1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

    Without singling out any one film to pick on or defend (obviously there are a couple of good ones here) has there ever been a year where Hollywood released such a collection of terrible comedy films?

    Adventures in Babysitting
    Amazon Women on the Moon
    Baby Boom
    Blind Date
    Born in East L.A.
    Broadcast News
    Burglar
    Can't Buy Me Love
    Critical Condition
    Dragnet
    Ernest Goes to Camp
    From the Hip
    Good Morning, Vietnam
    Hello Again
    Hollywood Shuffle
    Ishtar
    Leonard Part 6
    Like Father Like Son
    Maid to Order
    Making Mr. Right
    Mannequin
    O.C. and Stiggs
    Outrageous Fortune
    Overboard
    The Pick-up Artist
    Real Men
    Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
    Roxanne
    The Secret of My Success
    Spaceballs
    Stakeout
    Summer School
    Teen Wolf Too
    Three Men and a Baby
    Throw Momma from the Train
    Who's That Girl




    What was going on? Was it the Russian nuclear panic? Too much cocaine?


    More importantly, given that the 80's comedies leaned heavily PG-13, which of these films would be best for a 2010's, edgier remake?

  • #2
    Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

    I see a ratio of "bad" to "good" comedies here on par with any other year, past or present.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

      Maybe I'm misreading your post, but I can't believe Broadcast News and Good Morning, Vietnam are on the list!

      [edit: Yes, I misread.]

      The Stakeout movies and Overboard are guilty pleasures of mine. What can I say?

      As far as re-make material goes... the only one that really jumps out at me is Outrageous Fortune.
      Last edited by dojo; 02-22-2013, 08:06 AM.
      Doug Johnson
      www.dojowrite.com

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

        I've seen Spaceballs and Ernest Goes to Camp.

        That's it.

        My excuse is that I was born that year.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

          Pretty bad year. But Broadcast News makes up for a lot of them.
          "I need someone who laughs at all my jokes. You know; honest feedback."
          - C. Montgomery Burns

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

            Originally posted by dojo View Post
            Maybe I'm misreading your post, but I can't believe Broadcast News and Good Morning, Vietnam are on the list!
            Yeah, and I liked Spaceballs, Baby Boom and Dragnet.
            "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

            "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

              pretty impossible to say without looking at all the other years...

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                There are obviously some worst comedies ever made on this list, but 1987 has more than a couple of decent ones.

                I think Mannequin is one of the worst movies of all time, but I can't say it's worse than Leonard Part 6 because I couldn't even sit through that. Maid to Order is prety awful, too.

                Ishtar is not that bad when you take away the hype of two major stars, the budget, etc.

                Many made sense and were adequately funny given the context of their time (Baby Boom, Can't Buy Me Love, Secret of My Success, Blind Date, Three Men and a Baby, Revenge of the Nerds 2--although disappointing).

                A lot of women (probably around babysitting age in 1987) still love Adventures in Babysitting today.

                Spaceballs, Hollywood Shuffle, Roxanne, Throw Momma From the Train, Stakeout, and Good Morning, Vietnam if not as funny as they were, at least still have some moments.

                I think a lot of this depends on if you actually were old enough to remember these movies being released. For some reason, a lot of people thought Summer School was absolutely hysterical when it came out. If I remember correctly, it was one of those that wasn't hyped up much and was more of a word of mouth thing that gained more interest once it hit video. Now, a lot of its jokes are pretty dated and cliched.

                As far as a remake, someone should do Dragnet with respect to the character and not make him the butt of some smart ass's jokes.

                At any rate, the worst year for comedies was 1897.
                On Twitter @DeadManSkipping

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                  Originally posted by dojo View Post
                  As far as re-make material goes... the only one that really jumps out at me is Outrageous Fortune.
                  Originally posted by Mr. Earth View Post
                  As far as a remake, someone should do Dragnet with respect to the character and not make him the butt of some smart ass's jokes.

