Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.
We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.
Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.
The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.
This time around, it’s May 30, 1986, and we’re off to see A Great Wall and Big Trouble.
A Great Wall
What happens when Chinese-Americans come to China to visit family? A lot.
Leo Fang (Peter Wang) hasn’t been back to China in over 30 years. After quitting his computer job, he takes the family there to visit his relatives who are wary of the American way of life. While there, Paul (Kelvan Han Yee) teaches his cousin Lili (Li Qinqin) to be more independent, while also taking ping ping a bit too seriously. Everyone has something to learn from each side of the family.
I wouldn’t call this a great film by any means, and it was a few too many characters hovering in the background, but I would definitely call it charming. I enjoyed both sides of the family and seeing how they were excited to influence one another. When it’s time for the Fang’s to head back to the U.S., it’s clear everyone has undergone some form of change.
Cute and fun, and you can’t ask much more from a lot of films.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
Big Trouble
From cute and fun to an absolute mess.
Leonard (Alan Arkin) is an insurance salesman that is trying to figure out how to send his triplets to Yale. When all seems lost, he gets a call about selling a new insurance policy. From there he gets wrapped up in an ongoing plot to rip his company off by con artists Steve (Peter Falk) and Blanche (Beverly D’Angelo). If they can pull it off, all three boys can go to Yale, but if they don’t, it’s prison for all of them.
The plot is a mess. The ending is so softball as to be laughable in the worst way. The writer had a fake name put on the credits as he no longer wanted to be associated with it. Yes, it’s that bad.
Avoid at all costs and save yourself the pain.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
1986 Movie Reviews will continue on June 6, 2026, with Invaders From Mars, Raw Deal, and SpaceCamp.
