- 4 hours ago
From rocket launchers to rickrolls, the Griffin family has twisted every iconic 80's film into something hilariously inappropriate! Join us as we count down the most outrageous moments when Family Guy parodied the decade's biggest blockbusters. Our countdown includes everything from The Breakfast Club to Die Hard, The Shining to Top Gun!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and funniest 80s movie references on Family
00:11Guy.
00:1820. The Law of 80s Movies
00:22If we don't lose our virginity tonight, we're never gonna make it in college.
00:26Hey, where's Peter?
00:27Only talking to Amanda Small, the hottest girl in school.
00:30This one touches on multiple movies, so let's kick off our list with a general dismantling of the entire 80s
00:37genre.
00:38There's a cutaway in the season 11 episode, Save the Clam, that parodies basically every 80s teen movie ever made,
00:44and it's absolutely hilarious.
00:46The dialogue consists entirely of 80s cliches, like losing your virginity and a tomboy becoming more traditionally feminine.
00:53And of course, playing over everything is Yazoo's Only You, which never made it big in America, but was a
01:00huge hit in the UK in 1982.
01:02There's not one movie that is being parodied here, although the tomboy becoming pretty thing is perhaps most famously or
01:09infamously used in The Breakfast Club.
01:12But there are a million movies out there just like it, and this cutaway targets every single one.
01:18Sorry, Amanda. By the law of 80s movies, a newly transformed tomboy supersedes your long-standing hotness.
01:25Number 19, The Pottery Bust, Ghostbusters.
01:29I'm never gonna get into college.
01:32You just need more extracurricular activities. You could get a part-time job.
01:36Yeah, I had one when I was in high school.
01:38The 80s classic has been parodied to death, but never quite like this.
01:42In a hilarious cutaway, we see the iconic moment from Ghost where Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are affectionately molding
01:49clay.
01:49Suddenly, Peter bursts into the room geared up as a Ghostbuster, not realizing, or just not caring, that Swayze is
01:57the love interest.
01:58Peter activates his proton pack and sucks him into the ghost trap.
02:02He then triumphantly asks for the bill, leaving Demi Moore utterly shocked and sitting alone with a lump of wet
02:08clay.
02:09It's the perfect mashup of two supernatural 80s classics.
02:12Okay, Ghost is 1990, but the vibe fits, proving that in Quahog, romance always takes a backseat to a quick
02:21paycheck.
02:22That'll be $27.50.
02:26Number 18, Peter Kills the Gopher, Caddyshack.
02:35The animatronic gopher from Caddyshack is the stuff of movie legend,
02:39mostly because of how wonderfully fake it looks.
02:43Of course, Family Guy goes and turns some harmless fun into something far more sinister.
02:48In this scene, the gopher pops up to dance to Kenny Loggins' I'm Alright, mirroring the film's famous opening credits.
02:54Peter, channeling his inner Carl Spackler, arrives with a rocket launcher and blows the gopher to kingdom come.
03:01Blood and body pieces fly everywhere, and Peter appears shocked, insisting that it was supposed to be some harmless 80s
03:08fun.
03:09Oh well, at least it bought Kenny Loggins a new hot tub for his Colorado deck.
03:14Hi, I'm Kenny Loggins, and I'm still very interested in 80s references.
03:17Every time Family Guy plays one of my songs, I get a new hot tub for my Colorado deck.
03:22I'm alright, don't worry about me.
03:27Number 17, Somewhere That's Green, Little Shop of Horrors.
03:32He rags and trims the grass, he loves to mow and weed.
03:40Musical numbers are a staple of the show, but this one might make you shudder.
03:44Little Shop of Horrors features the sweet ballad, Somewhere That's Green, sung by Audrey about her dream of a normal
03:50suburban life.
03:52In a twist only Seth MacFarlane would greenlight, the song is performed by Herbert.
03:56Seeing the neighborhood creep croon about domestic bliss while fantasizing about a teenage boy is deeply unsettling and undeniably memorable.
04:05It takes the innocence of the original Mencken and Ashman track and twists it into something predatory.
04:12It's the kind of reference that ruins the original song for you forever.
04:16Blending nostalgia with the show's trademark dark and uncomfortable humor.
