Better off Dead

John Cusack Director: Savage Steve Holland Savage Steve Holland

Overview

Savage Steve Holland's cult comedy favorite Better Off Dead finally makes its way to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. English subtitles are accessible. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, which is a disappointing surprise considering how popular this film has remained with its cult audience. Paramount has done a fine job with the picture and sound quality, but dropped the ball in the area of extras.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/16/2002
UPC:	0097368719149
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	PG
Source:	Paramount
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Time:	1:37:00
Sales rank:	165

Special Features

Closed Caption; Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 TVs; English subtitles; Dolby Digital English Stereo

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Cusack	Lane Myer
David Ogden Stiers	Al Myer
Kim Darby	Jenny Myer
Demian Slade	Johnny Gasparini
Scooter Stevens	Badger Myer
Diane Franklin	Monique Junet
Amanda Wyss	Beth Truss
Laura Waterbury	Mrs. Smith
Curtis Armstrong	Charles De Mer
Aaron Dozier	Roy Stalin
Rima Delane	Joanne Greenwald
David Vaughan	3rd Jock
Dan Schneider	Ricky Smith
Yuji Okumoto	Yee Sook Ree
Brian Imada	Chen Ree
Chuck Mitchell	Rocko
Frank Burt Avalon	Roy's 1st Ski Buddy
J. Warren David	Roy's 2nd Ski Buddy
Peter Ellenstein	Roy's 3rd Ski Buddy
Vincent Schiavelli	Mr. Kerber
Edward Mehler	Buster
Thomas Rollerson	Roller Skater
Toby Iland	Nerd #1
Jonathan Charles Fox	Nerd #2
Darren Harris	Nerd #3
Randy Stoklos	Jock #1
Sam High	Jock #2
Tina Littlewood	Chris Cummins
Steven Williams	Tree Trimmer
Stuart K. Robinson	Tree Trimmer's Helper
Taylor Negron	Mailman
Yano Anaya	Paperboy
Joey Tushnet	Paperboy
Sebastian Dungan	Paperboy
Rick Rosenthal	Smitty
Rich Little	Voice Only
Elizabeth Daily	Herself

Technical Credits

Savage Steve Holland

Isidore Mankofsky

Savage Steve Holland	Director,Screenwriter
Alan Balsam	Editor
Roy L. Downey	Special Effects
Gil Friesen	Executive Producer
Rupert Hine	Score Composer
Michael Jaffe	Producer
Brad Loman	Costumes/Costume Designer
Isidore Mankofsky	Cinematographer,Screenwriter
Andrew Meyer	Executive Producer
Gary Moreno	Set Decoration/Design
Herman Zimmerman	Production Designer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Beating the Paperboy
2. Cereal and Boiled Bacon
3. Howard Cosell Impersonators
4. Ski Team Tryouts
5. Death Attempt by Hanging
6. Green Goo With Raisins
7. Nose Wiping Incident
8. "I Want My Two Dollars!"
9. Chalkboard Fantasy
10. Mr. Kerber Asks to Date Beth
11. Cartoon Fantasy
12. Death Attempt by Jumping
13. White Trash
14. Christmas Miracle
15. Mailman Asks to Date Beth
16. Father/Son Talk
17. High School Dance
18. Meeting Monique
19. Attack of the Paperboys
20. A Man Alone
21. Everybody Wants Some
22. Barney Rubble Asks to Date Beth
23. "Franch Fries, Franch Dressing, Franch Bread"
24. K12 Challenge
25. Persistent Paperboy
26. Big Faker
27. Lane Wins the Drag Race
28. Romantic Frozen Dinner
29. Sliding Down the Mountain
30. Paperboy on Skis
31. Lane Wins the Ski Race
32. Language Lessons
33. One Look

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play
   Set Up
      Audio Option: English Stereo
      Subtitle Options: English
      Subtitle Options: None
   Scene Selection

Editorial Reviews

Easily one of the most refreshing teen comedies ever committed to film, Better Off Dead features John Cusack as Lane Myer, a jilted, angst-ridden high schooler whose multiple suicide attempts fail miserably, to great comic effect. This decidedly black angle, in the cheery years of Ronald Reagan's second term (1985), gave this conventionally plotted flick a patina of post-punk nihilism and may have scared some ticket buyers away. But those who have come to love it from repeated TV and video airings know that this film, writer-director "Savage" Steve Holland's first, is sweet and genuine despite its darker trappings. Cusack, an awkward 18-year-old when this was filmed, embodies the Everyteen -- surrounded by idiots, unable to catch a break, and utterly devastated when his girlfriend, Beth (Amand Wyss), dumps him in favor of the far more handsome and popular ski team captain, Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier). When she explains her decision to hook up with Stalin without mincing words (oh, and she says his car's nicer, too), you're ready to follow poor Lane right over the brink. Holland surrounds Lane with hilarious caricatures while punctuating the action with dream/fantasy sequences that underscore his hapless lot, but he affords a glimmer of hope in the cute French exchange student living across the street from Lane. Yes, Better Off Dead slips back into teen-movie conventions with the inevitable Stalin-Myer downhill ski race in the last reel, but for 85 or so minutes it's a breakneck run that you'll want to try again.

Barnes & Noble - Greg Fagan

Cartoonist Savage Steve Holland made his directorial debut with this acid comedy about a going-nowhere hamburger flipper and his run of bad luck. Its gleefully twisted tone, exemplified by a goofy suicide attempt in a basically lighthearted film (John Cusack's character jumps off a bridge, only to land among the refuse of a passing garbage truck), made it a minor quotable classic to a generation of young anti-authoritarian filmgoers. In one of his earliest roles, Cusack wears his expression of hangdog gloom with real comic sensibility, and the succession of miserable people and events that enter his life warrant every last frown and sigh. The funniest and most memorable character set on bedeviling Cusack's Lane Myer is the determined paperboy, willing to ride his bike down a ski slope to collect his fee, whose refrain "I want my two dollars!" will resonate with audiences long after the credits roll. Curtis Armstrong and Dan Schneider also turn in quirky performances as Lane's best friend and his nemesis next-door neighbor, respectively. The set pieces, some of them punched up by Holland's own animation and offshoots thereof, make for a pleasingly outlandish little coming-of-age story that doesn't betray its own world view, even during the inevitable happier moments of the tale.

All Movie Guide

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