10 Underrated American Movie Masterpieces of The 1980s

I don't know if Sex Lies & Videotape is underrated. It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and was a very successful independent film.

Body Double sure is fun.

[quote] 9. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

I'd take this out and replace it with "September" or "Hannah and Her Sisters".

1. Stranger Than Paradise (1984) (was and remains admired) 2. Body Double (1984) (hated by some, loved by some - nothing has changed) 3. After Hours (1985) (much liked in its day - largely forgotten today) 4. Miracle Mile (1988) (developed immediate cult following which is still has) 5. Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989) (admired in its day though it still has its admirers it is not held with the same regard) 6. Eureka (1984) (hated in its day but all but die-hard Roeg fans - its reputation has risen over the years) 7. Suburbia (1983) (small cult item in its day - still is nothing more than that) 8. Matewan (1987) (well regarded in its day - still is but much less known) 9. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) (highly regarded in its day and still is) 10. River’s Edge (1986) (highly regarded in its day and has maintained a respectable cult following).

R3 - I don't think a best picture nominee (Hanna and Her Sisters) would be considered underrated.

1. Stranger Than Paradise, After Hours and Miracle Mile are three of my favorite films.

After Hours and The Purple Rose of Cairo(perfect movie.) are two of my favorite films. And I like most of the other films on this list.

Miracle Mile is one of my favorites too.

After Hours is currently on HBO Max.

I love Body Double. I don’t think it got the credit it deserves because the main lead sucks and the movie doesn’t pick up until the murder about halfway through.

Everything from that point on is terrific and Pino Donaggio had a great score.

I would maybe add: Blow Out, Repo Man, Near Dark, UFOria, Blood Simple and Stop Making Sense.

I am so sick of these lists of "underrated" films that turn out to be either popular or critically acclaimed.

There are genuinely underrated films that turn out to be great. (Films like Dance Girl Dance or Make Way for Tomorrow).

But these films never show up on these lists.

I love your list.

Peggy Sue Got Married

and

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Melanie Griffith was outstanding in Body Double, just as good as her performances in Something Wild and Working Girl.

R14 Yeah, and then she flamed out.

Purple Rose of Cairo is an excellent choice, Op. Second post to bring on a happy memory...this and the stagelight cosmetics post.

I was an extra in Repo Man, r11.

Oooh I liked Matewan, but didn't like After Hours at all.

Very cool, R17!

I thought Body Double was low-grade DePalma.

Matewan is very well intentioned and has some good sections, but the movie becomes plodding after a while as Sayles can't create compelling dramatic arcs. His next film, Eight Men Out, is much, much better and does belong on this list.

EUREKA is embarrassing, not the least due to the terrible script and inept acting of Theresa Russell (her courtroom scene is a shit show of bad writing and acting).

I can't imagine what a curmudgeon like Gene Hackman must have been thinking during the shoot.

A guy I knew lent me his video of Miracle Mile saying it was surprisingly good. This was in the mid-90s. I’ve never met anyone else who has seen it except on DL.

"Liquid Sky" [1982]

Koyaanisqatsi. It had a great soundtrack like Liquid Sky.

Housekeeping!

Stupid list. How old was the person who compiled it?

I love Body Double but I agree it’s low-grade De Palma, he has many other better movies (Dressed To Kill and Blow Out from the same decade, even).

sex, lies, and videotape is a contemporary classic and I’m not aware of its standing being diminished.

Apartment Zero deserves to be on that list if Suburbia does (and Suburbia doesn’t).

I’m guessing a very young person came up with those.

Say Anything should be on that list.

...say Anything is an extremely popular movie and I wouldn’t call it underrated.

Altered States (1980) Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982) Valley Girl (1983) Lost in America (1985) The Sure Thing (1985) True Stories (1986) Talk Radio (1988) Married to the Mob (1988) Eight Men Out (1988) Mystery Train (1989) UHF (1989)

^^^sorry about the formatting

Valley Girl and Married to the Mob are well known and appreciated (at least, I think so). Valley Girl is also popular due to the soundtrack.

Miracle Mile is a great film. Over the years, it's gained a following as said above. The only thing I would change about that film is Mare Winningham's horrible mullet. Apparently she and Anthony Edwards are now a real-life couple. They're terrific together in the movie.

For underrated '80s films, I would say: Making Mr. Right, White of the Eye, The Moderns, Siesta, Love Letters (Jamie Lee Curtis - she's great in it despite the fact that the film has her unnecessarily naked for a number of scenes), and especially Four Friends.

Body Double is and will always be a favorite - low-grade De Palma or not. It's one of the few films that I can watch over and over and never tire of. Dressed to Kill is almost equal IMO, but less binge-worthy.