04:20We too will go somewhere that's green.
04:36Number 16, The Literal Breakfast Club, The Breakfast Club.
04:40Holy crap, it's The Breakfast Club!
04:43In the episode Let's Go to the Hop, Peter goes undercover as a high school student and poses as a
04:48character straight out of Happy Days.
04:50But that's not why we're here.
04:52Wrong decade.
04:53As Peter walks into the library for detention, we expect to see the usual teenage stereotypes.
04:58The brain, the athlete, the basket case.
05:01Of course, instead, Family Guy gives us a literal breakfast club.
05:06Sitting at the tables are our favorite morning mascots.
05:09Tony the Tiger, Cap'n Crunch, Toucan Sam, Lucky the Leprechaun and the Trix Rabbit.
05:15All of whom act out a famous scene from the movie.
05:17It's a quintessential Family Guy sight-gag.
05:20Taking a famous movie title and taking it literally for maximum absurdity.
05:25I got a carton of cigarettes.
05:27Old man grabbed me and said,
05:28Hey, smoke up Tony!
05:29They're great!
05:31Number 15, Riding the Luck Dragon, The Neverending Story.
05:35You know, you really should talk to a therapist about this.
05:38I mean, it really helped Peter out when he became obsessed with that fantasy world of his.
05:42This iconic fantasy film is a beloved childhood gem, but of course, Family Guy just has to ruin it.
05:48Brian talks to Lois about going to therapy and references a time that Peter became obsessed with the fantasy world.
05:55We'll give you one guess as to what that fantasy world is.
05:59The cutaway goes straight to Peter riding Falkor, the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story.
06:04But naturally, there's a twist.
06:06Peter is too fat to ride the creature and it quickly crashes into the desert floor.
06:11We don't know which bit is funnier, seeing the dragon crashing to earth or Peter's gleeful, childlike cheers.
06:18We'll just go ahead and say both.
06:20We're going down!
06:21Yeah!
06:25Yeah!
06:26Number 14, Bryan's role, Die Hard.
06:30The FBI is here now?
06:31Yes, sir, right over there.
06:33Hold this.
06:35Want a breath, man?
06:36Bryan Griffin loves to brag about his achievements, but in Bryan's Got a Brand New Bag, he drops a major
06:42bombshell about his acting career.
06:44You see, he claims to have had a small role in the action masterpiece, Die Hard.
06:48We cut to the scene where Dwayne is informed that the FBI has arrived, and Bryan has been added between
06:54him and Powell.
06:55He doesn't do much, he just sort of stands there.
06:58That is, until he drops a line related to the breath mint that he supposedly ad-libbed himself.
07:04This is next-level parody, inserting a cartoon character into the movie itself and having him interact with the cast.
07:10And now, every Christmas, when you watch this movie, you'll think of Bryan and his mad ad-libs.
07:16Want a breath mint?
07:19Breath mint.
07:20Number 13, Stewie singing through the TV.
07:24Poltergeist
07:24Peter, I can't find him anywhere.
07:26Mommy?
07:28Stewie?
07:29Where are you?
07:30Look behind you, you stupid cow!
07:32Communicating with the other side is usually a terrifying experience, specifically in Poltergeist, where the static-filled TV serves as
07:40a portal to another dimension.
07:41But in the parody episode, Peter Geist, Stewie Griffin finds a silver lining to the spectral void.
07:47The acoustics are absolutely amazing.
07:49While attempting to establish contact with his parents, he notices a heavy, dramatic reverb on his voice, so he immediately
07:56pivots into performance mode, belting out a spot-on rendition of Phil Collins in the air tonight.
08:02It's a brilliant deviation from the source material.
08:04Where the movie built Dredd with its sound design, Family Guy builds a drum solo.
08:10Watching an infant treat a creepy, dimensional getaway like a high-end recording studio is the kind of absurd humor
08:16that defines the show.
08:17No stranger to you and me.
08:22Number 12, Playing Some Volleyball.
08:25Top Gun.
08:26I'm alright.
08:29Don't nobody worry about me.
08:32It's the scene that launched a thousand pieces of fan fiction.
08:35Top Gun's volleyball montage is famous for its sweaty, shirtless masculinity, and Family Guy leans heavily into the homoerotic undertones.
