You have to love any director who goes by the name Savage Steve Holland. He's only done a handful of films, but fortunately one of them is `Better Off Dead,' one of the better teenage comedies of the 80s.
What sets `Better Off Dead' apart is its quirkiness. Three examples: The treacherous mountain hero Lane Myer (played by John Cusack) must ski down is named not K-2, but K 1-12. Myer works at a drive-in that sporting the motto, `Everybody Wants Some.' In the middle of a scene two burgers suddenly break out in a rendition of the Van Halen hit by that name. And one of Cusack's many nemeses in the film is an Asian teenager who learned English by watching the Wide World of Sports. So naturally he sounds like Howard Cosell.
The cast is fine, especially Cusack, David Ogden Stiers and Kim Darby as his parents, and Curtis Armstrong (in typical slop/whacko fashion) as Cusack's best friend.
The only problem with the film is Cusack's failed attempts at suicide. It's difficult to judge a 1985 film with 2001 sensibilities, but suicide has never been a funny subject, and it's hard to envision Cusack's character being so shaken by being dumped by his girlfriend that he would contemplate taking his own life.
Regardless, the movie is worth a rental.
What sets `Better Off Dead' apart is its quirkiness. Three examples: The treacherous mountain hero Lane Myer (played by John Cusack) must ski down is named not K-2, but K 1-12. Myer works at a drive-in that sporting the motto, `Everybody Wants Some.' In the middle of a scene two burgers suddenly break out in a rendition of the Van Halen hit by that name. And one of Cusack's many nemeses in the film is an Asian teenager who learned English by watching the Wide World of Sports. So naturally he sounds like Howard Cosell.
The cast is fine, especially Cusack, David Ogden Stiers and Kim Darby as his parents, and Curtis Armstrong (in typical slop/whacko fashion) as Cusack's best friend.
The only problem with the film is Cusack's failed attempts at suicide. It's difficult to judge a 1985 film with 2001 sensibilities, but suicide has never been a funny subject, and it's hard to envision Cusack's character being so shaken by being dumped by his girlfriend that he would contemplate taking his own life.
Regardless, the movie is worth a rental.