| Better Off Dead | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan |
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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 Amanda Wyss |
| Music by | Rupert Hine |
| Cinematography | Isodore Mankofsky |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 23, 1985 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $10,297,601 |
Better Off Dead is a 1985 American teen romantic comedy film starring John Cusack and written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. It tells the story of high school student Lane Meyer who is suicidal after his girlfriend breaks up with him.
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The story takes place in the fictional town of Greendale in "the state of Northern California" and centers on high-schooler Lane Meyer (John Cusack), whose girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss) dumps him for the arrogant and bullying captain of the high school ski team, Roy Stalin. Lane cannot get past this rejection and decides that death is the only way out of his misery. His half-hearted attempts at suicide, however, always fail, with comedic consequences.
Lane's family is odd: his mother (Kim Darby) is a sort of deranged Stepford wife and perhaps the world's worst cook; his genius little brother never speaks but can build lasers and attract trashy women; and his father (David Ogden Stiers) is convinced Lane is using drugs. Lane's best friend, Charles de Mar (Curtis Armstrong) attempts to inhale everyday substances, like the nitrous oxide in a whipped cream can (known as a whippit) or snow, as if it were cocaine because he "can't even get real drugs here." The film also introduces two Korean drag racing brothers, one of whom (Yuji Okumoto) learned English by impersonating Howard Cosell.
As Lane attempts to either end his life or win back his ex-girlfriend, he gradually gets to know a new girl: a French foreign-exchange student named Monique (Diane Franklin). She is staying with Lane's neighbors (Laura Waterbury and Daniel Schneider) 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 is a tough, confident soul. She helps Lane fix up his 1967 Camaro and rekindles Lane's confidence and his will to live through "language lessons" in the international language of love.
The climactic scene involves a ski competition against Roy Stalin on a treacherous slope called the K-12. As the two rivals race, a persistent paperboy pursues Meyer, repeating that he wants two dollars that are owed (spawning the catchphrase, "I want my two dollars!").
Some of the skiing scenes were shot at Snowbird, in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. During the sword fight with ski poles, the word "Mid Gad" is plainly visible on the lift machinery; Mid Gad is a ski lift at Snowbird. Most of the ski scenes were shot at Alta Ski Area; the parking lot is Alta's parking lot. It is widely speculated that many of the "town" scenes of the film were shot in various locations throughout the eastern San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in California. The race scenes were filmed in the city of Sierra Madre. It appears that many of the scenes were shot in Upland, California. Several scenes were filmed in the city of Burbank, as local landmarks are visible in driving scenes. The film's final scene was shot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
The film received positive reviews from critics with an 81% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews. The consensus was that "Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack's winsome, charming performance."[1] However, Siskel & Ebert gave the film two thumbs down.[2]
Also, according to Savage Steve Holland, Cusack didn't like the film. Cusack walked out of a screening as both were making One Crazy Summer, later confronting Holland saying it "was the worst thing I have ever seen. I will never trust you as a director ever again, so don’t speak to me." Holland claims that Cusack felt he had been made to look foolish and that his comments "made me not care about movies anymore."[3]
| Better Off Dead: Original A&M Soundcrack (sic) | |
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| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | 1985 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 39:45 |
| Label | A&M |
| Producer | Rupert Hine |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
The film's soundtrack was produced primarily by Rupert Hine.
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. 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)." Valley Girl's Elizabeth Daily, credited on the soundtrack as E. G. Daily, sang lead vocals on both songs and also performed them in the film during the high school dance scene.
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