08:44Peter and the guys hit the sand in jeans and dog tags, enjoying the sun with an intensity that goes
08:49way beyond friendly camaraderie.
08:51The scene is drenched in oil and suggestive glances, set perfectly once again to I'm alright.
08:58Man, Kenny Loggins is racking in the royalties.
09:01While the internet has joked about the gay love story of Top Gun for decades, seeing the show animate it
09:07with such exaggeration really drives the point home.
09:10Perhaps the best bit is Rupert, dressed as a perfectly chiseled human, dripping sweat and sunscreen directly into Stewie's mouth.
09:19Out!
09:20What?
09:21That was clearly in.
09:22It was on the other side of the line.
09:23You mean the crooked line you made with your foot?
09:25Screw that.
09:29Number 11, Killing Meg.
09:31Raiders of the Lost Ark.
09:33Freshman?
09:34Freshman!
09:35Freshman!
09:36Freshman!
09:37Freshman!
09:38Freshman!
09:39Freshman!
09:40I guess you can't run away from your problems anywhere!
09:43It's one of the most famous opening scenes in movie history.
09:46Indiana Jones steals a golden idol from an ancient Peruvian temple and is then pursued by the locals.
09:52He makes a last-minute escape on a float plane, narrowly avoiding all the flying arrows and darts.
09:58This scene is wonderfully parodied in the Season 4 episode, Jungle Love.
10:02A South American tribe learns that Chris is a freshman, instigating a chase that directly parodies the chase in Raiders.
10:09Only, this one ends a little differently.
10:12Peter, Lois, Chris and Stewie safely make it to the plane and celebrate their escape, only to realize that they
10:18left Meg behind.
10:19Cut to her dropping dead in the river, a ton of darts riddled in her back.
10:24Uh, Peter, I think we forgot Meg.
10:29Number 10. God on the Rocket Cycle. Flash Gordon.
10:34Are you willing to open yourself up to God's truth?
10:37Oh, you're barking up the wrong tree, Meg. I'm an atheist.
10:40What's that?
10:41We know Seth MacFarlane loves the 1980s cult classic Flash Gordon, but apparently the Almighty does too.
10:47Brian goes into a rant about his atheism, arguing that science and the state of the world belies the existence
10:54of God.
10:55He then asks the family what God is doing up there.
10:58It turns out he's not doing much.
11:01To answer Brian's question, the scene immediately cuts to God on his very own rocket cycle,
11:06zooming through the clouds while Flash's theme blasts in the background.
11:10It's a hilarious, joyous, and yeah, a sort of blasphemous joke that wonderfully blends the show's devotion to 80s pop
11:17culture and fierce satire of religion.
11:20Cloud. I mean, what's he doing up there?
11:22Number 9. Paulie's Robot. Rocky IV.
11:26I know who can cheer you up. The robot from Space Camp.
11:30Brian and Jinx are friends.
11:33Get that out of here.
11:34Okay, how about the robot from Rocky IV?
11:37The Rocky franchise certainly went places.
11:39In one of the most baffling choices in cinema history, the fourth franchise goes full cartoon and introduces a talking
11:46robot to the equation.
11:47Family Guy highlights this insanity perfectly.
11:50In an attempt to cheer Brian up, Stewie introduces him to the very same robot from Rocky IV, complete with
11:57its monotone happy birthday voice function.
12:00Seeing the science fiction contraption ripped from the blockbuster and placed into a cartoon emphasizes just how out of place
12:07it was in the original film.
12:09It's a reference that doesn't need to exaggerate anything.
12:12It simply presents the robot as it was, reminding us all that the 80s were a time when screenwriting decisions
12:19were seemingly greenlit without a second thought.
12:22Look, Stewie, get these stupid 80s movie robots out of here and leave me alone.
12:26Number 8. Married to Rebecca Romijn. Stand By Me.
12:30We never forgot that wonderful summer, and eventually we all went our separate ways.
12:35Season 7's Three Kings tackles and parodies three Stephen King stories, one of them being the legendary Stand By Me.
12:42Here, the writers brilliantly recast the gang as the four boys searching for a dead body, mixing iconic scenes with
12:49dark twists like a train running over Joe's legs and putting him in a wheelchair.
