After his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. F... Read allAfter his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. Filled with the wildest teen nightmares.After his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. Filled with the wildest teen nightmares.
- Ricky Smith
- (as Daniel Schneider)
- Roy's Ski Buddy #2
- (as J. Warren Davis)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Savage Steve Holland, the film is mostly autobiographical. Holland really was suicidal when his high school girlfriend left him for captain of the ski team. Also, he really did have a paperboy named Johnny Gasparini who would harass him for two dollars. According to Holland, when the film came out, the ex-girlfriend contacted him to apologize.
- GoofsAt the final race, the race official signals Lane to go first. The official then sends Roy 5 seconds later, thus suggesting that the race is based on time. Lane beats Roy by only a fraction of a second. Therefore, Roy had the better time and should have won the race.
- Quotes
[Lane waves to two tree trimmers from the cargo hold of a garbage truck]
Tree Trimmer: [33:27] Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that.
- Crazy creditsThe last line of the credits reads The film's over... you can go now.
- Alternate versionsNetwork TV/HBO versions include two additional shots at the end of the film, one being a wide angle shot of the baseball stadium, and the other being a close up shot of Monique and Lane kissing together. Because of the deletion of these shots, the music and sound effects on the current video release are not synchronized with the picture.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Better Off Dead/The Journey of Natty Gann/Commando (1985)
- SoundtracksBreakin' Up Is Hard To Do
Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Performed by Neil Sedaka
Courtesy of RCA Records
Ah, the nostalgic 80s when kids knew how to be young rather than spend their days on the cellphone or behind the computer. The film delightfully spoofs those teen angst movies that were so popular at the time. Lane's ex-girlfriend giving him an excuse that she dumped him for someone better looking and more popular, Lanes failed suicide attempts, Lanes cartoons are among some of the most amusing sequences.
Holland gives the film a unique treatment. 'Better Off Dead...' has an innovative quality that makes it one of a kind. It includes the adorable claymated romantic Hamburgers, cartoons, a stalking paperboy, a ski competition on one leg, a little brother who's a silent genius and an international language. Holland put a lot of heart in the writing and some of the lines had me rolling on the floor laughing.
The acting is splendid. The character Lane seems tailor-made for John Cusack. I've always thought of Cusack as an underrated actor and 'Better Off Dead...' is one of the few movies that does justice to his talents (even though this is perhaps one of his first roles). A vivacious Diane Franklin is supercute and she has the loveliest smile. The chemistry between her and Cusack is undeniable and both have excellent comic timing. David Ogden Stiers and Kim Darby are hilarious as the nutty parents. Curtis Armstrong provides some morbidly funny moments.
To say it in one sentence, 'Better Off Dead...' is one of the rarest examples of teen movies at its best. It already is a classic and while many of us watch it for nostalgic reasons, others may like it simply for the heart and humour.
- Chrysanthepop
- Aug 15, 2008
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $10,297,601
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $56,371
- Aug 25, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $10,297,601