Better Off Dead: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Ricky and his pursuit of Monique.
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Ricky and his pursuit of Monique.
* [[The Ace]]: Everyone other than Lane seems to have incredible skill at doing things. Highlighted by Lane's younger brother, who uses his book knowledge to pick up trashy women and build a ''launchable space shuttle'' in the attic.
* [[The Ace]]: Everyone other than Lane seems to have incredible skill at doing things. Highlighted by Lane's younger brother, who uses his book knowledge to pick up trashy women and build a ''launchable space shuttle'' in the attic.
* [[Actor Allusion]]: When Beth (Amanda Wyss) shows up at the dance, there is someone behind her wearing Freddy Krueger's sweater. Wyss played Krueger's first victim in ''[[A Nightmare On Elm Street]]''.
* [[Actor Allusion]]: When Beth (Amanda Wyss) shows up at the dance, there is someone behind her wearing Freddy Krueger's sweater. Wyss played Krueger's first victim in ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''.
* [[Ascended Meme]]: "I want my two dollars!"
* [[Ascended Meme]]: "I want my two dollars!"
* [[Animated Credits Opening]]
* [[Animated Credits Opening]]
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* [[Funny Foreigner]]: [[Foreign Exchange Student|Monique]] mostly avoids this, except {{spoiler|for one or two ''slight'' problems with English.}}
* [[Funny Foreigner]]: [[Foreign Exchange Student|Monique]] mostly avoids this, except {{spoiler|for one or two ''slight'' problems with English.}}
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: [[MASH|Charles Emerson Winchester]] is Lane's father. [[True Grit|Mattie Ross]] is his mother. His best bud Charles is [[Revenge of the Nerds|Dudley Dawson]]!
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: [[MASH|Charles Emerson Winchester]] is Lane's father. [[True Grit|Mattie Ross]] is his mother. His best bud Charles is [[Revenge of the Nerds|Dudley Dawson]]!
** Vincent Schiavelli as his math teacher, and didn't that truck driver own a [[Porkys|strip joint]] near Angel Beach?
** Vincent Schiavelli as his math teacher, and didn't that truck driver own a [[Porky's|strip joint]] near Angel Beach?
* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]]: [[Powerpuff Girls|Buttercup]] is singing at the dance.
* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]]: [[Powerpuff Girls|Buttercup]] is singing at the dance.
** Subversion: [[Rich Little]] as the voice of the Korean guy who learned to speak English from [[Howard Cosell]].
** Subversion: [[Rich Little]] as the voice of the Korean guy who learned to speak English from [[Howard Cosell]].
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* [[Insult Backfire]]: Played with when Stalin insults Lane and Charles at one point during the New Years dance; Lane is insulted, but Charles finds it hilarious, even interrupting Stalin's dance with Beth because he's still laughing.
* [[Insult Backfire]]: Played with when Stalin insults Lane and Charles at one point during the New Years dance; Lane is insulted, but Charles finds it hilarious, even interrupting Stalin's dance with Beth because he's still laughing.
* [[Interrupted Suicide]]
* [[Interrupted Suicide]]
* [[It Is Pronounced Tro PAY]]: Lane's mother serves Monique "Frahnch Fries", etc.
* [[It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY"]]: Lane's mother serves Monique "Frahnch Fries", etc.
* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Of course, {{spoiler|Lane comes to his senses in time.}}
* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Of course, {{spoiler|Lane comes to his senses in time.}}
* [[Jerk Jock]]: The villain, such as he is.
* [[Jerk Jock]]: The villain, such as he is.
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** Badger's mail-order purchases
** Badger's mail-order purchases
** The garage door window's getting broken.
** The garage door window's getting broken.
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: John Cusack recently traveled back in time to a 1980s ski resort in ''[[Hot Tub Time Machine (Film)|Hot Tub Time Machine]]''. Somebody is even heard shouting "I want my two dollars!" at one point.
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: John Cusack recently traveled back in time to a 1980s ski resort in ''[[Hot Tub Time Machine]]''. Somebody is even heard shouting "I want my two dollars!" at one point.
** This is despite the fact that Cusack evidently considers this film to be an [[Old Shame]].
** This is despite the fact that Cusack evidently considers this film to be an [[Old Shame]].
** Cusack's protagonist in ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'' also grew up in the 1980s and also had a [[Hilariously Abusive Childhood]]. He ended up becoming a [[Hitman With a Heart|professional assassin]]. We first meet him {{spoiler|shooting a bicycle deliveryman.}}
** Cusack's protagonist in ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'' also grew up in the 1980s and also had a [[Hilariously Abusive Childhood]]. He ended up becoming a [[Hitman with a Heart|professional assassin]]. We first meet him {{spoiler|shooting a bicycle deliveryman.}}
* [[Stalker Shrine]]: Lane has turned his room into one of these, dedicated to his girlfriend.
* [[Stalker Shrine]]: Lane has turned his room into one of these, dedicated to his girlfriend.
* [[Standard Snippet]]: Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" as Lane's Camaro rolls out for the first time. Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus" during the Christmas sequence.
* [[Standard Snippet]]: Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" as Lane's Camaro rolls out for the first time. Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus" during the Christmas sequence.
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** Snorting ''real snow'' seems to work for him.
** Snorting ''real snow'' seems to work for him.
{{quote| This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?}}
{{quote| This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?}}
* [[Suicide As Comedy]]: Detecting a theme yet?
* [[Suicide as Comedy]]: Detecting a theme yet?
{{quote| And dying when you're not really sick is really sick, you know. Really!}}
{{quote| And dying when you're not really sick is really sick, you know. Really!}}
* [[Title Drop]]: The singer at the school dance.
* [[Title Drop]]: The singer at the school dance.