12:53But the segment's crowning achievement is the finale. Family Guy actually secured the original film's narrator, Richard Dreyfuss, to voice
13:01the outro.
13:02Dreyfuss seamlessly transitions from sentimental storytelling to a meta rant about how Jerry O'Connell, the actor who played Vern,
13:10grew up to marry supermodel Rebecca Romijn.
13:12It's a perfect blend of genuine pop culture trivia and the show's penchant for breaking the fourth wall to deliver
13:19funny asides.
13:20Cleve grew up and went on to marry Rebecca Romijn. Actually, I'm not even joking about that. The fat kid
13:26from Stand By Me is now married to Rebecca Romijn. Can you believe that? I swear to God. Look it
13:32up on the internet. Doesn't that piss you off?
13:35Number 7. Tom Tucker's Pool Fantasy. Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
13:43Hi Meg. You know how cute I think you are.
13:46Phoebe Cates emerging from the pool in a red bikini is perhaps the most paused and replayed moment in 80s
13:52history. It's defined a generation of crushes. Naturally, this makes for some prime parody.
13:57In the kiss scene around the world, Meg fantasizes about her crush, news anchor Tom Tucker. The iconic synthesizer track
14:05moving in stereo kicks in, but instead of the stunning Phoebe Cates, we get the hairy, mustachioed Tucker climbing out
14:11of the water in slow motion, shaking off his waterlogged hair.
14:15It's a visual assault that relies entirely on contrast. Replacing the ultimate symbol of 80s sex appeal with a middle
14:23-aged newsman is a gag that hits you instantly, ensuring you will never hear that song the same way again.
14:30President Bush stuck his finger in an electrical socket.
14:33Whoa. Yikes. Awkward.
14:35Number 6. Stewie's Race Home. Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
14:40But with only 30 minutes before the tower falls.
14:46Damn! I've got to get to that swim meet.
14:48The famous climax of Ferris Bueller sees the protagonist desperately racing through backyards to beat his parents home in Stew
14:55and Stewie's Excellent Adventure. The show animates a shot-for-shot remake of this iconic sequence. The camera angles, the
15:02music, the pacing are identical to the John Hughes classic. Even the scene where Stewie goes back to say hello
15:09to the pretty girls. There's actually not much parody going on here. The only true parody comes at the end.
15:15Where the show pokes fun at the movie's editing style. Stewie flies through the air in slow motion, just as
15:21Ferris does in the movie. Only, the Griffin family are moving in real time. Needless to say, it significantly delays
15:28the baby.
15:40The
15:43Probably shouldn't have milked that landing.
15:46Number 5. Calm down. Airplane.
15:48Yeah, she creeps into your house at night and comes into your room while you sleep.
15:52Oh my god!
15:53And sometimes, just for the hell of it, she cuts off a piece of her armpit hair and places
15:58it gently on your tongue.
15:59Is it possible to parody a parody?
16:02Well, if you ask Family Guy, the answer is a resounding yes.
16:05In one of Airplane's most famous gags, Mrs. Hammond starts getting hysterical, forcing
16:11a long procession to, um, sort her out.
16:14Once again, Family Guy delivers an almost shot-for-shot remake of the famous scene.
16:18With Stewie taking the place of Mrs. Hammond, Brian scares Stewie by fabricating the Tooth
16:23Fairy lore, prompting him to get hysterical.
16:26Brian shakes him, then Chris and Quagmire both arrive to give him a few slaps.
16:31Thus begins the long procession, which includes Cleveland with a wrench, Mayor West and Herbert
16:37with firearms, and even the Kool-Aid man with boxing gloves.
16:40Because, why wouldn't he be there?
16:43Calm down, everything's gonna be alright.
16:45Chris, you're wanted on the phone.
16:47Everything's gonna be alright.
16:53Number 4.
16:54The Rick Roll, Back to the Future
16:56Meet the Quagmires is one giant parody of Back to the Future, with Brian and Peter playing
17:09Marty and George.
17:10The iconic dance scene is recreated in full, but then Family Guy breaks from tradition.
17:15Brian tells the band to follow his lead, but instead of shredding Johnny B. Goode, he launches
17:20into a manic version of Never Gonna Give You Up.
