Thoughts on Better Off Dead ...

 

via IMDB

"I have a great fear of tools. I once made a birdhouse in wood shop and the Fair Housing Committee condemned it."

"'I cannot do it' is your middle name."

Written and directed by Savage Steve Holland, Better Off Dead ... just might be the standout surprise of The Films of 1985. Its story couldn't be more conventional -- depressed teenager Lane Meyer (John Cusack), with the help of pretty and compassionate Monique Junot (Diane Franklin), eventually gets over a broken heart -- but the execution makes all the difference. Lane is more than bummed, he's suicidal, and particularly inept at trying to kill himself. Monique's not just a foreign exchange student, she's also clever enough to repair a Camaro and stay one step ahead of her loathsome host family.

Lane and Monique are quirky, but they take a backseat to just about everyone. His best friend, Charles De Mar (Curtis Armstrong), copes with Greendale, California's lack of good drugs by snorting everything from gelatin to snow. The Meyer family includes cheerfully eccentric mother Jenny (Kim Darby, giving perhaps the movie's best performance), precocious youngest son Badger (Scooter Stevens) and straight man dad Al (David Ogden Stiers). Monique, meanwhile, is staying with crass Mrs. Smith (Laura Waterbury) and her creepy son, Ricky (Dan Schneider), a boy of few words.

Before Lane can feel better, he's subject to numerous indignities. His girlfriend, Beth (Amanda Wyss) hooks up with school skiing champ Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier). It doesn't stop men including geometry teacher Mr. Kerber (Vincent Schiavelli) and Barney Rubble from indicating their interest in Beth. Lane also has to deal with two patronizing Koreans (Yuji Okumoto and Brian Imada), one of whom speaks like Howard Cosell, his mother's awful cooking, a short-lived job making "Pig Burgers," Johnny the psychotic, payment-obsessed paperboy (Demian Slade) and the idea of skiing down the daunting K-12. 

"I think you're kind of remarkable. How'd you learn to do all of this?"

"Some things are not that hard to understand, Lane. Like you, for instance. You think of all these ways of killing yourself ... yet you never do it. Why is this?"

"Isn't that kind of personal?"

"But I told you the sordid details of my intimate sex life with Ricky. I just figured you could explain this dramatic death wish."

"I used to go out with this girl named Beth. I really thought I loved her and she dumped me. And I guess I thought I couldn't live without her or something."

"You would die to get the attention of this woman? You know, Lane, there are better ways of getting attention."

Dead ... caught my attention for being a comedy tsunami, where the gags just will not stop. This is what Teen Wolf and Volunteers was missing, a go for broke sensibility. Dead ... kept my attention by breaking up the jokes with a genuinely sweet, relatable story and appealing leads. Cusack's great as Lane, believable as a perpetual dreamer, sorta loser and boy next door. Franklin's also a lot of fun as Monique, even if it takes a while for the character to come to life. The supporting cast doesn't overwhelm Dead ..., which I think is something of a small miracle (and makes their antics all the more funnier).

As What's On Tonight readers discovered, Dead ... is my first Savage Steve Holland movie. I don't know if I've felt this excited about an idiosyncratic movie maker since I became familiar with Joe Dante. While I was bummed to find out Dead ... didn't really catch on with critics and moviegoers in 1985 -- I mean, it turned a profit and probably did pretty well thanks to cable broadcasts and video rentals -- there is something to be said about making a film on your own terms. For that matter, Savage Steve wasn't shy about surrealism, but he also made a movie where the hero defeats the villain and gets the girl.

"I think all you need is a small taste of success, and you will find it suits you."

Recommended.

Thoughts:

-- "Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn."

-- Box Office: Grossing nearly $10.3 million on a $3.5 million budget, Dead ... opened wide at No. 7 in October 1985 and came in at No. 82 for the year.

-- Critic's Corner: "Sustained humor doesn't seem to be what interests Mr. Holland," Janet Maslin wrote. "His style could better be described as hit and run." "If Holland wants to make live action cartoons, why bother with structure at all?" Paul Attanasio asked.

-- Fanservice Junction: Tina Littlewood as Chris Cummins, the rollerskating cheerleader who's dating the entire basketball team and accidentally gets stripped to her underwear by Lane.

-- "Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky. The doctor said she'll be okay. I guess she just won't be able to eat spicy foods for awhile."

-- Hey, It's ...!: Vincent Schiavelli, Steven Williams, Taylor Negron and Rich Little (who I presume did the Howard Cosell and Barney imitations).

-- Stalin's spirited bid for the Biggest Douchebag of 1985 honor is even more impressive when you consider Dead ... was Dozier's only movie. But can he hold a candle to William Zabka, William Atherton or Judd Nelson? Discuss.

-- Memorable Music: The score is 39-30, still favoring songs written for movies. Dead ... has three entries, "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)," performed by E.G. Daily (which plays during the school dance), "Everybody Wants Some!!" by Van Halen (playing during the animated hamburger sequence) and "Arrested By You" by Rupert Hine (playing during Lane and Monique's date at Pig Burger).

-- "Now that's a shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that."

-- Next: Compromising Positions. On deck: Crossover Dreams and Creator. Coming Soon: Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and Kiss of the Spider Woman.