Forgotten Sex Comedies of the 1980s. In our previous article on The Best 1980s Sex Comedies, we looked at some of the most popular films of this decade including Porky’s (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Risky Business (1983). You can read that article here.
In this article, we’re going to look at some of the lesser known and forgotten sex comedies of the 1980s that even diehard fans of the subgenre might not know of. And there’s a reason why most of these films have been forgotten over time – they’re not very good films. This was a unique period in cinematic history where teen and adult sex comedies were all the rage and distributors were rushing out films both to the multiplex and to at home viewers on VHS. As a result, for every obscure 80s sex comedy that’s worth checking out like Screwballs (1983) and Hardbodies (1984) there’s a multitude of barely watchable films like Weekend Pass (1984) and Joy of Sex (1984).
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must first and foremost be a sex comedy. This means we won’t be listing a few films from the decade that are rated R, have some raunchy content and include some sexual situations but are mainly romantic comedies. Secret Admirer (1985) and My Chauffer (1986) are examples here as both films sometimes get included within the sex comedy subgenre but are much more romance-driven.
Second, there’s a fine line between sex comedies and soft-core porn – especially for subgenre films in the latter half of the 80s. Many of these films used actual porn actors though the nudity and sexual situations are toned down. So, while a film like Vice Academy (1989) won’t make our list, a film such as Cleo/Leo (1989) will be ranked due to the latter film having an actual plot and comedic sexual situations that align with other true sex comedies of the decade.
Third, we’re not going to rank Troma Films from the decade. In the early 80s, Troma released quite a few ‘sex comedies’ including Waitress! (1981), Stuck on You! (1982) and The First Turn-On! (1983). Even through a nostalgic lens these films aren’t very good, and we suspect that die-hard Troma fans would also have a hard time getting through each film.
Fourth, we’re going to prioritize obscure films over mainstream films. Though films like Casual Sex? (1988) and Skin Deep (1989) are some of the better sex comedies of the decade, they did have theatrical releases, and we wouldn’t consider them forgotten or obscure. However, we will list them in our honorable mentions section below.
Fifth, we’re also going to deprioritize the wave of early 80s sex comedies that had teen jailbait themes. These films often included a sexual relationship between a teen male and a much older woman and we covered all these films (from the 80s and other decades) in our article on the Best Coming-of-Age Films – Younger Men with Older Women.
And sixth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. We will make a few exceptions here if only to provide a detailed list of all the sex comedies from the decade. You can find these films below in our list for completists of the subgenre.
Our complete list of Raunchy Comedies & Sex Comedies features over 671+ films from 1959 – 2025. If you don’t see a favorite 80s sex comedy listed here, you can likely find it on our previous article of The Best 1980s Sex Comedies or in our collection linked above. Also, we’ll be releasing additional lists of sex comedies from other decades in the near future, so subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release each new article.
Forgotten Sex Comedies of the 1980s
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): Sunday Lovers (1980), Cheaper to Keep Her (1981), Waitress! (1981), Goin’ All the Way! (1981), Homework (1982), Norman Loves Rose (1982), Stuck on You! (1982), Getting It On (1983), The First Turn-On! (1983), Surf II (1984), Weekend Pass (1984), Joy of Sex (1984), Preppies (1984), The Rosebud Beach Hotel (1984), Screen Test (1985), Hot Resort (1985), School Spirit (1985), Free Ride (1986), Recruits (1986), The Malibu Bikini Shop (1986), The Women’s Club (1987), Patti Rocks (1988), Paramedics (1988), Summer Job (1989), Vice Academy (1989) and Getting Lucky (1989).
Honorable Mentions: Lunch Wagon (1981), Private Lessons (1980), Puberty Blue (1981), Pink Motel (1982), The Vals (1983), My Tutor (1983), Oddballs (1984), Splitz (1984), Lovelines (1984), The Big Bet (1985), Loose Screws (1985), The Sex O’Clock News (1985), Stitches (1985), The Boss’ Wife (1986), Perfect Timing (1986), Rimini Rimini (1987), Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987), Hunk (1987), Higher Education (1988), Casual Sex? (1988), La Lectrice (1988) and Skin Deep (1989).