17:23The joke works on multiple levels, showing that Brian is much lamer than Marty while also executing
17:28the perfect Rick Roll on the audience.
17:30In a bizarre twist of fate, this episode aired on May 20th, 2007, five days after the first
17:36known Rick Roll.
17:38Since Family Guy episodes take nearly a year to produce, the writers weren't actually referencing
17:42the meme.
17:43They had accidentally predicted it.
17:45Hey, Rick!
17:46It's your cousin Marvin!
17:48Yeah!
17:48Marvin Astley!
17:50You know that mediocre, generic sound you've been looking for?
17:54Well, listen to this!
17:56Number 3.
17:57Roadhouse.
17:58Roadhouse.
17:59That was awesome, and its message is timeless.
18:02Peter, the only message in that movie is that every problem in life can be solved by kicking.
18:07Oh my god.
18:08Brian, you're right.
18:10Few references have impacted the real world quite like this one.
18:13After Peter watches the Patrick Swayze cult classic, he becomes obsessed with the idea
18:18of resolving conflicts via roundhouse kicks.
18:20Whether he is arguing with Brian or simply buying some lunch, Peter punctuates every sentence
18:25with a violent kick and a loud scream of Roadhouse.
18:29It mocks the gratuitous, problem-solving violence of the film by applying it to mundane suburban
18:34life, and the gag became so popular that Roadhouse soon became a legitimate catchphrase
18:39for fans.
18:40It highlights the absurdity of 80s action heroes who treated assault as a valid form of conflict
18:45resolution, but it's also a loving tribute to one of the 80s' most beloved cult classics.
18:51Roadhouse.
18:52Roadhouse.
18:53Roadhouse.
18:54Roadhouse.
18:54Roadhouse.
18:58Roadhouse.
18:59Roadhouse.
19:02Roadhouse.
19:03Roadhouse.
19:03Roadhouse.
19:03Roadhouse.
19:03Number 2.
19:04Blowing up the twins.
19:06The Shining.
19:06Come play with us, do we?
19:09Forever and ever and ever.
19:11Funnily enough, Peter killing the Caddyshack Gopher wasn't the first time a griffin blew up
19:16a beloved movie character with a rocket launcher.
19:18The Shining features one of horror's most iconic moments with the ghostly Grady twins.
19:23Family Guy recreates the scene perfectly with Stewie walking through the large halls of his new mansion.
19:29But unlike Danny, Stewie isn't a victim.
19:32When the creepy sisters ask him to play, Stewie doesn't cover his eyes.
19:35He pulls a rocket launcher out of nowhere and blows them to smithereens.
19:39It's the ultimate anti-horror reaction.
19:42By answering supernatural dread with overwhelming military firepower, Stewie solves the movie's
19:47problem in seconds.
19:49If only Jack had one of those bad boys, their experience might have been a little different.
19:54If all work and no play makes Stewie a dull boy.
19:59Number one.
20:01I love you.
20:02The Empire Strikes Back.
20:03Showie, you have to take care of the princess while I'm gone.
20:06Take care of her?
20:07You mean like, uh...
20:09No, what?
20:10No, just make sure she stays safe.
20:12Oh, okay, that'll be fun for me.
20:13Taking the top spot is the moment that perfectly encapsulates the Family Guy Star Wars trilogy.
20:18Retelling Empire Strikes Back, the show reaches the emotional climax where Han Solo is about
20:24to be frozen in carbonite.
20:25Lois, playing Leia, delivers the tearful line, I love you.
20:29In the movie, Harrison Ford improvised the cool and wickedly iconic follow-up, I know.
20:34Here, Peter Griffin simply tells her to F off.
20:38It's a hilarious destruction of one of cinema's most romantic moments.
20:42It strips away the heroism of Han Solo and replaces it with Peter's callous selfishness.
20:47It's brief, yes, but it's also unexpected, shocking, and crude.
20:52Which is exactly why it is the greatest 80s reference the show has ever done.
20:57I love you.
20:59F*** off.
21:01Which reference did you find the funniest?
21:03Let us know in the comments below.
21:05We'll see you soon.
21:09We'll be right back if you have oldu.
21:10We'll see you soon.
Comments