Favorite Movie: Better Off Dead
When people ask me what my favorite movie is, there’s no question about my answer.
I love the 1985 John Cusack movie, Better Off Dead. I have fond memories of watching this with my siblings. Since then, I’ve shared it with countless friends and even found a way to use the film in my classroom to talk about American culture.
The movie follows Lane Myer — an unpopular fellow who loves a girl named Beth. Beth breaks up for him for Roy, the captain of the ski team, who can ski the K-12 without breaking a body part.
Throughout the movie, Lane works to win Beth back by proving he’s just as cool as Roy. In the meantime, he meets Monique, a French exchange student who is a captive of Ricky and his mother.
There are too many little parts of the movie that make me laugh — including this scene with Lane’s mom trying to host a French-themed dinner in honor of Monique.
If you’ve seen the movie, you are very familiar with Johnny — the newspaper delivery boy who really just wants his two dollars.
And then there’s the singing cheeseburgers. I never could figure out what this guy was saying, but he was super cool in his Van Halen sort of way (complete with the red and white Van Halen guitar!).
Poor Lane spends the movie realizing that life without Beth may just be worse than death, hence the name Better off Dead.
Have you seen this not-so-well-known 80s movie? What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Even though movies from the 80s (and my misspent youth) have always been my favorites, I somehow managed to miss this one completely. I love John Cusack though. I’m going to have to track down a copy!
It’s definitely an 80s movie…gotta stick with it!