Rank 20-1
#20 Pinball Summer (1980) Where to Stream / Buy: Internet Archive
#19 Stewardess School (1986) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#18 Personal Services (1987) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 Joysticks (1983) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 Where the Boys Are (1984) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 Hot Moves (1984) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
#14 Cleo/Leo (1989) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
#13 Separate Vacations (1986) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
#12 Private Resort (1985) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 Sexmission (1984) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: Russell has been expelled from several schools for lewd, crude and nude conduct. Busterburger University is his last chance at education and satisfying his disappointed parents
KBZ’s Take: There’s nothing more American than hamburgers and hot dogs so it’s no coincidence that two of our top 10 forgotten sex comedies have these classic food items in their titles.
As for Hamburger: The Motion Picture, it’s a B-tier sex comedy from the 80s that has achieved minor cult classic status over time. Most lovers of the film remember seeing this in their teenage years and it admittedly does have it’s moments of very dumb slapstick humor (and ample amounts of nudity).
Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: The girlfriend of a small-town Texas teen (C. Thomas Howell) learns about his affair with her mother (Ann-Margret).
KBZ’s Take: While this film is often included in the ‘teen male jailbait’ list of films within the subgenre, it couldn’t be any different than Private Lessons (1981) or My Tutor (1983). It’s much more of a coming-of-age romantic comedy with a somewhat realistic portrayal of the younger man (C. Thomas Howell) trying to have a relationship with the older woman (Ann-Margaret).
The film would have been better if it focused on this storyline alone, but for some reason the film also delves into other subplots involving a tiger, fire ants and more. However, the film does has a quality cast with Howell, Margaret, Kelly Preston, William Zabka, Tim Thomerson and Charles Durning that helps the film rise above similar subgenre fare.
The film is hard to find as it doesn’t seem to be on any streaming services or even available on DVD, but it’s worth seeking out the film if you’re a fan of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: When a hopeful young American hot-dogger goes pole-to-pole with an arrogant Austrian pro, the snow really starts to fly! But as hot as it is on the mountain, it gets even hotter off when the pro’s ex-girlfriend sets her eyes on the new blood. Who’ll win the competition and the girl? Only a race to end all races can determine which skier can really cut the mustard!
KBZ’s Take: Hot Dog… The Movie was part of a trend of 1984 films that featured sports and sex. These films used sport-themed events with typical raunchy humor from the teen comedy Surf II (1984) to one of the funnier (and raunchier) sex comedies of the decade, Up the Creek (1984).
Hot Dog fits in the middle of these films above as it does have some funny moments, a slapstick filled downhill ski race and a higher-than-normal amount of nudity that made it a must-see for a generation of teens.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
Spring Break
Plot: Two sets of two college guys spend a spring break together in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There they have lots of fun in and out of the sun.
KBZ’s Take: Spring Break was a major theme of teen sex comedies during the decade from the female focused Where the Boys Are (1984) to the Johnny Depp and Rob Morrow cult classic, Private Resort (1985) to the underrated Fraternity Vacation (1985).
Though these films don’t have much variation in plots (i.e. teens trying to get laid), Spring Break does have its share of humorous scenes that are not as predictable as they are in similarly themed films. This is likely the result of the film being the only comedy directed by Sean S. Cunningham who kicked off the decade helming one of the most infamous and influential slasher horror films of the 80s, Friday the 13th (1980).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Sam Kehoe moves from Seattle to a new school in California. Trying to make friends, Sam manages to free up the honeymoon suite in his dad’s motel so his friends are able to use the room for sex.
KBZ’s Take: A very under-the-radar and obscure subgenre film, Paradise Motel should have been more well known. Though it follows many of the same film tropes of similar “new high school kid in town comedies”, there are some surprisingly good performances in the film and a well-defined, underlying message.
