Customer Reviews

Better Off Dead (Widescreen)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Comedy seldom stands the test of time, such is the case with this early Cusack vehicle. I remember seeing this film when it was first released and fondly reminiscing about how funny it was. Sad to say, memories are usually funnier than fact. Don't get me wrong though, I can see why I liked the film for it's time. It doesn't lack charm, but some of the gags seem dated by any of today's standards. Very few comedic offerings hold up through multiple generations. I remember what a huge hit Beverly Hills Cop was with Eddie Murphy in 1984. Watch it now and you'd be bored to tears waiting for a laugh. These films are usually remembered in fondness by the people who saw them at the time, and they are best preserved as memories only.

For the two Asians (one of which has learned all the English he knows from Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports) who constantly drag race Cusack, this flick is worth the price of the video.

Of course, it's dumb and stupid, but it's also got so many classic bits the blow-dried '80s hairstyles can be overlooked.

One of my favorite movies from my teens. Worth every minute. He should be in comedy to this day.

John Cusack has done some campy flicks One Crazy Summer and Better Off Dead. This one far exceeds the first. There are so many funny scenes I don't know where to begin. The soundtrack although disappointing on the CD will not disappoint on the DVD. Too bad no additional footage or goodies like that. To me this was John Cusacks best movie.

Favorite Moments (Close your eyes and remember)

1) CHRISTMAS! DO THEY HAVE CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE? CHRISSSSMASSS! Opens picture of Ricky and goes outside and laughs for about 5 minutes on the front step.

2) TWO DOLLARS, PLUS TIP! I don't think there can ever be a more evident line for a movie than this. All you have to say to someone is "TWO DOLLARS!" Chances are if they saw this flick they will say "BETTER OFF DEAD".

3) "DUDE, RIGHT NOW I CAN BE MAKING SOME KILLER EGGNOG FROM LIGHTER FLUID!" "CHICKS WILL GET STERILE JUST LOOKING AT YOU" "BUCK UP LITTLE TROOPER" Charles Demar or Booger as you may have come to know him steals the scene on several occassions.
The funny thing is he teams up with Cusack again in One Crazy Summer.

4) BARNEY RUBBLE ASKING LANE TO GO OUT WITH BETH. Need I say more.

5) IT'S GOT RAISINS IN IT, YOU LIKE RAISINS - With that the green slime crawls off of its plate and across the table.

I could go on for hours, do yourself a favor and buy this movie! If you want to remember the eighties all over again this will bring it all back home. A great cast, script and many, many laughs. Also check out One Crazy Summer, along the same lines.

TWO DOLLARS!

This is a great movie to have around for those nights when you really don't want to think about how it is, but would rather think about how it was. 143 people can't be wrong. John Cusak might be the most easily identified with actor of my generation, (with apologies to Jon Cryer, who makes a good race out of it.) The first time I saw it in the cheap local theater I almost suffered an incontinent moment when Layne (Lane?) uttered, "Gee, I'm sorry your mom blew up, Ricky." It's lines like that, scenes like David Ogden Stiers in the reindeer head coat, and the only known soundtrack appearance of Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some" that make me go back for this one again and again.

This is a great rainy day movie, in other words: a movie you don't need to think about too much that'll still make you smile. Take care of who you watch it with, however, as you may find yourself embarrassed to be laughing at the dinner slowly crawling off the table or David Ogden Spears being foiled by the paperboy.

This movie is similar to movies like Summer Catch and One Crazy Summer but I feel it is the best comedy movie for teenagers ever made.

I sit here at work and read the reviews that proceeded mine and notice something. Some people "get" it. Some don't. The question that comes from this is "Are the people who sit and wait for that sublime moment when Ricky half jumps trying to catch his balloon and then rewind, watch it again, rewind, watch it again, rewind... somehow better than everyone else?" The answer is a sad but definite yes.

If you honestly watch this movie hoping to be enthralled by its plot, cinematography, and acting performances, you quite possibly are a moron. That's not what this movie is about. It's about the "international language." It's about learning the street value of a mountain and where to score some nasal spray. It's about beating some Korean kids off the line (one who speaks Howard Cosel while the other speaks no English at all) without having you dental plan activated. I make no attempt to try and convince you that this is a great movie. It is what it is. I will however give you this bit of advice, look for the little things. Look for the timing as Lane comes oh so close to eating the spoon full of cat food as he ponders the possibility of it all being just a big test. See Charles mouthing to his fetal pig (or whatever it is) in the jar to "WAKE UP!" as the camera pans by. Sure it has great lines. Sure it has funny moments. But the point I'm trying to make is that you will not enjoy this movie as much the first, second, or third time as you will the 15th, 16th and 17th. It's just that kind of flick.

As far as the DVD version goes, I would have to tell people to stick to the VHS. While obviously the picture and sound qualities are better it lacks the feel that comes from the haze of a worn out VCR. In moving back to the wide screen, much of the intimate feel is lost because this is never a movie that needs to open up and show the world. Live in its smallness. Embrace it. And most importantly, take it for what it is. No more. No less.

I truly feel this is a cult classic comedy. Perhaps the underdog comedy of the 80's. You really need to watch it a couple of times to catch some of the subtle lines you may otherwise miss from laughing out loud at the more obvious lines.

Buy this movie, invite some friends over and enjoy!!

I'm a sucker for a lot of the '80s teen movies--Ferris Bueller, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Breakfast Club, etc--but Better Off Dead is my absolute favorite.
Unlike a lot of it's competition, there's something dark about this film. The protagonist, Cusask's character Lane, isn't one of the popular/cool/beautiful people. He's something of a loser, with a loser friend, a bizarre family, just trying to make it through life's little struggles. He's easy to identify with, especially if you were something of an outcast in high school yourself. Add to the basic storyline a whole lot of wacky sidebars like Ricky the shut-in neighbor, the Howard Cosell-speaking Asian racers, the Van Halen-singing/dancing hamburgers, and, of course, the paperboy and his quest for his $2, you've got one crazy high school movie that stands the test of time.