Fun 80s Movies to Watch with Your Family

Annie

Movie · 1982

“A red-headed orphan trades Miss Hannigan’s gin-soaked basement for a billionaire’s mansion, singing her way through the Great Depression.”

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Movie · 1982

“Spielberg's iconic alien-friendship tale that your parents loved—but will your kids sit through two hours of 1982 pacing?”

Mr. Mom

Movie · 1983

“Michael Keaton fumbles housework in this 1983 gender-swap comedy that's more dated than charming—strip clubs and all.”

WarGames

Movie · 1983

“The OG hacker movie where a kid nearly starts WWIII by teaching a computer that the only winning move is not to play—if your kid can sit through 1983 pacing.”

Footloose

Movie · 1984

“An 80s classic where Kevin Bacon fights a town's anti-dancing ordinance with angry warehouse gymnastics and a killer soundtrack.”

Ghostbusters

Movie · 1984

“Three fired scientists start a ghost-hunting startup in NYC and accidentally become the city’s only hope against a Sumerian god.”

The NeverEnding Story

Movie · 1984

“A beloved '80s fantasy that celebrates books and imagination—but prepare for genuine emotional trauma and a pace that tests modern attention spans.”

Splash

Movie · 1984

“Tom Hanks falls for a mermaid in this '80s rom-com that's more dated than The Little Mermaid's VHS tape.”

Teen Wolf

Movie · 1985

“A shy teen turns into a werewolf and becomes a basketball star—but this 1985 relic is more nostalgia trip than must-watch.”

The Karate Kid

Movie · 1984

“Wax on, wax off—the original underdog karate story that launched a thousand crane kicks and taught kids that the best revenge is a well-executed tournament win.”

The Karate Kid Part II

Movie · 1986

“Mr. Miyagi takes Daniel to Okinawa for family drama and another predictable showdown—but this time with higher stakes and lower ratings.”

The Muppets Take Manhattan

Movie · 1984

“The Muppets struggle to make it on Broadway, Kermit gets amnesia and joins an ad agency, and the Muppet Babies make their first-ever appearance.”

Back to the Future

Movie · 1985

“Teen accidentally time-travels to 1955, must ensure his parents fall in love while dodging his mom's crush on him. It's... complicated.”

Better Off Dead...

Movie · 1985

“80s cult comedy where teen heartbreak leads to suicide attempts played for laughs—it's as awkward as it sounds, and hasn't aged well.”

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Movie · 1985

“1980s hairspray, neon spandex, and Sarah Jessica Parker sneaking out to audition for a cheesy local dance show.”

The Goonies

Movie · 1985

“The OG kids' treasure hunt that Gen X parents remember fondly but is way scarier and cruder than they recall.”

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Movie · 1985

“Tim Burton's surreal debut is wildly imaginative but genuinely weird—think Large Marge nightmares and man-child energy on a cross-country bike quest.”

An American Tail

Movie · 1986

“A mouse immigrant's tearjerker journey through 1880s America—beautiful in theory, but slow and scary enough to test modern kids' patience.”

Howard the Duck

Movie · 1986

“A cigar-chomping alien duck gets stranded in Cleveland, flirts with Lea Thompson, and fights a stop-motion space demon in a legendary 1986 flop.”

The Boy Who Could Fly

Movie · 1986

“A 1986 fantasy-drama about grief, autism, and maybe-actually-flying that's sweet but honestly pretty hard for modern kids to sit through.”

Flight of the Navigator

Movie · 1986

“80s Disney time-travel adventure that's sweet in theory but moves at the speed of a dial-up modem for today's kids.”

Short Circuit

Movie · 1986

“A lightning-zapped military robot discovers he's alive and really, really doesn't want to be disassembled—cute premise, very 1980s execution.”

Space Camp

Movie · 1986

“Five kids and an astronaut accidentally launch the shuttle into orbit—it is the ultimate 80s 'accidental adventure' that still fuels NASA dreams.”

Top Gun

Movie · 1986

“80s fighter pilot machismo meets tragic bromance—iconic aerial shots can't save the dated gender politics and thin plot.”

Ernest Goes to Camp

Movie · 1987

“Jim Varney's goofy handyman saves a summer camp and juvenile delinquents in this 1987 comedy that's aged about as well as a Trapper Keeper.”

Innerspace

Movie · 1987

“Honey, I Shrunk the Test Pilot—and injected him into Martin Short. Peak 80s sci-fi slapstick that your kids will tolerate if you're really nostalgic.”

Overboard

Movie · 1987

“A disgruntled carpenter convinces an amnesiac heiress she's his wife, leading to a chaotic 80s comedy that's equal parts sweet and legally questionable.”

Harry and the Hendersons

Movie · 1987

“A suburban family accidentally adopts Bigfoot in this 1987 creature-comedy that's sweeter than it is funny, and way more dated than you remember.”

