Better Off Dead...

1985
15
1h 37m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

51K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,326

John Cusack, Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin, Tina Littlewood, Yuji Okumoto, and Dan Schneider in Better Off Dead... (1985)

Play trailer1:29

1 Video

99+ Photos

Dark Comedy Teen Comedy Teen Drama Comedy Romance

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

51K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,326

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 1:29

Better Off Dead

Photos128

+ 122

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to Savage Steve Holland, the film is mostly autobiographical. He was suicidal when his high school girlfriend left him for the captain of the ski team. Following the film's release, his ex-girlfriend contacted him to apologise.

Goofs
At 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
Johnny: [49:50]
[1:08:48]
Johnny: [1:24:56] Two dollars!
Paperboy: Two dollars

Crazy credits
The last line of the credits reads The film's over... you can go now.

Alternate versions
Network 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.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Better Off Dead/The Journey of Natty Gann/Commando (1985)

Soundtracks
Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do
Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Performed by Neil Sedaka
Courtesy of RCA Records

User reviews230

Featured review

Stupidly Insane in the best way

I was introduced to this movie by my dad a few years back during a family vacation, and even though I didn't let him know it then, Better Off Dead has turned out to be one of my favorite movies to come out of the 80's. I'm definitely not the target age audience for this movie - just 17 a few months back - but I can definitely appreciate the film's dry humor and stupid gags throughout.

As an artist myself I LOVED the little cutaway animated bits, and had to appreciate it knowing that was uncommon for the time, and, in my opinion, is too creative to still be so underused now.

On the other hand, I can understand why people don't appreciate the way teen suicide is shown, having lost a few friends to it myself, but it's interesting how it's almost come back to mock us now in a way with how lightly and jokingly I see people tossing around the idea of killing themselves at the smallest and silliest things - like a crush dumping them.

Overall, I know this movie isn't for everyone, being a sort of cult classic as it is, but it is one of the few movies that has brought me and my dad a bit closer recently, so I'll always appreciate it. Better Off Dead will always hold a special place in my heart. :)