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Better Off Dead... (1985)

6.6 | Aug 23, 1985 (US) | Comedy, Romance | 01:37
Budget: N/A | Revenue: 10 297 601

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.

Featured Crew

Writer, Director
Script Supervisor
Stunts
First Assistant Director
Stunts
Stunts
Stunts
Unit Publicist
Art Designer
Stunts

Cast

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John Cusack
Lane Meyer
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Amanda Wyss
Beth Truss
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Diane Franklin
Monique Junot
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Aaron Dozier
Roy Stalin
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Curtis Armstrong
Charles De Mar
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Kim Darby
Jenny Meyer
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Demian Slade
Johnny Gasparini
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Laura Waterbury
Mrs. Smith
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Dan Schneider
Ricky Smith

Reviews

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Filipe Manuel Neto
3 | Oct 28, 2023
**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.