Plot: What’s it about?
“Two dollars.”
When it comes to teen movies of the 1980’s, there’s certainly no shortage to choose from. Granted, the “king” of them all was John Hughes with his timeless classics that ranged from The Breakfast Club to Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But there were more, of course. Enter Savage Steve Holland and his, well, rather unique style of filmmaking. He’d teamed with a then relatively unknown actor by the name of John Cusack in a couple of films and, well…the rest is history? Actually, that’s what Cusack would like to think and his association with the director was more miss than hit. Cusack was evidently so disgusted with both Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer, that he vowed never to work with the director again. And he hasn’t. As we know, Cusack would go onto a great career that included the likes of Say Anything, The Grifters and High Fidelity just to name a few.
Life has been hit and miss for Lane Myers (John Cusack). The love of his life, Beth (Amanda Wyss) has just dumped him for Roy (Aaron Dozier) the captain of the ski team. With no direction and/or motivation, Lane figures that things might be better if he ended it all. He’s unsuccessful, of course, but with some encouragement from best friend Charles de Mar (Curtis Armstrong), it’s deemed that the best and only way to get her back is by skiing the K-12. Along the way, he’s got deal with his dad who’s on his case about an abandoned car in the front yard, being harassed by the obsessive newspaper delivery boy and deal with his younger brother, Badger (Scooter Stevens). Of course, it’s the journey and not the end game that’s important, so Lane tends to overlook the “girl next door” in Monique (Diane Franklin) who might be his saving grace.
It’s been four decades since the film came out and, despite a few quotable quips, it hasn’t aged that well. Don’t get me wrong, I did laugh out loud a few times, but it was mainly things I remember seeing from when I was a kid. The PG-rated humor will play well for a younger audience, though the countless drug and sexual references (and several attempts at suicide, albeit comical) would probably merit it a PG-13 if not an R-rating these days. Cusack is still his neurotic self and the ensemble cast of characters do make it a fun, entertaining and nostalgic look back at a decade gone by. While not up there with some of the John Hughes classics, this does remains somewhat relevant to those of a certain age. Still, we’ve got a cast of characters who were known for iconic 80’s films with Curtis Armstrong representing Revenge of the Nerds, Diane Franklin for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Amanda Wyss with A Nightmare on Elm Street. All the bases are covered.
Video: How’s it look?
I think the last time I watched this movie was on Blu-ray. But I can say that this new 4K HEVC 1.85:1 transfer actually looks pretty good. I wasn’t really expecting as much, but the image is actually somewhat vivid throughout. The grain that plagued the last version has been cleaned up, but I somewhat expected that. Black levels are on the mark and contrast looks well-balanced. The detail is improved and though not at the “jaw dropping” level, I was more than pleased with the way this looks.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The same DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack found on the previously-released Blu-ray is included here. When you’ve got a claymation hamburger dancing along to Van Halen’s “Everybody Wants Some” I’d have to imagine that you’d want the best sound possible. We don’t get that, but the mix is good enough to still enjoy said scene. Given that, the majority of the film takes place in the front stage with some surround effects chiming in for good measure. Dialogue is a bit on the harsh side, but it doesn’t detract. Still, this is better than what I was expecting so good news there.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I believe the old Blu-ray had only a trailer. No such luck here.
The Bottom Line
I suppose if you’re one that likes mindless movies from the 80’s or John Cusack’s earlier works or films that have random bits of animation then this is for you. If not, you’ll likely have no idea what I’m referring to. Better Off Dead is fun and one to watch (for me) about once or twice a decade. It’s got some great quotes (if you ask someone for two dollars, they’ll likely know what you’re referring to), a bit of a mundane plot and is reminiscent of a time gone by. The new 4K disc looks a tad bit better than its predecessor, but the lack of extras or a “next gen” soundtrack make this one a tough sell.