Gary Hershberger, Robert Krantz and Jonna Leigh Stack all give great performances around a message of being yourself versus trying to impress friends who take advantage of you.
Where to Stream / Buy: Tubi
#5
Hardbodies
Plot: Three middle-aged daddies visit California to have a marvelous time at the beach. When they learn that a nice apartment and an expensive cabriolet isn’t enough for them to score with the chicks, they employ a student to help them. At first he’s as disgusted of them and his job as his girlfriend, but soon they find out how to use the situation to everyone’s benefit.
KBZ’s Take: Though Hardbodies wouldn’t normally be considered a forgotten film of the decade compared to other films on our list, we felt it best to include it. It’s a B-level sex comedy of the decade comparable to films like Spring Break (1983) and Hot Moves (1984). Of all these types of adult “Beach” comedies of the subgenre, Hardbodies was the best (but not by much).
It has most of the elements expected from a sex comedy, a somewhat unique (yet albeit creepy) storyline involving the older men hiring a younger man to get them ‘hardbodies’ and has some funny situations throughout. It’s one of those films where you turn your mind off and watch for nostalgia as it’s not a film that would have any chance of being made nowadays.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Three partying teenage girls convince their uncle to stay at his beach house for vacation.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the numerous B-film variety sex comedies that flooded theaters and drive-ins during the early 1980’s. However, it’s one of the better B-films of the subgenre.
It follows most of the same film tropes you’ll see in other teen sex comedy films of the era, but it rises above the rest due to its realistic portrayal of some of the teens and situations they find themselves in. This film won’t win any Academy Awards, but for fans of the subgenre, it’s a recommended film to seek out.
Where to Stream / Buy: Internet Archive
Plot: Two 15-year-old girls from different sides of the tracks compete to see who will be first to lose their virginity while at camp.
KBZ’s Take: Though Little Darlings had a major theatrical release and was one of the better-known films of the 1980s, it has been forgotten over time and often not included in lists of the major sex comedies of the decade.
However, it’s arguably one of the most influential films of the subgenre (and decade) that focused on teen females (as opposed to the endless number of films that would follow focused on teen males) and seemingly inspired other female-focused sex comedies of the decade from Where the Boys Are (1984) to Casual Sex? (1988).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In Scotland, dorky Gregory develops a crush on a female who joins the male football team.
KBZ’s Take: This Scottish film has a great heart and a very likeable lead in John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory). Sinclair plays the awkward Gregory as a teen who stumbles and fumbles his way through a coming-of-age experience.
The film’s humor is offbeat and dry, and it doesn’t have the raunchiness found in other films on our list. However, the story is universal and the execution exceptional – a young teen discovering his feelings for a member of the opposite sex. Except this crush is now a teammate.
It’s a film that defies typical teenage coming-of-age film and sex comedy tropes with surprising twists and turns for one film on our list we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#1
Screwballs
Plot: Five high school buddies seek revenge on the high-minded homecoming queen who had them put in detention for their pranks.
KBZ’s Take: Screwballs has developed a ‘love it or hate it’ rep over time as one of the lesser known and unheralded sex comedies of the decade. It’s a lower budget knock off of Porky’s (1981) with similar comedic sexual situations involving a group of teenagers.
However, we’re ranking this film #1 not only because we actually enjoyed the film (and think it’s one of the better B-tier sex comedies of the decade) but also for its forgotten sequel, Loose Screws (1985). And even though both films share similar scenes (such as the female student body exam at the beginning of each film), they are different enough (plot-wise) and have most of the tried-and-true raunchiness you’d expect from sex comedies of the era.
With character names such as Steve Hardman and Hugh G. Rection, you should know what you’re getting into with these films. But if you’ve already seen most of the A-tier 80s sex comedies like Porky’s, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and even other films on our list here, we would suggest giving Screwballs and Loose Screws a chance as you find some of the dumb and raunchy humor as funny as we did.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
