Better Off Dead (1985)
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| Better Off Dead | |
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 Better Off Dead movie poster |
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| Directed by | Savage Steve Holland |
| Produced by | Gil Friesen Michael Jaffe Andrew Meyer |
| Written by | Savage Steve Holland |
| Starring | John Cusack David Ogden Stiers Diane Franklin Curtis Armstrong |
| Music by | Rupert Hine |
| Cinematography | Isodore Mankofsky |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | October 11, 1985 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Better Off Dead is a 1985 teen cult black comedy starring John Cusack, written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. It tells the story of a high school student who is miserable after his girlfriend breaks up with him.
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[edit] Plot
Better Off Dead takes place in a fictional town in "the state of Northern California" called Greendale and centers on high-schooler Lane Meyer (John Cusack), whose girlfriend Beth (played by Amanda Wyss) dumps him for the captain of the high school ski team, Roy Stalin. Lane cannot get past this rejection and decides that the only way out of his misery is through suicide. His half-hearted attempts at suicide always manage to leave him alive, with comedic consequences. One example is a jump off an overpass into an unseen garbage truck. Two black men trimming trees see him in the garbage truck and one says "Man, that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that."
One of the most memorable aspects of this movie is the ensemble of characters who surround Lane. His family is odd-- his mother may be the world's worst cook, and his genius little brother can build laser guns and likes trashy women. Lane's best friend attempts to use everyday substances, like whipped cream or snow, as drugs. And the film also introduces two Japanese drag-racing brothers, one of whom learned English by impersonating Howard Cosell.
As Lane attempts to either end his life or get his ex-girlfriend back, he also gets to know a new girl, whom he begins to have feelings for: the French foreign exchange student named Monique (played by Diane Franklin, who also starred in other 80's teen dra-medies The Last American Virgin, and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure). She is staying with Lane's neighbors across the street, who are so annoying that she pretends she cannot speak English. Monique turns out to be a fan of the "Brooklyn Dodgers" (as she calls them) and a tough, confident soul. She helps Lane fix up his 1967 Camaro, and rekindles Lane's confidence and will to live through "language lessons" in the international language of love.
In the climactic scene involving a ski competition against the ski jock Roy Stalin, a treacherous slope called the K-12, a persistent paper boy who wants his two dollars (spawning the catchphrase, "I want my two dollars!" which has become more well-known than the film itself), and Lane racing down the mountain on one ski, he overcomes a life gone downhill to find happiness.
[edit] Cast
- John Cusack as Lane Meyer
- David Ogden Stiers as Al Meyer
- Kim Darby as Jenny Meyer
- Demian Slade as Johnny Gasparini
- Scooter Stevens as Badger Meyer
- Diane Franklin as Monique Junot
- Laura Waterbury as Mrs. Smith
- Dan Schneider as Ricky Smith
- Amanda Wyss as Beth Truss
- Curtis Armstrong as Charles De Mar
- Aaron Dozier as Roy Stalin
[edit] Location
At least some of the skiing scenes were shot at Snowbird, in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. During the sword fight with ski poles, you can see the word "Mid Gad" on the lift machinery. Mid Gad is a ski lift at Snowbird.
Most of the ski scenes were shot at Alta...the parking lot is Alta's parking lot.
[edit] Pop References
- In an episode of Family Guy in which the Griffin family gets a maid for a week, Peter rides her down the street like a horse and comes to a stop sign. Two Asian men pull up next to him, also riding a woman like a horse. Peter straps on goggles and gloves to race them, but the maid collapses underneath him. The ski race finale is also parodied in the Family Guy episode, Road to Rupert.
- In the episode "Asspen" of the TV series South Park, the kids go to a ski resort, and there are various references to Better off Dead and other 80's comedies, including a Roy Stalin-style bully who challenges Stan to a race down the "K-13."
- In an episode of The Simpsons, the title of this film is parodied in an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon as "Butter Off Dead."
- The film was directed by Savage Steve Holland. Before the film was produced, Holland's best known work was the animations of the Whammy characters on the TV game show Press Your Luck.
[edit] Soundtrack
| Better Off Dead: The Soundcrack! | ||
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| Soundtrack of Better Off Dead | ||
| Released | 1985 | |
| Recorded | 1985 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 39 min 45 s | |
| Label | A&M | |
| Producer | Rupert Hine | |
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The film's soundtrack was produced primarily by Rupert Hine. A number of songs that appear in the film, including Howard Jones' "Like To Get To Know You Well", Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some", Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover", Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady", Frank Sinatra singing "A Man Alone" by Rod Mckuen, and Hall & Oates' "She's Gone", do not appear on the CD soundtrack.
The opening track, "With One Look (The Wildest Dream)", was produced by Hine and features Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx on lead vocals and guitars respectively. Hine had previously worked with Curnin and West-Oram, and also contributed vocals to the song. The following track, "Arrested By You", as well as "Better Off Dub (Title Music)" and "Race The K-12 (Instrumental)" were performed solely by Hine.
"Dancing In Isolation" features Terri Nunn of Berlin on lead vocals. Hine produced the song and was reportedly under consideration to produce an album for Berlin.
"Come To Your Rescue" was performed by Thinkman, a group formed by, and including, Hine for the purpose of restoring his solo career without the music press knowing about it.[1] West-Oram also provided guitar work to this song, as well as the instrumental "The Falcon Beat".
The only two tracks on the CD without Hine's involvement are "A Little Luck" and "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)."[2] Valley Girl's Elizabeth Daily, credited on the soundtrack as E.G. Daily, sang lead vocals on both songs and also performed them "live" in the film during the high school dance scene.
[edit] Track listing
- "With One Look (The Wildest Dream)" (3:26) (written by Torrence Merdur/Rupert Hine)
- "Arrested By You" (5:07) (written by Torrence Merdur/Rupert Hine)
- "Shine" (3:49) (written by Martin Ansell
- "Better Off Dub (Title Music)" (3:48) (written by Rupert Hine)
- "Dancing In Isolation" (4:04) (written by Torrence Merdur/Rupert Hine)
- "Come to Your Rescue" (5:03) (written by Jeanette Therese Obstoj/Rupert Hine)
- "A Little Luck" (4:21) (written by Angela Rubin)
- "The Falcon Beat (Instrumental)" (2:37) (written by Rupert Hine)
- "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)" (3:33) (written by Steve Goldstein/Duane Hitchings/Craig Krampf/Eric Nelson)
- "Race The K-12" (3:49) (written by Rupert Hine)
- Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 produced by Rupert Hine.
- Tracks 7 and 9 produced by Steve Goldstein.
