Movies of 1987
by jeanhueston | created - 8 months ago | updated - 8 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Pelle the Conqueror (1987)
PG-13 | 157 min | Drama
When his wife dies, Lasse takes his 12-year-old son, Pelle, from their home in Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life.
Director: Bille August | Stars: Pelle Hvenegaard, Max von Sydow, Erik Paaske, Björn Granath
Votes: 11,868 | Gross: $2.05M
2. Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987)
82 min | Crime, Documentary
The film recounts the murder of a Chinese-American automotive engineer in a racially motivated hate crime, and how the murderer escaped justice in the court system.
Directors: Christine Choy, Renee Tajima-Pena | Stars: Lily Chin, Ronald Ebens, Starlene
Votes: 300
3. The Last Emperor (1987)
PG-13 | 163 min | Biography, Drama, History
Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
Votes: 111,568 | Gross: $43.98M
4. Broadcast News (1987)
R | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Take two rival television reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one producer, female. Mix well, and watch the sparks fly.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, Robert Prosky
Votes: 34,144 | Gross: $51.25M
5. Fatal Attraction (1987)
R | 119 min | Drama, Thriller
A married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.
Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Ellen Latzen
Votes: 97,197 | Gross: $156.65M
6. Hope and Glory (1987)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Bill, a young boy living on the outskirts of London experiences the exhilaration of World War II. During this period, Bill learns about sex, death, love, hypocrisy, and the faults of adults as he prowls the ruins of bombed houses.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Sarah Miles, David Hayman, Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Geraldine Muir
Votes: 14,609 | Gross: $10.02M
7. Moonstruck (1987)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello
Votes: 68,592 | Gross: $80.64M
8. Babette's Feast (1987)
G | 103 min | Drama
During the late 19th century, a strict religious community in a Danish village takes in a French refugee from the Franco-Prussian War as a servant to the late pastor's daughters.
Director: Gabriel Axel | Stars: Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle
Votes: 22,049 | Gross: $4.40M
9. Goodbye, Children (1987)
PG | 104 min | Drama, War
A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. Occupying the next bed in the dormitory to the top student in his class, the two young boys begin to form a bond.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carré de Malberg
Votes: 36,132 | Gross: $4.54M
10. Course Completed (1987)
94 min | Drama
A writer is having a midlife crisis. He recollects his life and it makes him feel even worse. Only a love affair or two helps him take his mind off things.
Director: José Luis Garci | Stars: Jesús Puente, Victoria Vera, Teresa Gimpera, Eduardo Hoyo
Votes: 281
11. The Family (1987)
PG | 127 min | Drama, Romance
With the background of the XX century Italian history, Carlo, a retired teacher, traces the vicissitudes of his family.
Director: Ettore Scola | Stars: Vittorio Gassman, Fanny Ardant, Stefania Sandrelli, Emanuele Lamaro
Votes: 2,490 | Gross: $0.35M
12. Pathfinder (1987)
86 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.
Director: Nils Gaup | Stars: Mikkel Gaup, Ingvald Guttorm, Nils Utsi, Henrik H. Buljo
Votes: 5,606
13. American Masters (1985– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.
Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett
Votes: 1,173
The Algonquin Round Table: The Ten Year Lunch 6.6
14. Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
TV-PG | 360 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.
Stars: Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Andrew Young
Votes: 737
Bridge to Freedom: 1965 8.4
15. A Stitch for Time (1987)
53 min | Documentary
A group of women from a small town influence national public policy and foreign relations. To this end, they employ their quilt-making.
Director: Nigel Noble
Votes: 30
16. Young at Heart (1987)
Not Rated | 29 min | Documentary, Short, Romance
Filmmakers Sue Marx and Pamela Conn document the romance between Sue's father Louis Gothelf and Reva Shwayder, each in their mid-80s. Both artists and residents of the Detroit suburbs, they... See full summary »
Directors: Pamela Conn, Sue Marx | Stars: Louis Gothelf, Reva Shwayder-Gothelf
Votes: 76
17. Frances Steloff: Memoirs of a Bookseller (1987)
28 min | Documentary, Short
Frances Steloff: Memoirs of a Bookseller is a wonderfully dynamic portrait of an American cultural heroine. Now 100 years old, Frances Steloff was the founder and force behind the renowned ... See full summary »
Director: Deborah Dickson | Star: Marian Seldes
Votes: 13
18. In the Wee Wee Hours... (1987)
20 min | Documentary, Short
A look at homelessness in Los Angeles.
Director: Izak Ben-Meir
Votes: 12
19. Language Says It All (1987)
25 min | Documentary, Short
Four families come to understand their deaf child's need for language.
Director: Rhyena Halpern | Stars: Linda Bove, Charles Katz, Cindy LeBuffe, Robert Mandan
Votes: 20
20. Silver Into Gold (1987)
24 min | Documentary, Short
Sister Marion Irvine and Gail Roper tell how they overcame personal obstacles, as well as social pressures against female athletes, to become world-class competitors. They help motivate ... See full summary »
Director: Lynn Mueller | Stars: Marion Irvine, Melissa Martin, Gail Roper
Votes: 19
21. Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
23 min | Comedy, Short
In this short film, our unemployed hero finds that getting that great job depends a lot on whom you choose to dance with at Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall.
