Cruising the streets of the city on a warm day, stopping to see one of the seven wonders of the world, or spending a week with close friends may be the ideal way to spend the summer away. Most of the protagonists in movies would likely purchase a plane ticket to land at their desired destination, others vowed to pack their bags into a car and head on onto the road.
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Even if everything is packed, and the outline for the day’s adventures is set, road trips can still have their set of surprises. Luckily the protagonists in the 80s movies didn’t live through thesame nightmares that Cheryl Strayed inThe Wild(2014) and Aaron Ralston in127 Hours(2010) did.
National Lampoon’s Vacation(1983) – Rated R
Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) was on a mission to take his family to Wally World Amusement in California by driving across the country in a 1989 Ford station wagon from Illinois. Clark’s wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and their children, Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron), insisted on flying there. Clark convinced them that the best way to travel is by car as a chance to be together as a family.
A wrong turn on the highway, a family visit in Kansas, and losing a card in Colorado might have made the Griswolds take a detour from their main route. However, this gave them a chance to view some iconic landmarks. AlthoughNational Lampoon’s Vacation(1983)packs many comedic moments, it might not be family-friendly for all audiences. The movie is available on HBO Max.
National Lampoon’s European Vacation(1985) – Rated PG-13
The Griswold family went international after their vacation in Wally World. As answering the final question on a game show, the Griswold family won an all-paid expenses trip across Europe. After arriving in London, they rented a car and traveled across Paris, Germany, and Rome while learning about the people and arts of each country.
The Griswold’s road trip through Europe wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t get trapped on the roundabout in England, mistake strangers in Germany as their relatives, and have thieves steal their videotapes in France.National Lampoon’s European Vacationis currently available on HBO Max.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure(1985) – Rated PG
What motivates people to travel? Sometimes it’s the desire to visit new locations or visit a distant friend, other times it’s simply to retrieve a prized possession. For Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), his motivation was to reclaim his red bike. Pee-Wee assumed it was his neighbor and enemy Francis Buxton (Mark Holton), but Francis claimed he didn’t know what happened to the bike.
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After Pee-Wee visited a fortune-teller who believed that the bike was in The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, Pee-Wee departs for his recovery mission. Pee-Wee’s personality and behavior as the boy who never grew up got him into some trouble with gangs throughout the film.Pee-wee’s Big Adventure(1985)is available on YouTube.
Fandango(1985) – Rated PG
Gardner Barnes (Kevin Costner), Kenneth Waggener (Sam Robards), Phil Hicks (Judd Nelson), Lester (Brian Cesak), and Dorman (Chuck Bush) were the five University of Texas graduates. They didn’t have any clue as to what they wanted to do after graduation. With no plan for the future and no real plan for the road trip, the five of them drive down to the Rio Grande which lies on the border of Mexico and the United States.
Fandango(1985) celebrated the carefree moments of being young with nothing to lose. At the beginning of the film, one of the definitions of the word “fandango"defined it as a “foolish act.” The five friends' uncalculated ideas and mishaps could be considered foolish, but their ideas also tie in worthy life lessons.Fandangois available on YouTube.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off(1986) – Rated PG-13
Sometimes a road trip doesn’t mean long distances, sometimes it could mean taking a day to spend in a nearby city. At least that’s what Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) did inFerris Bueller’s Day Off(1986). Rather than taking a European socialism exam on the last day before Spring Break during his senior year, Ferris decided to take a “sick day” from school. He convinced his friends Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) to join him on this day, as Ferris borrowed his father’s Ferrari and drove through the streets of Chicago.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,“Ferris Bueller’s Day Offmight be the most referenced line to dateand was the quote the Ferris lived by.Ferris Bueller’s Day Offrelied on situational irony, and juvenile humor tactics as Ferris and his friends tried to outsmart the parents, the Dean of Students, and anyone else who would expose them for not being sick at all.Ferris Bueller’s Day Offis available on Amazon Prime Video.
Crocodile Dundee(1986) – Rated PG-13
Mick “Crocodile” Dundee (Paul Hogan) lived his entire life in Australia. He knew the landscape, animal behavior, and the citizens that lived there. When saving a reporter, Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) from a crocodile attack in Australia, she invited him to travel with her to New York. This way she would be able to continue to write her article about the Australian hunter.
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Mick showed a different perspective on America, as New York City became completely new territory for him.Crocodile Dundee(1986) includes a romantic plot. Miscommunications and culture shocks account for a majority of the film’s comedic elements.Crocodile Dundeeis available on the Roku Channel.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles(1987) – Rated R
Only days away from Thanksgiving, all Neal Page (Steve Martin) wanted was to go home to his family in Chicago. Because of an oncoming snowstorm, Neal’s flight from New York lands in Kansas. Along the way, he bumps into a bubbly salesman named Del Griffith (John Candy). After being acquainted with him on the flight, they took different modes of transportation together from Kansas to make it to Chicago.
Any movie withMartinlisted in the starring role with likely be a heartwarming family filmor a comedy that viewers will grab their sides from laughing too hard.Planes, Trains & Automobiles(1987) happened to be the latter, as each of Neal’s plans seemed to be a bust, and both he and Neal encountered unplanned setbacks.Planes, Trains & Automobilesis available on the Roku Channel.
Coming to America(1988) – Rated R
Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) lived in his family kingdom in Zamunda in Africa. He was next in line to the throne, all he needed to do was marry. However, Prince Akeem desired to marry a woman that fell in love with him and respected him, and not just respected him for his social status and wealth.
Although he took a flight to New York City to find his true love, Prince Akeem did travel the streets of New York to understand the culture of America. He blended in with the residents in Queens by living on the poor side of the city, trading in his elegant attire for street clothes, and looking to work a minimum wage job.Coming to America(1988) is available on Hulu, andafter 33 years, the movie got a sequel titledComing to America 2(2021) available on Amazon Prime Video.