Hello Again

Movie · 1987

“Shelley Long chokes on a chicken ball and comes back from the dead only to find her suburban life has moved on without her.”

Mannequin

Movie · 1987

“An unemployed artist falls for a department store mannequin that comes to life thanks to an ancient Egyptian spell and a very catchy Starship power ballad.”

The Princess Bride

Movie · 1987

“The ultimate quotable fairy tale—true love, sword fights, and ROUSes—that's somehow both genuinely romantic and hilariously self-aware.”

Three Men and a Baby

Movie · 1987

“Three 80s bachelors try to change diapers while accidentally tripping over a violent heroin smuggling ring.”

Big

Movie · 1988

“A 13-year-old wishes to be 'big' and wakes up as Tom Hanks, discovering that adulthood is mostly just boring meetings and significantly less fun than playing with toys.”

Big Business

Movie · 1988

“Two sets of switched-at-birth twins collide in this 1980s comedy that's safe but painfully dated—like watching paint dry in shoulder pads.”

Funny Farm

Movie · 1988

“Chevy Chase's 1988 city-to-country comedy that's more 'mildly amusing for nostalgic parents' than 'kids will actually want to watch this.'”

The Great Outdoors

Movie · 1988

“John Candy's 1988 family-vacation comedy: wholesome premise, but the execution is as dated as a wood-paneled station wagon.”

Twins

Movie · 1988

“Schwarzenegger and DeVito are genetic experiment twins in this 1988 comedy that's more dated than delightful.”

Vice Versa

Movie · 1988

“A forgettable 1988 body-swap comedy that's aged about as well as that 'mysterious oriental skull' premise suggests.”

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Movie · 1989

“Two lovable idiots time-travel through history in a phone booth—peak 80s absurdity that's aged like milk left in the sun.”

Chances Are

Movie · 1989

“A 1989 rom-com where a reincarnated man falls for his own daughter. Yes, really. It's as uncomfortable as it sounds.”

Field of Dreams

Movie · 1989

“Farmer hears voices, builds baseball field in corn, ghosts show up—it's either magical or he needs a therapist.”

Honey I Shrunk The Kids

Movie · 1989

“Kids get accidentally shrunk to ant-size and must survive the backyard jungle while Dad frantically searches—'80s effects included.”

Look Who's Talking

Movie · 1989

“Bruce Willis voices a newborn who has a front-row seat to his mom’s dating life and John Travolta’s peak 1980s charm.”

Troop Beverly Hills

Movie · 1989

“A 1989 fish-out-of-water comedy that's more nostalgia bait for Gen X parents than actual entertainment for modern kids.”

Uncle Buck

Movie · 1989

“John Candy's lovable slob becomes emergency babysitter in this 1989 comedy that's more 'remember the 80s?' than must-watch.”

The Wizard

Movie · 1989

“A 90-minute Nintendo commercial disguised as a road trip movie, featuring the world's most famous Power Glove and a very young Fred Savage.”

Cocoon

Movie · 1985

“Seniors discover alien fountain-of-youth pods in a pool, but this 1985 sci-fi moves slower than a retirement home bingo night.”

Weird Science

Movie · 1985

“Two nerds create their dream woman via computer—a 1985 teen fantasy that's aged about as well as a floppy disk.”

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Movie · 1986

“The '80s teen who made ditching school look like performance art—but the charm hasn't aged as well as the Ferrari.”

Adventures in Babysitting

Movie · 1987

“A suburban babysitter’s night turns into a gritty Chicago odyssey involving car thieves, a blues club standoff, and a very young Thor enthusiast.”

Can't Buy Me Love

Movie · 1987

“A quintessential 80s teen flick about buying popularity that works better as a time capsule than a blueprint for modern dating.”

Dirty Dancing

Movie · 1987

“A 17-year-old in the 1963 Catskills learns the mambo, falls for the resort dance instructor, and stumbles straight into adult social politics.”

Like Father Like Son

Movie · 1987

“Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron swap identities via a mysterious brain serum, proving that 1980s high school was mostly about arcade games and very high-waisted jeans.”

For Keeps

Movie · 1988

“Darcy and Stan trade their college tuition for diapers and a cramped apartment in this 1988 look at what happens when 'happily ever after' starts in high school.”

License to Drive

Movie · 1988

“A teenager flunks his driver's exam but steals his grandfather's mint-condition Cadillac to impress a girl, sparking a night of peak 80s vehicular chaos.”

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Movie · 1988

“Leslie Nielsen plays the world's most oblivious detective in a movie where the background gags are just as funny as the plot to kill the Queen.”

Dream a Little Dream

Movie · 1989

“A surreal 80s fever dream where an old man's consciousness hijacks Corey Feldman's body to the tune of a synth-heavy soundtrack.”

Teen Witch

Movie · 1989

“A high schooler discovers she's a literal witch but mostly uses her powers to land the quarterback and survive the most awkward rap battle in cinematic history.”