Movie Quote(s) of the Day: Better Off Dead (1984)

I haven't put anything up in a few days so here's a little something until I get something a little bigger to post. I was out at Best Buy today and picked up a copy of Better Off Dead, which I haven't seen in awhile and which I love. One of the quintessential 80's movies for me. John Cusack is yummy on a stick in all his teen angst glory. I just read that Savage Steve Holland, the writer and director, had based this on his life experience with getting dumped by his gf and becoming very depressed over it. He made little movies on it with an 8mm camera, but instead of depressing, his friends actually found his movies very funny. I'm sure most people have seen it at some point, and if you haven't.....why the hell not??


Here's the 411 in case you live in a cave or something and have never seen it. Lane Meyer (John Cusack) gets dumped by his hottie girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss). He gets very depressed and makes several humourous attempts at suicide. Great ensemble cast with David Ogden Stiers as Lane's father who gets his nose all up in his business and tries to communicate using a book of cool slang phrases all the crazy kids are using ("You are really bringing me over, man"), Kim Darby as Lane's clueless mother who cooks food so frightening it actually runs away from the plate, and Curtis Armstrong as the hilarious, drug-obsessed best friend Charles De Mer ("He's got nasal spray? Do you know where I could score some?"). Lane's father and his friend Charles attempt to bring Lane out of his funk with no success. Lane's neighbors, the Smiths have a pretty, French foreign exchange student named Monique (Diane Franklin) move in with them, apparently to give the nerdy, overweight, socially-challenged son Ricky (Dan Schneider) a girlfriend, much to her reluctance. The movie wouldn't be complete without the quintessential 80's blond jerk antagonist, the cocky, jock skiier Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier) who steals Beth away from Lane and taunts him throughout the movie. I was disappointed to see this was the only film Dozier had done, he was so good. Anyway, Monique begins to bring Lane out of his funk and pushes him to do the things he's been afraid to do. Growing relationship with Monique, big ski off with the jerk Roy, yada, yada, won't give away the end.

Extra bonus: E.G. Daily in all her big, feathered hair, metallic mini dress-wearing glory singing at the school dance.

Since I couldn't pick just one quote for the day and haven't posted in a few....here they are....

Charles De Mer "Lane, I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy."

Lane "Gee, I'm real sorry your Mom blew up, Ricky."

More ramblings to come......