After his girlfriend Beth Truss ditches him for boorish ski jock Roy Stalin, sad sack high school student Lane Meyer decides that suicide is the only answer. But his inept attempts bring him... Read allAfter his girlfriend Beth Truss ditches him for boorish ski jock Roy Stalin, sad sack high school student Lane Meyer decides that suicide is the only answer. But his inept attempts bring him nothing but agony and embarrassment.After his girlfriend Beth Truss ditches him for boorish ski jock Roy Stalin, sad sack high school student Lane Meyer decides that suicide is the only answer. But his inept attempts bring him nothing but agony and embarrassment.
- 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 was suicidal when his high school girlfriend left him for captain of the ski team. A paperboy named Johnny Gasparini would harass him for two dollars. According to Holland, the ex-girlfriend contacted him to apologize when the film came out.
- 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
One of my favourite characters in the film is super-enthusiastic maths teacher Mr Kerber, played by late-great character actor Vincent Schiavelli. Telling maths formula jokes to his spellbound class, Schiavelli spins comedy gold using that discomfortingly warm tone that made him such a sought-after talent. His is one of several casting choices that are pitch perfect: John Cusak as the self-involved teen who wants to end it all when his vapid girlfriend (Amanda Wyss) dumps him for someone more popular; Laura Waterbury as the odious loud-mouthed neighbour and gas guzzling mother of shy bullish nerd Ricky Smith (perfectly played by Dan Schneider); Kim Derby as the timid clueless stay-at-home mom who makes slime-ridden meals that seem somehow sentient and slide off the plate by themselves (her "Frawnch" dinner party host is unforgettable); Curtis Armstrong ostensibly reprising his role from REVENGE OF THE NERDS gets the lion's share of one-liners and he delivers them with so much aplomb; Chuck Mitchell reprising his PORKY'S role is perfect as bad-tempered burger baron Rocko; Diane Franklin as the hapless frustrated French exchange student who is both a fairy godmother and the surprise love interest; monster child Scooter Stevens who wields newspapers as weapons and to whom two dollars means the world; and the super talented David Ogden Stiers as the priggish father attempting to bridge the generation gap with his checked-out son.
BETTER OFF DEAD is not for everyone and the film is most likely best enjoyed by those who lived through the 80s and understand its cultural peccadilloes, but if you have watched your fair share of 80s comedies like SCREWBALLS, 16 CANDLES, BACHELOR PARTY, PORKY'S, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION, REAL GENIUS, ZAPPED, or POLICE ACADEMY, you might wanna give BETTER OF DEAD a chance. Who knows, after seeing how everybody wants some, you may just want some too!
- filmbufferx
- Dec 19, 2017
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $10,297,601
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $56,371
- Aug 25, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $10,297,601
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![John Cusack, Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin, Tina Littlewood, Yuji Okumoto, and Dan Schneider in Better Off Dead (1985)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTdmMWU3MTktNWY3MC00MTlmLWJiM2QtZWQyM2E3MDI2YzI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUzMDUzNTI3._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)