Movie-A-Day #194: Better Off Dead

[Brian in Mesa]

Better Off Dead

You must be registered for see images attach

Cast: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade, Scooter Stevens, Diane Franklin, Dan Schneider, Amanda Wyss, Curtis Armstrong, etc.

Plot: Lane Myer is stuck in a personal hell. A compulsive, adolescent Everyman growing up in Suburbia, USA, not only does he fail to make the prestigious high school ski team (again), but his beloved sweetheart, Beth, also leaves him for Roy, the team's popular, arrogant captain. If this isn't bad enough, he's stuck with a mother who frighteningly experiments--rather than cooks--with food, a brother who builds rockets out of models, and a best friend so desperate for drugs that he settles for snorting powdered snow. Faced with these prospects, Lane opts to end it all ... until he comes up with a ridiculous plan to gain acceptance and win Beth back.

Trivia:

Chuck Mitchell, who owned "Porky's" in Porky's, owns "The Pig Burger" in this film.

The voice of the Japanese kid doing Howard Cosell was dubbed by impressionist Rich Little.

Lane's little brother, Badger, has no lines in the entire film.

-----------------------------------------

Personally, I'm surprised we got this far in the movie list without this classic coming up. Hilarious flick that gets better with time. Very funny. So many funny moments and memorable lines..."I want my $2 !!" :notworthy

 

[Dback Jon]

I love this movie!

So many quotable lines, with the topper (like BIM said) "I want my $2!)

 

[Cardinal Bob]

Personally, I'm surprised we got this far in the movie list without this classic coming up. Hilarious flick that gets better with time. Very funny. So many funny moments and memorable lines..."I want my $2 !!" :notworthy

This movie is absolutely hysterical! I never get tired or fail to laugh while wathcing it...and I've probably watched it 20+ times!



Two thumbs up!

 

[Chaplin]

It has been so long since I've seen this movie, I barely remember it. My whole 80s experience revolves around Say Anything and One Crazy Summer.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Best lines in the movie:

"Sorry I blew up your mom Ricky"

"This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what street value of this mountain is?"

"It's a damn shame throwing away a perfectly good white boy"

 

[Chaplin]

These are always funny to read:

Goofs for
Better Off Dead... (1985)

* Crew or equipment visible: Camera and operator visible during the final ski race with the paper boy.

* Continuity: Size of the slime meal.

* Continuity: Bike tracks across the infield indicating numerous takes.

* Continuity: Monique's jacket while trying the K12 one last time.

* Revealing mistakes: When Lane is getting ready for his date with Joanne Greenwald and he starts spraying deodorant, as he lowers the can below the bottom of the mirror, you can see two streams of deodorant. The smaller is from the can Lane is holding, and the huge one is from something out of the sight of the camera.

* Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the very end of the movie, Lane squeals the tires on a snow-covered road as he drives away.

* Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the paper boy first comes to collect his two dollars (at Lane's front door), his voice does not match his lip movements.

* Continuity: Lane has blood on his lower lip after getting beat up by the basketball team; in a shot immediately following there's not a cut on his lip.

* Crew or equipment visible: Crew is clearly visible when the cafeteria doors "spontaneously" swing open as Ricky enters the school dance.

* Factual errors: A native French speaker would never mistake the English word testicle, because the French word, testicule, is almost identical.

* Continuity: Lane in sitting in class and pulls a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. It is clearly wrinkled and had a wad of gum in the middle. Later, he holds up the piece of paper, smooth and no sign of gum.

* Revealing mistakes: When Lane's father is reading the book on teenage drug use, the camera focuses in on the headline of the chapter: "Paranoia". The first two lines of the chapter are visible & are obviously "Greeked" or made-up nonsense text.

* Revealing mistakes: When Charles exclaims "the whole mountain is pure snow" and supposedly inhales a big snort of it, you can see the snow slipping through his fingers onto the ground as he lets it fall.

* Continuity: Lane's coat while skiing with Monique changes from a grey vest with blue and white striped sleeves visible to a plain grey coat.

* Continuity: When Ricky is holding his doll next to Monique on Christmas morning, the doll jumps around between shots.

* Crew or equipment visible: When Lane is contemplating jumping off the bridge, you can see the shadow of a safety chord attached to his waist. At certain points you can actually see the chord.

* Continuity: When Roy Stalin is skiing down the K-12 in the beginning of the movie, it is not snowing, but when you see everyone watching him, it is snowing very hard.

* Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Lane plays his sax to Monique at dinner, his fingers don't match the music being played.

* Continuity: The High School quest singer is wearing a sleeveless dress. The next song she sing she has puff sleeves on her dress.

* Continuity: When Monique knocks Lane down, as he gets up, he says, "You're that French kid staying with the dorkheads, uhh.. Smiths next door." However, it seems apparent in a later shot (when Monique is throwing oranges) that the Smiths actually live across the street.

 

[Ryanwb]

I had a huge crush on Monique when I was about 10 years old. I watched this movie about 6 months ago and I question my pre-pubescent taste in women

 

[AzCards21]

I had a huge crush on Monique when I was about 10 years old. I watched this movie about 6 months ago and I question my pre-pubescent taste in women

Uh, You're not alone dude. It musta been the French accent.......or the ability to hit a sign with an orange at will.

I still have a crush on the black Camaro though!

 

[Ryanwb]

I still have a crush on the black Camaro though!

That was sweet!!

 

[Dback Jon]

It has been so long since I've seen this movie, I barely remember it. My whole 80s experience revolves around Say Anything and One Crazy Summer.

Like John Cusack much?

 

[Chaplin]

Like John Cusack much?

What does that mean?

Sure, John Cusack was ok, but I mentioned Say Anything and One Crazy Summer specifically because they are John Cusack movies...

 

[Jersey Girl]

Like John Cusack much?

Personally, I loved John Cusack in "Say Anything." (Total chick flick, I know.) Even dated a guy who looked like him. Man, fun times, fun times.

But back to Better Off Dead. Love this flick!!! Remember the part where Rickie's mom is squeezing Monique's face trying to get her to say English words? Later Lane says "Mayeb you'll make a friend. You have them in France. You know, 'friends'" and he says it in that rickie's-mom voice. (I hope you people know what I'm talking about.)

We also say franch toast, franch dressing, franch fries a lot, too! And "The International Language!"

 

[Scott MS]

My favorite line was always . . .

Charles De Mar: You ski the K-12 dude, and girls will go sterile just looking at you!