For this week's Ranked!, we compiled the twenty-five greatest movies from twenty-five years ago, 1987. Tell us what you think when you get down to #1. And let us know if you would've ordered them differently.
Here are numbers 21-25:
25. Can't Buy Me Love
In the '80s, movies weren't as divided by gender lines as they are today. There weren't "guy movies" or "girl movies," there were just "teen movies." Can't Buy Me Love is a classic example. It's got a love story at the center, but wrapped up in enough nerdy angst and fart jokes to provide something for everyone. Can't Buy Me Love was one of those staples of cable. It seemed like there wasn't a moment when it wasn't on. Which is why we watched it so much and why we loved it.--Daddy Geek Boy
24. Moonstruck
During a magical three-year stretch in the '80s, Nicholas Cage was one of the greatest actors on the planet. During that period, he starred in Peggy Sue Got Married, Vampire's Kiss, Raising Arizona, and Moonstruck. This is one of the few romantic comedies that doesn't insult your intelligence and was awarded with three Academy awards from six nominations. I remember seeing the movie way back when and hearing Cher say, "Ma, I love him awful" and thinking that was about the most romantic thing I'd ever heard.--Chris
23. Overboard
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were golden in this cult classic. Everyone loves Overboard, and for good reason. When Russell's character, Dean Proffitt, sees an opportunity to get revenge on rich bitch Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) after treating him like crap and leaving him unpaid and pissed off, he really gets creative. Dean convinces Joanna that her name is Annie and she is his wife. His motive for doing so is to get her to be a housekeeper and to take care of his 4 out of control sons as payment. My favorite parts definitely include when Annie gets excited over a washing machine (it's the little things), when she finds her old underwear in Dean's truck (she couldn't possibly own anything that nice), and the wardrobe department's stellar job keeping them in jean jackets and plaid shirts. Notable mention: Dean and Annie's matching semi-mullet cuts. I'm pretty sure that what Dean did to Joanna is extremely illegal and would land him in a jail cell had he done this in real life, but I guess that's just the beauty of it.--Air Bear
22. Mannequin
Andrew McCarthy (who will always be known as "Blane" to me) is the poster boy for the '80s. His character, Jonathan Switcher, creates what seems to be the perfect Mannequin which he falls madly in love with. Now, the best part about this movie is its outrageously ridiculous story line. I understand that not many of you would put this on your list of Top Movies from 1987, but it should be. Even if you think the movie is dumb and full of cliches (what cult classic isn't?), put it on your list because of the awesome song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," which was nominated for an Oscar. The song is pure genius and I'm pretty positive that everyone knows the words.But back to the movie: what I love the most is when Jonathan is caught making love to Emmy while she has assumed her mannequin form. Seriously guys, it's hard to make this stuff up. I will say that whenever I think "Egyptian," Kim Cattrall isn't the first person who pops in mind, but hey, no one can say she didn't look smokin' hot.--Air Bear
21. The Running Man
Usually, I am absolutely brutal in my evaluation of a movie adapted from a Stephen King story, and with good reason: most of them are pure crap when compared to the source material. (Don't even get me started on Kubrick's take on The Shining.) This is especially true with the short stories and novellas. My beef is generally that they stray too far from the original story and, for that reason, I should have HATED The Running Man. It is so totally different that it's almost unrecognizable.Part of the reason I didn't hate it was probably that I didn't read the novella first but, even after having read the original story, I totally love the movie. The period from about 1984 to the early '90s was prime time for Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and Ben Richards was another in a series of perfect roles for him in that era. Add to that the mega-cheese factor of the '80s view of a distopian future where television has truly become the opiate of the masses (with Richard Dawson as it's most popular personality no less; Dawson was at the height of his career at the time, too) and the over-the-top camp with which the whole thing was played while, at the same time, taking a poke at television culture and violence in society and there simply isn't anything NOT to like about this movie. So what if the original story was different in this case? Who loves you and who do you love?--Dave
