Better Off Dead... (1985)

A teenager has to deal with his girlfriend dumping him among family crises, homicidal paper boys, and a rival skier.

Director:

Savage Steve Holland

Writer:

Savage Steve Holland

Stars:

John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cusack	...	Lane Meyer
David Ogden Stiers	...	Al Meyer
Kim Darby	...	Jenny Meyer
Demian Slade	...	Johnny Gasparini
Scooter Stevens	...	Badger Meyer
Diane Franklin	...	Monique Junot
Laura Waterbury	...	Mrs. Smith
Dan Schneider	...	Ricky Smith (as Daniel Schneider)
Yuji Okumoto	...	Yee Sook Ree
Brian Imada	...	Chen Ree
Chuck Mitchell	...	Rocko
Amanda Wyss	...	Beth Truss
Curtis Armstrong	...	Charles De Mar
Aaron Dozier	...	Roy Stalin
Frank Burt Avalon	...	Roy's Ski Buddy #1

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!

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Plot Keywords:

exchange student | skiing | suicide attempt | teen | teacher | 

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Taglines:

Teenage life has never been darker...or funnier...

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Better Off Dead

Filming Locations:

Sandy's Char Burger - 6223 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&M Films, CBS Entertainment Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the Christmas presents scene at Lane's house we see a large toy robot. It is Twiki from the TV show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

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Goofs

Lane trips on the skates and accidentally pulls Chris' cheerleader outfit down around her ankles, exposing her underwear-clad body to the cafeteria. In the next shot that shows the outfit, it is away from her body, closer to lane, not near her feet. If Lane had actually pulled the outfit out from under her skate-clad feet, she would have tripped.

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Quotes

Lane Myer: Uh, hello?
Monique Junot: Ah, bonjour.
Lane Myer: Monique, hi.
Monique Junot: Comment allez-vous?
Lane Myer: No thanks, I already had breakfast.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature a cartoon - the animation style is the same that Lane draws in the cafeteria later on. John Cusack's character in Savage Steve Holland's One Crazy Summer is also an aspiring cartoonist who draws in the same style.

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Connections

Features Puckman (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Arrested By You"
Music by Rupert Hine
Lyrics by Torrence Merdur
Performed by Rupert Hine
Produced by Rupert Hine

User Reviews

The ultimate teen angst flick!

If there was ever a role that John Cusack milked until it mooed, this one would have to have been it. His portrayal of Lane Meyer will forever be remembered in high school lore as the Ultimate Champion of the Underdog. I laughed so hard my sides ached and tears were running down my cheeks. What has long been a cult classic, this film did an excellent job of portraying the awkwardness of those teenage years that all adults thank God every day that we now have behind us. "Savage" Steve Holland's directorial debut was simply sensational; he could not have picked a better vehicle in which to make his mark!

Rounding out the cast includes Amanda Wyss as the fickle girlfriend who is more interested in her popularity than anything else; David Ogden Stiers (Major Winchester from M*A*S*H fame) as the dad who tries too hard to be "in", Kim Darby is priceless here as the mother who is completely, absolutely and utterly clueless, Scooter Stevens as Lane's little brother Badger is one ongoing surprise after another, and what is probably going to go down as BY FAR the most coveted film role in the 20th century, Demian Slade plays the paperboy from Hell. His portrayal alone makes the film not only worth watching, but worth buying! To close matters off in the casting department, the chemistry between Cusack and Diane Franklin – who plays the French foreign exchange student Monique Junot, is something that simply cannot be denied. Keep in mind however, that whatever you do – that like The Cable Guy – DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT take your eyes off that paperboy!

Cusack and Holland do a perfect job of capturing that period of time in the 1980's better than any other film of the period. This film is well worth an evening's entertainment. Rent it once, and then buy it, as you will want to watch it many times over. It took me SEVEN YEARS to find a copy in VHS. The DVD was just bought for $10.00 and change from from Wal-Mart.com. I highly recommend this film to one and all as a MUST-OWN!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this film a 12/10. ***