Revision as of 10:20, 8 April 2014

Better Off Dead is a 1985 comedy film directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack.

After being dumped by his utterly-unfaithful girlfriend, luckless teen Lane Meyer makes several futile attempts to kill himself, while wandering in and out of a series of encounters with the residents... inmates of his bizarre hometown. These include his super-genius younger brother Badger, his severely-underachieving best friend Charles, a pair of Korean car-racing enthusiasts who learned English by listening to Howard Cosell, and one very determined paper-boy. Lane's life finally begins to turn around when he meets Monique, a comely French exchange student who has been sentenced to live with Lane's grotesque neighbors.

Probably doesn't quite make it to classic status, especially the ending which veers off into painfully straight teen-movie win-the-athletic-competition territory, but mentioning this film or quoting from it is very likely to bring a smile to the face of Tropers of a certain age. It does have a pretty strong cult following due to the fact that aside from that ending, it has a different sense of humor than most 80's teen comedies and seems far less dated than other films of its type.

Tropes used in Better Off Dead include:

 Lane: Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky.

  • Burger Fool: Lane has to wear a hideous pig-themed hat, even though he works back in the kitchen.
  • Cameo: Twiki from Buck Rogers in The 25th Century appears in the background of the Christmas scene.
  • Claymation: A brief sequence set in the burger joint where Lane works.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Lane's mother Jenny.
  • Cool Car: Initially averted with Lane's canvas-draped, cobwebbed (and nonfunctional) Camaro. But once Monique gets her hands on it, it goes from aversion to expression.
  • Dawson Casting: Charles. Explicitly justified:

 Charles: I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years! I'm no dummy!

 Lane: My little brother got his arm stuck in the microwave. So my mom had to take him to the hospital. My grandma dropped acid this morning, and she freaked out. She hijacked a busload of... penguins. So it's sort of a family crisis. Bye!

  • Instant Expert: "Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn."
  • Insult Backfire: Played with when Stalin insults Lane and Charles at one point during the New Years dance; Lane is insulted, but Charles finds it hilarious, even interrupting Stalin's dance with Beth because he's still laughing.
  • Interrupted Suicide
  • It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": Lane's mother serves Monique "Frahnch Fries", etc.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Of course, Lane comes to his senses in time.
  • Jerk Jock: The villain, such as he is.
    • His name? Roy Stalin.
  • Language of Love: Subverted, when it turns out that Monique speaks English fairly fluently.
  • Lethal Chef: Hoo boy. Jenny. Lane pokes one of her creations with his fork, and it starts moving away.

 "It's got raisins in it. You like raisins."

 How are we going to get real drugs in this town? We can't even get cable!

    • Snorting real snow seems to work for him.

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

 And dying when you're not really sick is really sick, you know. Really!

 "Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that!"

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