Director: Bryan Gordon | Stars: John Achorn, Tim Choate, Joe D'Angerio, Boyd Gaines
Votes: 230
22. Shoeshine (1987)
10 min | Short, Comedy
During a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, a young Wall Street investment banker and an old shoeshine man begin chatting and discussing their life philosophies.
Director: Tom Abrams | Stars: Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller, Bruce Altman, Flash Rose
Votes: 78
23. The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)
30 min | Animation, Short, Drama
The story of a shepherd's single handed quest to re-forest a barren valley.
Director: Frédéric Back | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 6,114
24. George and Rosemary (1987)
9 min | Animation, Comedy, Romance
An old shy man works up the gumption to meet a woman whom he has a crush on.
Directors: David Fine, Alison Snowden | Stars: Cec Linder, Doris Malcolm, Marty Myers, Alexander Weldon
Votes: 351
25. Your Face (1987)
3 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A man's head transforms and contorts bizarrely as he sings "Your Face," an original song.
Director: Bill Plympton | Star: Maureen McElheron
Votes: 1,420
26. Empire of the Sun (1987)
PG | 153 min | Drama, War
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Votes: 134,373 | Gross: $22.24M
27. The Untouchables (1987)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During Prohibition, Treasury agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone, and assembles a small, incorruptible team to help him.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith
Votes: 330,979 | Gross: $76.27M
28. Gaby: A True Story (1987)
R | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The life of Gaby Brimmer, a girl physically handicapped, who finally gets her goals of study and triumph.
Director: Luis Mandoki | Stars: Rachel Chagall, Liv Ullmann, Norma Aleandro, Robert Loggia
Votes: 800 | Gross: $0.13M
29. Cry Freedom (1987)
PG | 157 min | Biography, Drama, History
South African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend, the Black anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Denzel Washington, Kevin Kline, Josette Simon, Wabei Siyolwe
Votes: 14,470 | Gross: $5.90M
30. Wall Street (1987)
R | 126 min | Crime, Drama
An impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamara Tunie, Franklin Cover
Votes: 165,249 | Gross: $43.85M
31. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, War
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin
Votes: 790,902 | Gross: $46.36M
32. Oci ciornie (1987)
118 min | Comedy, Romance, Drama
An Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks, Romano Patroni leaves his wife to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman. He returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love.
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Silvana Mangano, Marthe Keller, Elena Safonova
Votes: 3,516 | Gross: $2.20M
33. The Grand Highway (1987)
R | 104 min | Drama
Louis, a nine-year-old boy from Paris, spends his summer vacation in a small town in Brittany. His mother Claire has lodged him with her girlfriend Marcelle and her husband Pelo while she's... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Loup Hubert | Stars: Anémone, Richard Bohringer, Antoine Hubert, Vanessa Guedj
Votes: 1,769 | Gross: $0.76M
34. A Taxing Woman (1987)
127 min | Comedy, Crime
If tax evasion is an art, wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo is Rembrandt. And so, a determined taxing woman gets the tough assignment of trying to catch him.
Director: Jûzô Itami | Stars: Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Masahiko Tsugawa, Yasuo Daichi
Votes: 2,246
35. La Bamba (1987)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Director: Luis Valdez | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña
Votes: 36,460 | Gross: $54.22M
36. Nuts (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, Thriller
A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden
Votes: 7,597 | Gross: $30.95M
37. Baby Boom (1987)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The life of super-yuppie J.C. is thrown into turmoil when she inherits a baby from a distant relative.
Director: Charles Shyer | Stars: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis, Kristina Kennedy
Votes: 19,171 | Gross: $26.71M
38. Dirty Dancing (I) (1987)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.
Director: Emile Ardolino | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes
Votes: 256,598 | Gross: $0.62M
39. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 451,167 | Gross: $30.86M
40. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 455,264 | Gross: $59.74M
41. Nayakan (1987)
Not Rated | 145 min | Crime, Drama
A common man's struggles against a corrupt police force put him on the wrong side of the law. He becomes a don, who is loved and respected by many, but his growing power and influence exact a heavy toll.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Delhi Ganesh, Janakaraj
Votes: 23,002
42. Where Is the Friend's House? (1987)
Not Rated | 83 min | Drama, Family
Eight-year-old Ahmed has mistakenly taken his friend Mohammad's notebook. He wants to return it, or else his friend will be expelled from school. The boy determinedly sets out to find Mohammad's home in the neighbouring village.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Babek Ahmed Poor, Ahmed Ahmed Poor, Khodabakhsh Defaei, Iran Outari
Votes: 18,736
43. Wings of Desire (1987)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois
Votes: 77,097 | Gross: $3.33M
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