I like some of the movies you mention (NOT "Matewan"), but wouldn't call any of them a masterpiece. I would call David Mamet's "House of Games" a masterpiece; I think it got solid reviews at the time, as well as a few festival awards, but was more or less underrated.

R33 End Thread. This film is amazing and weirdly forgotten.

R32 I went to the first day screening for Body Double being a big Brian De Palma fan and there were a bunch of bearded lesbians outside the cinema complex protesting.

Needless to say I loved the film - Carrie, Dressed to Kill & Body Double wold make a great triple bill.

Oh yes, The Moderns, r31

Absence of Malice

The only ones I’ve seen are After Hours, Sex/Lies, and Eureka, all of which I saw at the time of their release. All made a strong impression on me, particularly Eureka. I remember After Hours and Sex/Lies getting strong reviews at the time.

Another that I would add to a list of underappreciated movies from the 80’s is Scarface. Critical reaction at the time recoiled at the extreme violence in the movie. For perspective on how things have changed, the violence in Scarface is exceeded by the gore and body count of the average Game of Thrones episodes. The violence is Scarface actually fits perfectly into the garish, but ultimately Shakespearean, tone of the movie. Led by Pacino’s over the top performance, the whole enterprise teeters on the edge of camp, but remains grounded by a smart, quotable script (“Say hello to my little friend” and “Nothing exceeds like excess”) and great performances by the supporting cast.

Scarface is one of the most reissued titles on DVD and Blu-ray. It's hugely popular nowadays thanks to iconography in hip hop.

It was a flop at the time but almost 40 years later it is a classic example of a film gaining more fans over time.

It's very much appreciated.

The King of Comedy. Yes, it’s widely admired, but it wasn’t an Oscar contender and many people wouldn’t even put it in the top tier of Scorsese films. It’s brilliant.

King of Comedy

Dressed to Kill

Blow Up

Body Double

Crimes of Passion

Day of the Dead

Crimes of Passion reminds me of Blue Velvet but I thiknk it's better. Blue Velvet, to me, has always been Lynch's most overrated movie.

I consider Running on Empty to be very underrated. I thought it was one of the most moving films I’ve ever seen.

Kathleen Turner was brilliant in Crimes of Passion. I don't think any other actress could have done that film. Maybe Jennifer Jason Leigh if she had been older at the time, but even JJL wouldn't have had the same kind of theatricality as Turner did. The way she goes from Joanna to China Blue was seamless. Turner and Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar are two of my all-time favourite performances because of that duality.

Turner should have been Oscar-nominated.

STAR 80 is woefully under-appreciated, especially considering the talent involved. That Eric Roberts was not even nominated by the Academy is still one of their biggest oversights.

After Hours is actually overrated. It's a chore to sit through and not a successful comedy.

R46, I agree. I didn't like it at all.

Cherry 2000 another Melanie Griffith film. Griffith was at her best in the '80s. They tried to turn her into a conventional leading lady in the '90s and it didn't work. She was better suited to quirky, offbeat films, which is why her '80s films are still beloved.

The 80's is very underrated in terms of moviemaking. It tends to get dismissed as the era of the blockbuster and Stallone, Cruise type vehicles. But there are some truly great movies that were made, a lot of which never got their due.

You also had Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, Debra Winger, Sissy Spacek, Kathleen Turner, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher, Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver all at the top of their games turning out some stellar work. Far better than these one dimensional waifs being foisted upon the pubic for the last decade.

I think many of the classic movies from the 80s have aged much better than the ones from the 70s. But anyways, Something Wild is truly one of the best screwball comedies ever. It's one of the most enjoybale movies I can think of. It was so good, Madonna tried to recreate it with Who's That Girl (and failed miserably).

I agree about Something Wild. It never gets old. There will always be a Jeff Daniels character out there, miserable with his day job, unhappy with his family, wanting to run into an Audrey to help them escape from their dull life.

The soundtrack is fantastic. I know most consider Silence of the Lambs Jonathan Demme's peak, but, for me, all of his '80s films are my favourites - Melvin and Howard, Stop Making Sense, Something Wild and Married to the Mob. Maybe even Swing Shift (I hope to see the original workprint one day - c'mon, Goldie!).

Though, not gonna lie, I like Who's That Girl? It's fun. Nowhere near as good as Something Wild, of course.

R51, I agree 100%--I think Silence of the Lambs is very overrated. His 80s stuff was the best, Demme had a lot of sensitivity for the average joe. Who's that Girl isn't good, but it's not completely horrible. I don;t think most of Madonna's "horrible" films are that bad--the big exceptions being Shanghai Surprise, Body of Evidence and Swept Away.

