8 Best Movies of 1985

By Vlad Zakh · June 28, 2026

1985 mixed fantasy, comedy and dystopian satire. The Purple Rose of Cairo has a movie character stepping off the screen, After Hours has an office worker’s night in Manhattan going surreal, and Brazil has a bureaucrat escaping into fantasy. The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, The Color Purple, Ran and Back to the Future round out the eight.

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A movie character steps off the screen and into the life of a lonely woman during the Great Depression.

Directed by Woody Allen · 1h 22m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

After Hours (1985)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A mild-mannered office worker's night out in downtown Manhattan spirals into a surreal nightmare.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Goonies (1985)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 77% Metacritic 62

A group of kids follows an old pirate map hoping to save their neighbourhood from foreclosure.

Directed by Richard Donner · 1h 54m · Rated PG

4 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Brazil (1985)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 98% Metacritic 84

A low-level bureaucrat's escapist daydreams collide with a nightmarish, paperwork-obsessed police state.

Directed by Terry Gilliam · 2h 23m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars9 wins & 6 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Breakfast Club (1985)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Five students from five different cliques spend a Saturday detention actually talking to each other.

Directed by John Hughes · 1h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Color Purple (1985)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A Black woman in the early 20th-century South endures decades of hardship before finding her strength.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 34m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Philo · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ran (1985)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 96% Metacritic 97

An ageing warlord's decision to divide his kingdom among his sons ignites a catastrophic war.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 40m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar30 wins & 23 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Back to the Future (1985)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 93% Metacritic 88

A teenager accidentally travels to 1955 and has to make sure his own parents still fall in love.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 1h 56m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar27 wins & 25 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1985

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

After Hours (1985)

The Goonies (1985)

Brazil (1985)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

The Color Purple (1985)

Ran (1985)

Back to the Future (1985)

You might also like

250 Best Movies of All Time

8 Best Shakespeare Adaptations of All Time

7 Best Akira Kurosawa Movies

6 Best Tatsuya Nakadai Movies

50 Best Movies of the 1980s

6 Best Movie Theater and Projectionist Movies