A smoking pair of police boots on the side of a highway is never a good sign. It usually indicates that the officer has just been turned to dust by a radioactive alien hidden in a suspect’s trunk.
One might assume that a rapidly growing economy would cause an increase in soulless money-grab movies, or the HIV/AIDS epidemic would lead to quiet, gray films about bleak current events. Whether it was cocaine or plain ridiculousness, the 1980s American cinema was defined by loud, eccentric comedies. In a beautiful reflection of the time and place, filmmakers were able to use the United States as a playground for their wacky characters to frolic in.
The aforementioned radioactive alien is a plot driving MacGuffin in Alex Cox’s low-budget sci-fi flick “Repo Man,” certainly one of the more unusual social commentary films of the ‘80s. As Reagan’s Economic Tax Recovery Act of 1981 led to a tremendous increase in consumer spending, satires on modern capitalism came to be. With canned drinks labeled “drink,” and tins of food labeled “food,” “Repo Man” playfully mocks the hollow branding of products, turning commercialism into a running joke.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne also seemed to be inspired by the new age of Reagan’s economy. Writing, directing, and starring in dystopian-suburbia comedy “True Stories” wasn’t enough for Byrne, as the band went on to produce a dual album with the same title. Byrne’s wandering narrator in the film explores the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, as they prepare for the sesquicentennial founding celebration. Virgil is amidst rapid commercial growth which creates new jobs, houses, and living experiences for the oddball cast of characters. With its offbeat tone and dialogue, the film is essentially a story about the horrors of industrialism told through childlike, vaguely neurodivergent eyes.
Tim Burton’s 1985 character Pee Wee Herman is a lighter tale, starting a journey across the country to recover his red bicycle. On the surface, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” presents itself as a fun family movie with noticeably creative set design, but armed with inspiration from classic Italian films such as “Bicycle Thieves” and “8½,” Burton was attempting something beyond the norm. In an era where it was popular to show children transitioning to teens and teens transitioning into adults, Pee Wee Herman gives us an unrelenting exhibition of childish determination. Burton shows his signature surrealism through disturbing dream sequences and undead truck drivers. What the hell kind of family movie is this?
Burton continued down the surrealist path in the late 1980s with the 1988 theatrical release of “Beetlejuice.” After killing off the protagonists in the first act, the film follows their experiences in the afterlife and attempts to scare off the new owners of their house. Life after death is meant to be humorous, casual; as the rules of death are broken by the film. Afterlife corpses are shown as visual punchlines to their outrageous deaths, and the semi-titular Betelgeuse is thrilled that he died (for now he can hilariously torment the living and dead alike). Comedy reached its darkest a year later in Michael Lehrmann’s “Heathers,” a dark comedy about teenage suicide—which doesn’t sound quite right when written out. In “Heathers,” 17-year-old Veronica meets the sociopathic J.D. who encourages her to kill (and stage the suicides of) popular kids at school. The film rightfully does not poke fun at suicide itself, but rather at those who react poorly or insensitively to it. Monumental increases in murders and HIV/AIDS related deaths didn’t tamper the spirits of comedies, as the more Americans felt doomed, the more bizarre movies got in the theaters.
In this time of social boom and underlying anxieties, absurdist comedy was used as a lens for audiences to view the surreal world around them. American cinema in the 1970s was dominated by bleak screenplays from Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, and imitators alike. This modern era of films stands as a testament to the comedy genre, with directors finding ways to make their audience (uncomfortably) laugh at the darkest of situations. Despite the rise of blockbusters and industry economic booms, there was no fear of American cinema losing its heart and soul. While we will never see something like this period again, it’s hard not to be romantic about this vibrant time for Hollywood.
