Some jokes just don't translate to the big screen.
We'd be all in for more big-budget comedies these days. But if movie execs' are looking for examples of why they should steer clear of investing in comedians, this is a pretty good list of them. Comedians can kill onstage and nail it on TV, but sometimes the stars just don't align, and a comedy legend is saddled with a legendary bomb.
Here are some hilariously bad comedies from the eighties you probably forgot existed.
1
Fatso (1980) – Dom DeLuise
No one who didn’t grow up in the eighties has heard of Dom DeLuise and this is a sign of why that is.
2
Hanky Panky (1982) – Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner
They were married in real life during this, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the movie.
3
The Woman in Red (1984) – Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder just couldn’t do it.
4
Haunted Honeymoon (1986) – Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner
A ghost movie that bombed at the box office.
5
Loose Shoes (1980) – Bill Murray
Sketch almost never works in movies, and this was early proof.
6
Club Paradise (1986) – Robin Williams and Rick Moranis
It really should’ve been good with this cast, but is hardly remembered today.
7
Caddyshack II (1988) – Chevy Chase
A textbook example of a movie that didn’t need a sequel.
8
Doctor Detroit (1983) – Dan Aykroyd
A weird product of a weird time.
9
Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989) – Penn & Teller
An annoying movie that effectively killed Penn & Tellers movie career.
10
Modern Problems (1981) – Chevy Chase
One of the first in a long list of flops for Chevy.
11
Under the Rainbow (1981) – Chevy Chase
About the filming of the Wizard of Oz, which unlike this, is a movie people liked.
12
The Toy (1982) – Richard Pryor
A pretty tone-deaf movie about Richard Pryor being “bought” to entertain a kid.
13
Holy Moses! (1980) – Dudley Moore
Basically a bad “Life of Brian” copy.
14
Summer Rental (1985) – John Candy
John Candy came back in ‘88 with The Great Outdoors, another vacation film that’s far better than this.
15
Brewster’s Millions (1985) – Richard Pryor
A Richard Pryor and John Candy bomb, but there was a sequel in 2024.
