Club 50 Wrap-Up: 1988

Years Completed:
1988 | 1989 | 1995 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

It's strange to see a year so not dominated by PG 13 Action Franchises. 7 of the top 10 movies were comedies. 21 of the top 50 I'd classify as comedies. That doesn't happen anymore. I've haven't checked the numbers for every year, but that must be one of the highest concentrations of comedies ever.

Not only that, but since 1987 (where I start the Club 50 list) this is the highest share of the box office by G and PG rated movies. The number is significantly more than any year other than 1989. I'm not sure if it's a matter of family films being more popular or if the nature of family films have changed. The studios have leaned into PG-13 over time because they can do more without risking audience exclusion (the age is suggested, not required like an R rating). Keep in mind, the PG-13 rating was still pretty new at the time. They were still figuring it out.

This lack of action franchises also helped the Oscar movies. All five Oscar nominees made the top 50. In fact, they all broke the top 35. I'm not sure when else that's happened, especially since then. Rain Man, the Best Picture winner was even the highest grossing movie of the year, which has only happened three other times since then (Forrest Gump - 1994, Titanic - 1997, Return of the King - 2003), and this is certainly the least assuming of that group to do it.

All that doesn't leave much room for retreads. There were only six sequels in the top 50 that year, plus two Disney reissues (I bet they miss that cash cow). Only 9 of the movies have had sequels made since, which feels low as well. It was a different time then.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: The Land Before Time

It must be. I know I didn't see anything in theaters. Of the options, I remember watching this several times. Damn my parents for not being obsessive note takers like me.

Last Seen: Gorillas in the Mist

I've given up on the dream of saving the best for last. As long as it's a good movie, that'll do. This was a good movie.

Happiest Surprise: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

I had zero knowledge or awareness of this movie before doing this list and I was so pleased to find it. Steve Martin and Michael Caine are dynamite together. This is even one of my favorite Wikipedia reads for a movie.

Biggest Disappointment: Punchline

The idea about Tom Hanks and Sally Field as rising stand up comedians excited me to no end. Sadly, David Seltzer's depiction of that world is about the hackiest thing I've ever seen.

Looked Better Then: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Any time O.J. Simpson is that high on the call sheet, a movie's reputation is going to take a hit.

Looks Better Now: Die Hard

With each sequel getting more awful, the original looks ever better.

Favorite: Die Hard

The only debate about this movie these days is whether it's a Christmas movie or not*. This is one of the quintessential action movies.

*It's not**.

**By my definition.

2nd Favorite: Big

Tom Hanks is a national treasure, and this is the movie that solidified that.

3rd Favorite: Rain Man

Definitely a good movie. Definitely.

Honorable Mention:

I'll be honest, a whole lot of the movies in this category fall under the "I wish I remembered it better" category.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Anybody else get the feeling that the myth of this movie has outpaced the actual movie? These days intellectual property rights are king, so the idea of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny in the same movie is hard to believe.

Scrooged

Apparently, all it takes to make A Christmas Carol feel fresh again is Bill Murray. That's not much of a surprise.

Midnight Run

This is half-speculative. I've seen the movie, but I don't remember it that well. I did like it though, and at this point I've heard so many people speak of it fondly that I'm certain I've missed something.

Dangerous Liaisons

I mean, I still like Cruel Intentions better. This is pretty good though.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

This one stuck with me for a while. Its kitschy feel has grown on me as has the optimistic approach to it.

Least Favorite: Cocktail

I didn't realize I could dislike a Tom Cruise movie this much.