Listmania!
Bumbling heroes to make you cheer
By an Amazon.com customer
American Dreamer (1984) [VHS]American Dreamer (1984) [VHS]
Buy used from: $0.57
Lots of fun. Jo Beth Williams plays a suburban housewife who gets a bump on the head and bumbles into a drug ring plot under the delusion that she's a character in a romance/thriller novel.
North Avenue IrregularsNorth Avenue Irregulars
Buy used from: $33.94
Old Disney live action at its best. A group of bumbling church ladies (including Cloris Leachman and Karen Valentine) unite to break up a crime ring
Jumpin' Jack Flash [VHS]Jumpin' Jack Flash [VHS]
Buy used from: $0.01
Arguably the best Cold War comedy ever. Whoopi Goldberg plays a working class eccentric who bumbles her way through a spy plot. Laugh-out-loud funny.
Nine to FiveNine to Five
Buy used from: $3.89
A classic of its time. One of the great "little guy gets revenge" movies.
Ruthless PeopleRuthless People
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.99
Bette Midler and Danny Devito rework The Ransom of Red Chief into one of the best comedies of the 80's
True LiesTrue Lies
Buy used from: $1.75
Turns into a more serious action movie near the end, but Jamie Lee Curtis' scenes as the "housewife turned spy" are fabulous
Cops And RobbersonsCops And Robbersons
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $0.42
Warmer than the Vacation movies, and Dianne Wiest steals it.
A Fish Called WandaA Fish Called Wanda
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $2.39
The humor in this one is a little harsh compared to the others on this list, but when Michael Palin does get even, it's worth it.
Going in Style [VHS]Going in Style [VHS]
Buy used from: $1.14
Not exactly happy, but bittersweet, and somehow also very life-affirming
The Muppet MovieThe Muppet Movie
Buy used from: $4.69
Back when "children's" characters were aloud to smoke, drink, and make love, there were some genuinely good movies with morals more sophisticated than "just say no."