that it has the heart of movies like Repo Man, yet manages to have some 80's teen flick cliches thrown in. I love Better Off Dead. It's got one aspect that always bothers me, however. It happens once the french foreign exchange student starts speaking and we hear her horrible caricature accent. She went from adorable to excruciatingly annoying in 5 seconds. But the movie still rocks.

I thought she sounded cute still. It's the only movie I really liked (loved) Diane Franklin in. Better Off Dead shot straight into my top 5-6 films of all time once I had finally seen it. It just has an equal amount of intelligence and weirdness that raises it above the other 80s teen flicks in terms of comedy. I kind of get sad whenever I watch it now, because I was going through a rocky romantic period at the time of my first viewing and I don't want the film to end once 97mins approaches.

[Flick James]

Better Off Dead - I can't believe I didn't include this one in the original post. This was definately a sleeper that became a cult favorite in the home video and cable markets.

What's interesting about this film is that it has the heart of movies like Repo Man, yet manages to have some 80's teen flick cliches thrown in. I love Better Off Dead. It's got one aspect that always bothers me, however. It happens once the french foreign exchange student starts speaking and we hear her horrible caricature accent. She went from adorable to excruciatingly annoying in 5 seconds. But the movie still rocks.

I thought she sounded cute still. It's the only movie I really liked (loved) Diane Franklin in. Better Off Dead shot straight into my top 5-6 films of all time once I had finally seen it. It just has an equal amount of intelligence and weirdness that raises it above the other 80s teen flicks in terms of comedy. I kind of get sad whenever I watch it now, because I was going through a rocky romantic period at the time of my first viewing and I don't want the film to end once 97mins approaches.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the movie. We just differ on the character. I will always have soft spot for Better Off Dead. We both have a sentimental attachment, it seems, although your may be a touch stronger.

 

[Derf]

If you're going to list Better Off Dead (and it definitely should be listed--I love that movie  ), you might also include One Crazy Summer, which has much the same spirit. It may not be quite as much fun, but it's hard not to like a movie that manages to set up a Godzilla scene, complete with a miniature city to destroy. And evil fuzzy bunnies.

[Flick James]

If you're going to list Better Off Dead (and it definitely should be listed--I love that movie  ), you might also include One Crazy Summer, which has much the same spirit. It may not be quite as much fun, but it's hard not to like a movie that manages to set up a Godzilla scene, complete with a miniature city to destroy. And evil fuzzy bunnies.

No problem with props to One Crazy Summer. I prefer Better Off Dead, but One Crazy Summer is a better guilty-pleasure movie.

[claws]

One More Saturday Night (1986) - I discovered this movie at one of my video rental places back in the day. It was hidden in the last bottom row on the far right hanging sideways between the rack and the wall in the Comedy Section gathering dust. I guess people were too lazy to kneel all the way down.
The check out clerk told me I was the first to rent the movie. Fun and well made flick as I recall.

Gimme an 'F' (1984) - This one has sort of a reputation and following. Funny movie with a catchy soundtrack. Apparently there was a saucy, more explicit version that never saw the light of day.

[66Crush]

You know what? I overlooked "Better Of Dead" too. I'ts become kind of a cult classic now, so I forgot that it did kind of fly under the radar when it was first released. I think it was one of the very best comedies of the 80's. It was certainly one of the most original. I think it was ahead of it's time. If it had been released right after something like "Napolean Dynamite" or "Scott Pilgrim" it would have been better recieved. In 1985 people may have found it a bit too quirky. But today it would fit right in.

[HappyGilmore]

Summer School (1986 or so) comes to mind. Mark Harmon takes a job as a high school gym teacher so he could have summers off. Lo and behold, through circumstance, he is forced to teach the Remedial English summer course for failing students.

He doesnt really care at first, attempts to quit, but pulls through. Most of the kids fail (except the guy who took the bathroom pass and disappeared for six weeks), however, it's a success as despite failing grades, each students marks went up from low 20s to mid 60s.

[HarlotBug3]

Is "Heathers" too above ground?

It's very funny by itself, but to watch it and imagine it being released ten years later is a trip.