                  Thank you for actually replying to my question.

                  Obviously I'm just trying to have a bit of fun here (although I know how the internet really brings out the argumentative spirit in some).

                  This list I posted is ALL of the comedies in wide release in 1987, with no regard to quality. Certainly not saying Broadcast News or Good Morning Vietnam are bad.

                  Ishtar is one of my personal favorites, and I think that Overboard is one of the best plotted comedies for anyone looking to study the genre.

                  When I mentioned remakes, I was kind of thinking of the difference between a film like Three Men And A Baby and the sequence in The Hangover where the guys were babysitting. Or Summer School vs. Bad Teacher, in terms of tone.

                  Personally, I'd like to see Blind Date redone as an R-rated feature, without all the sitcom tropes.



                  Edit: Duh, I forgot the most obvious one- Adventures In Babysitting vs. The Sitter. AIB is actually a better movie (by a hair) but I love how far comedies have come in terms of pushing absurdity and vulgarity as far as they can go.
                  Last edited by kintnerboy; 02-22-2013, 09:56 AM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                    Yeah, on the surface, Blind Date just seems like such a bland concept, but to update it to a catastrophic online dating experience could work. (And like you said, leave the corny gags back in '87.)
                    Doug Johnson
                    www.dojowrite.com

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                      I love Baby Boom, although if the Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard roles were played by two actors I didn't like so much, I probably would not like the movie nearly as much.

                      And, yeah, Broadcast News is a classic, with 7 Oscar nominations that year.

                      I think Overboard and Roxanne are the only other two movies that I've seen from that entire list.
                      "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                        Originally posted by kintnerboy View Post
                        Thank you for actually replying to my question.

                        Obviously I'm just trying to have a bit of fun here (although I know how the internet really brings out the argumentative spirit in some).

                        This list I posted is ALL of the comedies in wide release in 1987, with no regard to quality. Certainly not saying Broadcast News or Good Morning Vietnam are bad.

                        Ishtar is one of my personal favorites, and I think that Overboard is one of the best plotted comedies for anyone looking to study the genre.

                        When I mentioned remakes, I was kind of thinking of the difference between a film like Three Men And A Baby and the sequence in The Hangover where the guys were babysitting. Or Summer School vs. Bad Teacher, in terms of tone.

                        Personally, I'd like to see Blind Date redone as an R-rated feature, without all the sitcom tropes.
                        What's funny about this list is how many of these movies either had a sequel, were already a remake, or were kind of already remade recently with a twist (i.e. Adventures in Baby Sitting = The Sitter; Can't Buy Me Love; Like Father Like Son)
                        On Twitter @DeadManSkipping

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                          I think Can't Buy Me Love had a lot of heart. It wasn't perfect (the male lead character was made quite unsympathetic), but it definitely spoke to me, and I think it touched on a dream that many non-GQ teens have during their high-school years -- though one which we hope can be realized in a less... mercantile way.

                          Would I want it remade? Maybe.

                          Would I want it remade to be "edgier" (which I assume means, more crass and vulgar)? Good god, no.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                            Originally posted by kintnerboy View Post
                            how far comedies have come in terms of pushing absurdity and vulgarity as far as they can go.
                            This reminds me why I never, ever go to see comedies in the theaters any more, and even avoid them when they're on TV.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: 1987- Worst Year For Comedies?

                              Originally posted by karsten View Post
                              This reminds me why I never, ever go to see comedies in the theaters any more, and even avoid them when they're on TV.
                              Well, I'm certainly not advocating vulgarity as a requirement for being funny.

                              My favorite types of comedies (and what I wish I could write) are pretty wholesome. Stuff like Aurthur and What About Bob and City Slickers.

                              But my point was that it's nice now to have a choice. Not only are R rated comedies not frowned upon (like they were in the 80's), they're actually more financially successful lately.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X