Desert Bloom

Star 80

Smooth Talk

Body Double is a sordid mess. Almost ended De Palma's career.

Brother From Another Planet

After Hours and Miracle Mile are two of my favorite 80s films.

I'd also add:

Drugstore Cowboy (WHET Kelly Lynch?)

Ghost Story

Rocket Gibralter (Burt Lancaster's last great performance)

Echo Park

Fandango

Smithereens

Shoot the Moon

1000% agree with Shoot The Moon! Ironic that this is my favorite film, even more than the ones I listed. RIP Alan Parker.

One From the Heart

The Fly and Videodrome are not only my two favorite Conenbergs, but two of my favorite films of the decade.

I'll second True Stories. It's one of those rare films that makes even a confirmed cynic feel uncharacteristically hopeful for humanity and the future. And it's hilarious, too.

Shoot the Moon is a great choice. Very underrated. One of Diane Keaton's best performances. Not a trace of Annie Hall or the lazy acting choices she would rely on later.

R61 My favorite scenes are her in the bathtub, when she is standing at the window talking to her daughter about trying to remain hopeful, and then the hilarious argument in the restaurant towards the end of the film.

Just a great film and BEAUTIFULLY shot... Alan Parker and Adrian Lyne's films have a similar look. Kind of dreamy and hazy..

Does Choose Me hold up?

I liked I've Heard the Mermaids Singing...

oops

Writing Local Hero just because I don't see it in any other comment.

Where are The Blue Lagoon, Paradise, Porky's, 10 to Midnight , Crimes of Passion and Siesta ? These are MASTERPIECE!!!!

None in the OP's list presented dong, so it's MEH from me.

LOCAL HERO is a British film, R66.

Ehh why are films focusing on the lives of lesbians and trans folk always excluded?

Angel Heart and 91/2 Weeks

[quote]Ehh why are films focusing on the lives of lesbians and trans folk always excluded?

Speaking for your dead trans dad, R69, Hideous Fat Division CuntTroll?

We already mentioned Crimes of Passion and Siesta r67! Pay attention!

Angel Heart was OK. Nothing spectacular.

Are there really people who like Scarface? I just went looking for reviews of Alan Hollinghurst's Line of Beauty, where his main character goes on a bad date to see it. But I found some seemingly sane reviewer talking about the movie's "raging homoerotic subtext" (of course he also thought LoB was crap, so what does he know). I thought Tony was into his sister?

R74, there are a ton of people who love it. I don't see what's so great about it. Carlito's Way is much better.

Miracle Mile is one of the rare films that gets modern LA right. Ava Gardner famously said Melbourne, Australia was "the perfect place to make a movie about the end of the world" when shooting On the Beach... Miracle Mile proves there is no better place than Los Angeles.

Miracle Mile has one of the best transitions in tone of any film I've seen. The scene at the diner is absolute perfection. Terrifying but also realistic.

Earth Girls Are Easy

Let me add Another Woman. A very warm film. The tone, the look, the performances. It's a film I can watch over and over. And I liked Gena Rowlands so much as an intellectual/kind of repressed and stuffy woman.

Another vote for Making Mr. Right. The only movie Malkovich was actually endearing in and Ann Magnuson in super cute outfits. All that and...Laurie Metcalf!

Parents.

Pennies from Heaven (1981). I don't even care much for movie musicals, but I love this one.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape did not want for attention or acclaim. It was discussed or referenced for years.

The Color Purple

Body Double was a great movie in some respects (Melanie Griffith was fantastic) but it was ruined by Brian De Palma's chronic need to slice up women.

Lots of good suggestions in these posts that I will seek out. I’ve never heard of Eureka or Miracle Mile. As for lesbians in cinema Desert Hearts from 1985 was THE lesbian movie for many years afterward. It’s been so long since I saw it I don’t remember if it’s any good or not.

Deborah Shelton was the best thing about Body Double. Also memorable as Mandy Winger in Dallas, playing "JR's #1 mistress" as Sue Ellen referred to her. And still looks great today.

I'd say Personal Best (1982) is underrated. Maybe not a "masterpiece," but Mariel and Patrice develop three-dimensional characters out of their roles and Towne captures their athleticism quite well. Kind of shocking that his next directorial effort was the horrendously boring and convoluted Tequila Sunrise.

BLACK WIDOW. She mates and she kills. Your question is "Does she love?" It's impossible to answer that. Unless you live in her world.

"Manhunter" (1986) - I actually prefer it to SOTL.

I was in college in the 80s and got to see many of these at the art cinema downtown in Cincinnati. Such great memories - of these, especially "Stranger Than Paradise", "The Moderns", "Repo Man", "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing" are all great memories. Another great one was the Dutch film "The 4th Man".