FeaturePG1985·97m·6.6

Better Off Dead...

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

ComedyRomance

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.

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Cast

John Cusack

Lane Meyer

Amanda Wyss

Beth Truss

Diane Franklin

Monique Junot

Aaron Dozier

Roy Stalin

Curtis Armstrong

Charles De Mar

David Ogden Stiers

Al Meyer

Kim Darby

Jenny Meyer

Demian Slade

Johnny Gasparini

Laura Waterbury

Mrs. Smith

Dan Schneider

Ricky Smith

Yuji Okumoto

Yee Sook Ree

Brian Imada

Chen Ree

Scooter Stevens

Badger Meyer

Chuck Mitchell

Rocko

Frank Burt Avalon

Roy's Ski Buddy #1

Vincent Schiavelli

Mr. Kerber

Taylor Negron

Mailman

E. G. Daily

Elizabeth Daily

Joe W. Davis

Roy's Ski Buddy #2 (as J. Warren David)

Peter Ellenstein

Roy's Ski Buddy #3

Details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Languages
English
Budget
$3.5M
Revenue
$10.3M
Age rating
PG
Quality
4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production
A&M FilmsCBS Theatrical Films

Crew

Director

Savage Steve Holland

Writers

Savage Steve Holland

Rupert Hine

Original Music Composer

Isidore Mankofsky

Director of Photography

Alan Balsam

Editor

Herman F. Zimmerman

Production Design

Brad R. Loman

Costume Design

Gallery

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

10/28/2023

3.0

**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.