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Better Off Dead | Year: 1985 Directed: - Savage Steve Holland Actors/Actresses: - John Cusack as Lane Meyer - David Ogden Stiers - Curtis Armstrong - Vincent Schiavelli - Kim Darby - Amanda Wyss Teen-age angst at its funniest Lane Meyer (Cusack) has the entire standard (only if they are yours not so standard) problems and people to put up with. He has a car (if he puts it together.) He has a mother that makes boiled bacon and many other delicacies. The standard mix of schoolmates and a love problem. Naturally everything is going down hill until the neighbors bring in a female French exchange student. Will she be able to get him out of his slump or cause more anguish so that he would be 'Better Off Dead'?<BR>It is all the little things that you can relate to and the fantasy scenes that make the movie. They are to numerous to mention here but many people after watching this movie have a tendency to look at each other and say, 'I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!' Yet another example of "Great movie, bad DVD" Needless to say, movies in the eighties weren't a whole lot funnier than this one. I wanted it on DVD so badly, and waited nearly four months until it was finally released. But as soon as I popped it in my player, I realized something terrible: NO extras. I waited four months for the damn thing to come out and they don't put a single extra on it!? Good thing the actual film more than makes up for it. This is the story of Lane Myer, a boy whose girlfriend for six months breaks up with him in favor of the egotistical captain of the high school ski team. Though he gives suicide great consideration, he begins to take a liking to a foreign exchange student staying next door to him. Though this sounds like a pretty generic film at first, the obstacles Lane must face in everyday life add to the comedy value. A best friend who has been in high school for seven and a half years (played by Curtis Armstrong, best known for his role in the Revenge Of The Nerds films.) A paperboy who will not rest until he gets his two dollars. Two drag-racing Japanese brothers. Drawings that insult him. A younger brother who turns toy guns into weapons of mass destruction and household items into a space shuttle. These are just a few of the reasons you should view this film at least once. Due to the DVD's lack of extras, don't buy it if you already have the VHS version. Can I Date Beth? Better Off Dead is a small little gem from the mid 80's. With all of the other teen/school comedies of that era, it's no wonder this appealing and funny film got lost in the mix. John Cusack stars as Lane Myer, a normal kid with a not so normal family. His mom is a little off her rocker. She cooks horrendous food and makes deer coats for Christmas. His little brother tries to pick up trashy women. Lane's Dad is battling the paperboy. But, worst of all, Lane doesn't make the ski team and his beloved girlfriend, Beth, dumps him for some pukey captain of the ski team. Then, Lane meets a cute foreign exchange student who's staying with his obese neighbors. Lane tries to win her love as does the son of the family she's staying with. The movie is funny. Dan Schneider, as neighbor Ricky, is downright hilarious. An underrated comedic performance. Cusack, as always, is solid and appealing. The remaining cast includes Curtis(Revenge Of The Nerds)armstrong, Vincent Schiavelli, David Ogden Stiers FROM "Mash", and Kim(True Grit)Darby. There's even a cute animation sequence involving hamburger. You heard me right. The onrunning joke about a psycho paperboy is pretty funny. The best comedy from this film is, as I've mentioned, the<BR>nerdy, overweight nerdy boy Ricky. This is a lost comedy gem that deserves to be exposed again. Buy Better Off Dead at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Better Off Dead Search with the Priority Search Engine on Better Off Dead This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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