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Better Off Dead... (1985) 7.2
A teenager has to deal with his girlfriend dumping him among family crises, homicidal paper boys, and a rival skier. Director:Savage Steve HollandWriter:Savage Steve Holland |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| John Cusack | ... | ||
| David Ogden Stiers | ... | ||
| Kim Darby | ... |
Jenny Meyer
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Demian Slade | ... |
Johnny Gasparini
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Scooter Stevens | ... |
Badger Meyer
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| Diane Franklin | ... | ||
| Laura Waterbury | ... |
Mrs. Smith
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| Dan Schneider | ... |
Ricky Smith
(as Daniel Schneider)
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| Yuji Okumoto | ... |
Yee Sook Ree
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Brian Imada | ... |
Chen Ree
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Chuck Mitchell | ... |
Rocko
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| Amanda Wyss | ... |
Beth Truss
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| Curtis Armstrong | ... | ||
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Aaron Dozier | ... |
Roy Stalin
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Frank Burt Avalon | ... |
Roy's Ski Buddy #1
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Lane Meyer is a depressed teen who loses his girlfriend Beth. Her given reason for breaking up is: "Lane, I think it'd be in my best interest if I dated somebody more popular. Better looking. Drives a nicer car." Anyway, poor Lane is left alone and thinks up treacherous ways of killing himself. He finally meets a French beauty called Monique and falls for her. Simultaneously, he must endure his mother's terrible cooking which literally slides off the table and his disgusting next door neighbour Ricky (and his mum) while he prepares for the skiing race of his life - to get his old girlfriend back! Written by Michael Feller <reb@magna.com.au>
Taglines:
I have been going to this high school for seven years... I'm no dummy. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 October 1985 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Better Off Dead See more »Filming Locations:
Sandy's Char Burger - 6223 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
StereoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Lane Myer: What, that you're a Dodgers fan?
See more »
Written by Steve Goldstein, Dwayne Hitchings, Craig Krampf, and Eric Nelson
Performed by Elizabeth Daily
Produced by Steve Goldstein
Courtesy of A&M Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The name of the dangerous snow-capped mountain slope was the "K-12". See more »Goofs
During the final ski race, the sun alternates back and forth between midday, late day, and completely overcast in the span of less than 10 minutes. See more »Quotes
Monique Junot: So you won't tell anyone?Lane Myer: What, that you're a Dodgers fan?
See more »
Crazy Credits
When Lane and Monique are at Dodgers Stadium sitting on his Camaro, the camera pulls away to a long shot. The paperboy (I want my two dollars!) can be seen riding across the baseball field towards them. See more »Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Better Off Dead/The Journey of Natty Gann/Commando (1985) See more »Soundtracks
One Way LoveWritten by Steve Goldstein, Dwayne Hitchings, Craig Krampf, and Eric Nelson
Performed by Elizabeth Daily
Produced by Steve Goldstein
Courtesy of A&M Records
See more »
John Cusack's girlfriend has just dumped him for the biggest jerk in school, and John deals with the depression, anger, and frustration in humorous ways. Slowly, he finds himself bonding with French exchange student Diane Franklin, a beautiful and clever young woman, that helps to build up Cusack's self-image so he can win his girlfriend back.
Better Off Dead follows a familiar basic storyline. Main likeable character is dealt a bad hand in life, pulls themselves up by their bootstraps, and ends up triumphing over the people who pushed them down. This formula led to such films as "Animal House", "Revenge of the Nerds", and "Porky's". Not that these films are bad, they are just similar in basic plot.
Better Off Dead however, adds a bizarre surreal quality unaccomplished by these other films. Perhaps this is due to the claymation hamburger sequence, or the unlikely skiing competition at the end of the film.
Or perhaps it's due to the parade of familiar faces from other 80's films. John Cusack's best friend is none other than Curtis Armstrong, best known as "Booger" in the Revenge of the Nerds movies. Next door neighbor and consummate slob Dan Schneider is recognizable as "Dennis" from the TV show "Head of the Class". Cusack's boss at the fast food joint is played by Chuck Wallace, the title character from "Porky's". And with a bit part, yet one the funniest in the whole film, Yano Anaya reprises his "Grover Dill" persona from "A Christmas Story" in the form of a vengeful paperboy. I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!!!
Also has some of the funniest lines in 80's teen comedy, such as Franklin's accidental misuse of the word "testicles", and the comment made by an onlooker when Cusack tumbles into a trash truck.
Definitely better than the majority of 1980's teen comedies.