Better Off Dead Reviews and Ratings



  • November 13, 2009
    Loved it! It was one of those weird 80's movies but still, so good.
  • October 27, 2009
    My second favorite movie. It shows early in his career that he was great at comedy.
  • October 17, 2009
    A hilarious look at high school drama.
  • October 9, 2009
    A sit-down-and-laugh film that will have you doing just that. (=
  • September 15, 2009
    This movie is so much, it's the best comedy Cusack has ever made. Their is a predictability to the entire story, from the "ski-off" to the "romantic hookup", but it's funny enough you can forgive it those faults.
  • September 10, 2009
    Silly comedy. It's almost a cartoon.

    Tree Trimmer: [to fellow tree trimmer] Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that.
  • September 8, 2009
    I'm either too old or too cranky (or both) to derive much pleasure from watching a barely pubescent John Cusack pursue a prototypical prom queen in a prototypical 80's angst film. This is basically Teen Wolf without the "wolf".
  • September 4, 2009
    One of the few teen comedies to stand shoulder to shoulder with John Hughes' back-catalogue, Better Off Dead is a weird hybrid of the teen genre, pulling in strange fantasy elements that were (unfortunately) reined in/diluted for the director's later movies.
    This is one of th...( read more)e truly original teen comedies in a decade awash with dull carbon-copies - using darker, more adult themes than many of it's peers to paint a broader, rounder picture of the times than one would first imagine.
    Lane's suicide attempts (I've always thought to be an homage to Harold and Maude), although played for laughs, strike a serious chord for such a "zany" comedy, and the drug references of the uber-cool Charles De Mar kinda outstrip the weed in Johnson's shorts (although I am in NOOO way rating Better Off Dead above The Breakfast Club) make this movie the logical step between the candy floss teen movie and their grown up counter-parts (St.Elmo's Fire, Bright Lights Big City etc.)
    Cusack shines (as always) bringing that little bit extra to the movie that, along with an incredibly quotable script, intelligent stereotype pastiches amongst an incredibly strong supporting character roster (I defy you to find a speaking character in the movie that you wouldn't want to know more about- even Taylor Negron's two lines as the postman are cool) and a cute love spine make this a real treat - if it suffers from anything, it's perhaps a little time-lag (you'll KNOW you're in 1985), but despite this, I'd recommend this over "big-boy smut" any day of the week...
  • August 31, 2009
    classic, classic movie
  • August 31, 2009
    looks great, i will be checking it out
  • August 14, 2009
    They really dont make movies like this anymore, although a little odd in some scenes, its a great movie.
  • August 10, 2009
    Thoroughly winning teen film about a young man who is dumped by his girlfriend. He then sets out to impress her in an attempt to win her back. Extremely inventive comedy has brilliant touches of surrealism that perfectly complement the story. All in all, a fairly predictable p...( read more)lot, but the laughs are so genuine and sweet, you'll end up loving this classic 80s comedy.
  • July 19, 2009
    THis movie had me laughing non stop, it just so crazy its so great!!!! Definite Classic
  • July 14, 2009
    I can definitely see why this has become a cult classic, funny stuff.
  • June 25, 2009
    dancing hamburger...that's really all i remember.
  • June 17, 2009
    I thought this was going to be another predictable 80's romp (like a dude version of Sixteen Candles or something)...but it was SO much better.

    It was as if someone from 2005 went back 20 years into the past to film an 80's movie, and because they're totally aware of the cliches...( read more) and plotlines from the decade, they crank out this totally absurd satire that makes fun of itself during every scene.

    I loved how over the top it all is...how self-aware it is. It knows it's a ridiculous movie. And that makes it cool. Advanced even.

    The bit about his ex-girlfriend being asked out by everyone in town (even Barney Rubble) was hysterical. So was his silent little brother...oh SHIT what a fun movie.
  • June 15, 2009
    Funny film I watch with friends
  • June 14, 2009
    I really really really enjoyed this.

    "I once built a bird house, but it was condemned by the fair housing committee
  • June 14, 2009
    Not funny. Could not finish watching it was soo bad.
  • June 9, 2009
    I own a copy enough said...This movie was too funny. Cusack at his best...
  • May 31, 2009
    Great Funny Romantic-Comedy Movie.
  • May 10, 2009
    CLASSIC John Cusack!
  • April 15, 2009
    as far as i remember it was pretty good ! can't remember anything
  • April 1, 2009
    Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that.
  • March 23, 2009
    I want my 2 dollars! lol
  • March 23, 2009
    Just a funny movie, I enjoy it
  • March 10, 2009
    one of the funnies freakin movie i ever saw. Curtis Armstrong is hilarious.
  • March 1, 2009
    Another quality 80's flick. Funny, and fun! Pure entertainment!
  • February 26, 2009
    I am a big fan of Cusak and 80's movie so this is a perfect fit! I like the french girl too!
  • February 20, 2009
    This really is one of my favorite movies of all time.
  • February 9, 2009
    Hilarious! Cusack is fantastic, and the comedy is brilliant. Check it out!
  • January 19, 2009
    Has to be added to the list of the classic 80s comedies. Kind of had a scrubs and family guy feel to it which was pretty cool. Funny how Cusack kept trying to kill himself and it just seemed funny the whole time.
  • January 16, 2009
    It has some funny parts, but I find the 80s very frustrating.
  • January 16, 2009
    this movie is frickin' hilarious...a well-deserved cult that followed.
  • January 14, 2009
    Very quotable. Another staple in the 80's.
  • January 11, 2009
    cusack is great in anything
  • January 6, 2009
    There's just something so so so wrong about a madcap comedy about a suicidal teen. Cusack is always good though. A completely misguided film.
  • January 5, 2009
    I want my two dollars!!!!
  • January 2, 2009
    I really hate the skiing stuff, but there are some real classic 80's lines.
  • December 24, 2008
    this movie is awsome
  • December 3, 2008
    Give me my two dollars...
  • November 30, 2008
    this has to be one of my all time favorite movies
  • November 27, 2008
    this is the best movie in the world. i absolutely love it. everyone should watch it. it's in my top 5
  • November 23, 2008
    My favorite movie of all time!
  • November 22, 2008
    A classic Cusack 80's comedy. That's a shame, throwing away a perfectly good white boy.

Summary


Better Off Dead Summary