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Better Off Dead...

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6.6/10 • 484

1985-08-231h 37m

ComedyRomance

Insanity doesn't run in the family, it gallops.

High school student Lane Meyer sinks into suicidal depression when his girlfriend dumps him for jock Roy Stalin, the high school ski racing champion. Meanwhile, he has to deal with his eccentric family, a tenacious paperboy and an obnoxious neighbor whose mother is hosting a beautiful French exchange student named Monique.

Directors
Savage Steve Holland
Writters
Savage Steve Holland
Editors
Savage Steve Holland, Alan Balsam

Top Billed Cast

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  1. John Cusack

    John Cusack

    Lane Meyer

  2. David Ogden Stiers

    David Ogden Stiers

    Al Meyer

  3. Kim Darby

    Kim Darby

    Jenny Meyer

  4. Demian Slade

    Demian Slade

    Johnny Gasparini

  5. Amanda Wyss

    Amanda Wyss

    Beth Truss

  6. Diane Franklin

    Diane Franklin

    Monique Junot

  7. Scooter Stevens

    Scooter Stevens

    Badger Meyer

  8. Curtis Armstrong

    Curtis Armstrong

    Charles De Mar

  9. Yuji Okumoto

    Yuji Okumoto

    Yee Sook Ree

Reviews1

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Filipe Manuel Neto Avatar

Filipe Manuel Neto

Oct 28, 2023

3/10

A stupid teen comedy, but still funny enough. Teenage films are not exactly my “cup of tea”, but I confess that this little comic film pleased me: after being abandoned by his girlfriend who, deep down, didn't like him and was just trying to be the girlfriend of the most popular boy in the neighborhood, a young man decides to die. After some half-hearted and half-hearted attempts, he ends up turning the situation around in a surprising way. It's a film that has the advantage of being funny, although it's still as stupid as any other teen film. They treat that snowy hill as if it were a Himalayan peak – they even gave it a name alluding to a real mountain in this range – and good skiing seems to be an obsession for the locals. It's the most absurd thing in the film, at least for me. We also have a bizarre and disgusting family that lives close to the protagonist and that I wouldn't want near my house: besides looking like a beautiful group of idiots, I don't know if those people take baths. There are still some additional oddities, but I won't say much about them... it's better to see. John Cusack did a good job. Still a teenager, the actor was already showing signs of having talent and knew how to take advantage of opportunities to grow in the artistic world, and here he makes a committed and competent effort. The rest of the cast is much weaker, largely due to characters who are essentially clichés with legs. Diane Franklin escapes thanks to a better character, and competent work from the actress.

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
$10,297,601.00
Keywords
ducknerdpaperboysuicidalteen comedysnow skiingaftercreditsstingerduringcreditsstingerskiinghilariousadmiringfamiliar