Better Off Dead... (1985)

Director:

Savage Steve Holland

Writer:

Savage Steve Holland (writer)

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

You've blown up your neighbor's mom. Your seven-year-old brother has better luck with women than you do. Your girlfriend has a new boyfriend. Relax, you're never...

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Skiing On One Ski | Christmas | Clay Animation | High School | Black Comedy

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Better Off Dead (USA)
One Way Love (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:12 | UK:15 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

1636 Virginia Avenue, Glendale, California, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

People protested the film's original tagline, "Sometimes...you're Better Off Dead," so it was changed to "Relax...you're never Better Off Dead."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lane passes out at the wheel of the car in the garage, he slumps over with his head against the steering wheel, but when the car crashes through the door and backs down the driveway, the driver's head can be seen as though he is sitting straight up.

Quotes:

Mrs. Smith: [Imploring her son to fight with Lane] Ricky, do something to him!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Road to Rupert (#5.9)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Winter Wonderland

Truly, a sight to behold!

Better Off Dead is the zaniest movie that I think I have ever seen. Let's just recap what this movie has in it. We have a guy that attempts suicide but he can't even succeed at that. There is his best friend that declares that a mountain they are on in the dead of winter is pure snow, saying " Do you know what the street value of this is?" We have a father that is trying to speak the lingo of his kids and fails miserably and a mom that cooks food that literally slides off it's plate. We have a math class full of genius' that get upset when they don't have homework to do. Lane has a younger brother who orders books on how to pick up trashy women and learns how to build rockets. We have the entire male population ( and Barney Rubble ) that wants to go out with Lane's ex-girlfriend now that they are broken up. There is two Oriental guys that want to constantly race Lane and then broadcast it over the loud speaker on their car. There is Porky from the Porky's movies basically playing the same role here, dancing hamburgers, a basketball team that grunts and of course the most relentless paper boy in the history of paper delivery.

Whoooooooo! I'm out of breath. So why do I mention all of these things about the movie? Because all of these little issues combine to somehow make one of the funniest and zaniest movies you will ever see. Better Off Dead is so full of energy that there is enough material in here for ten movies. But Savage Steve Holland makes it work. Don't ask me how, but he does. I think I'm going to stop here because if you haven't seen this movie you have to see it now. This is a completely original film and it also one that no one will ever have the guts to make again. This is one hell of a film.