Nick Nolte had some good films then 48 Hours: classic police comedy Under Fire: Journalists in Nicaragua during the revolution against Somoza. Farewell to the King: WWII, a soldier wants no more of the war and goes native in Borneo, but the war catches up to him. Great John Milius directed film.
How could I forget this one? And I just caught the end of it on TV the other day too. I rarely even have time to watch any movies at all anymore, so I really have no excuse for creating such a long list. But that's why I segmented it into genres, so that her friend can skip right to the ones she would like. And I'm hoping that she's already seen some of them!
Two of my favorite 1980's films which nobody has mentioned yet: Spaceballs (don't eat or drink anything while watching, you might choke to death) Batman: Nicholson and Keaton version (the absolute BEST Batman movie that will never be topped in my opinion) And, if you're looking for a "chick flick", Pretty Woman. yes, I know that film came out in 1990, but it was the only thing I could think of.
Dark comedy - "Heathers" Don't forget "Ghostbusters" and "Trading Places" And surely someone must have mentioned "Airplane!"
The original Nightmare on Elm Street and the third Friday the 13th. Neither of them are good movies, but you should be familiar with Freddy and Jason if you're interested in pop culture.
There are a lot of great suggestions here. I would boil them down to Big When Harry Met Sally The Princess Bride Silverado Top Gun Pretty Woman Beverly Hills Cop The Breakfast Club Risky Business Spaceballs I think those movies would give your friend a "leg up" on pop culture references from that era. Oh, and don't forget The Big Chill.
The hell with it. I'm gonna double down on the nerd, and put in a word for.... Vamp and the writer of Near Dark (and Blue Steel and The Hitcher, as well), Eric Red.
I'll see your VAMP and raise you LIFEFORCE. (Yes, I know I'm mixing gambling metaphors. Sue me.) Although, in fairness to the OP, I should probably mention that their friend's response to LIFEFORCE may depend on her tolerance for gratuitously naked space vampires . . . . (Come to think of it, has anyone mentioned COCOON? I actually saw COCOON and LIFEFORCE on the same day, which can seriously mess with your head!)
Don't diss gratuitous nudity. It's the best thing Lifeforce has going for it. Also, I'm not gonzo enough to gamble with someone who'll go all in with Lifeforce. The pot's yours.
Has Good Will Hunting been mentioned? If not, it has been now. Also, more obscure but really funny: Grosse Pointe Blank. ETA: I forgot The Big Lebowski - very quotable. I guess Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas also belongs in that category.
If you really want to teach this woman the depths of the 80s, I would go no further than the Police Academy Movies. All of them. Just keep going until she breaks down crying, offering you the pink slip to her car to stop.
My list of movies I think would give a big overview of the 80s and 90s. This is not all the movies I love from this period but ones I think are important from a pop culture perspective. 1980 Airplane!, The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, The Blue Lagoon 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark, Arthur, Stripes, Chariots of Fire, Superman II, Excalibur 1982 Star Trek II, ET, An Officer and a Gentleman, Poltergeist, Blade Runner, Tron, Porky's, Gandhi, Conan 1983 Flashdance, Risky Business, National Lampoon's Vacation, The Big Chill, Scarface, Wargames 1984 Ghostbusters, The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, The Karate Kid, Footloose, Gremlins, Romancing the Stone, Splash, Amadeus, Revenge of the Nerds, A Nightmare on Elm Street 1985 Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, The Color Purple, The Goonies, Rambo 1986 Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, Aliens, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Stand By Me, Three Amigos, Short Circuit 1987 Fatal Attraction, Good Morning Vietnam, The Untouchaables, Lethal Weapon, Dirty Dancing, Robocop, Predator, Spaceballs, Princess Bride, Wall Street, La Bamba 1988 Rain Man, Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Naked Gun, Beetlejuice 1989 Batman, Dead Poets Society, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Driving Miss Daisy, When Harry Met Sally, The Little Mermaid, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Weekend at Bernies, The Abyss 1990 Ghost, Home Alone, Pretty Woman, Dances With Wolves, Total Recall, Hunt for Red October 1991 Terminator 2, Beauty and the Beast, Silence of the Lambs, Cape Fear, The Addams Family 1992 Aladdin, The Bodyguard, Basic Instinct, A Few Good Men, Bram Stoker's Dracula, White Men Can't Jump, Scent of a Woman, League of Their Own 1993 Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Fugitive, Schindler's List, Indecent Proposal, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Groundhog Day 1994 The Lion King, Forrest Gump, True Lies, Speed, Interview with the Vampire, Pulp Fiction, Ace Ventura, The Crow 1995 Toy Story, Apollo 13, Goldeneye, Seven, Casino 1996 Independence Day, Twister, Mission Impossible, Jerry Maguire 1997 Titanic, Men in Black, The Fifth Element 1998 Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary, Armageddon 1999 The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, The Mummy, American Beauty, Austin Powers, The Phantom Menace On the fence... 1980 Friday the 13th, Flash Gordon 1981 An American Werewolf in London, Escape From New York 1985 Fletch, Cocoon, Weird Science, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Mask 1987 Three Men and a Baby, Moonstruck 1988 Twins, Young Guns 1989 Christmas Vacation, Born on the Fourth of July, Road House 1992 Sister Act, Unforgiven, Wayne's World 1993 Demolition Man, Free Willy 1994 Natural Born Killers, Dumb and Dumber, Santa Clause