DVD Review | Better Off Dead
Written by: Kage Alan

Film Rating: B+
DVD Special Features: N/A

John Cusack brought us some damn fine teenage comedies during the 80s before he went and grew up.  Of course, he became a damn fine adult actor too, but it was his early roles that first endeared him to us and he has quite the
resume from back then.  Heck, It's actually difficult to believe that this
was released the same year as "The Sure Thing", one of my personal favorites.
 Anyway, before teen comedies turned to pie humping there was the John Hughes teen angst films and then the ones like "Better Off Dead" where reality went right out the window.  Man I love this film!

Poor ol' Lane Myer (Cusack) just can't get a break.  The one girl in the
world who he is totally obsessed with, Beth (Amanda Wyss, "A Nightmare On Elm Street"), dumps his sorry self for a more popular jock, the car he bought
doesn't run, the stud Beth likes hinders his attempts to join the ski team,
the local paperboy is constantly trying to get a payment of $2 from him and
his family is the oddest bunch to ever live together under one roof.  His
father (David Ogden Stiers, "Creator") can't figure out why his family is so
freaky, the mother (Kim Darby, "Halloween VI: The Curse Of Michael Myers") cooks food that literally crawls off the table and his little brother
(Scooter Stevens, "She's Out Of Control") is bound and determined to become a space cadet, literally.

No, Lane's life isn't much fun after getting dumped and it gets even worse
when the Beth's new boyfriend won't quit picking on him.  What's a guy to do?
 Fortunately, the French exchange student across the street, Monique (Diane
Franklin, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"), starts to develop a crush on
him, only she has problems of her own.  The family she's staying with
consists of a major overbearing mother figure (Laura Waterbury, "Summer
School") and the stereotypical heavy kid with sex on his mind (Dan Schneider,
"The Big Picture").  When Lane is challenged to a ski contest, Monique takes
it upon herself to give him a lesson in self-esteem.

Throw in some supporting performances by Curtis Armstrong ("Moonlighting"), Yuki Okumoto ("Real Genius" and "True Believer") and Vincent Schiavelli ("The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai"), some outrageous animation sequences, a hysterical absence of reality and a killer soundtrack including the talent of E.G. Daily and you've got one heck of a wacky comedy.  There's little to no vulgar language, no nudity and no pie humping.  See?  People really did make films like these a long time ago and make a little money off of them.

Paramount has released "Better Off Dead" in a much better looking Widescreen transfer than I'd expected.  There are a few specs and bits of grain, but nothing that takes away from what's happening on the screen.  Audio quality is fine too; voices are clear and the music is pretty decent without being
overpowering.  As for extras, there's nothing, not even a trailer for another
film.  Considering the MSRP of $24.99, I expected something pretty damn
terrific other than the quality of the transfer.  When is Paramount going to
start getting realistic about the price of their discs?  The lack of extras
is just twisting the knife in our backs after they stuck it to us with the
cost.

This is a great little comedy from a decade I have extremely fond memories
of.  The stories have come a long way since then as far as how the gross out
factors have evolved, but the classics still remain.  Even "Not Another Teen
Movie" acknowledged this film during its final reel, so it goes to show that
people fondly remember this one.  My only reservation recommending "Better
Off Dead" is the price, which is too much for too little.  Wait for a year
and see if it goes down in price or simply rent it.  Ah, the memories it will
bring back.