Movies - Better Off Dead

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	Movies - Better Off Dead

Better Off Dead is a 1985 comedy cult film, written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. It starred John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Diane Franklin, Curtis Armstrong, Amanda Wyss, and Kim Darby. Holland made two other films: 1986's One Crazy Summer
and 1989's How I Got Into College.

Better Off Dead is a shining example of the 80's teenage comedy, along the same lines as Sixteen Candles
and Adventures in Babysitting
. The movie takes place in a fictional town in "the state of Northern California" called Greendale and centers on high-school skier and sax-player Lane Meyer (John Cusack), whose girlfriend Beth (played by Amanda Wyss) dumps him for the captain of the high school ski team, Roy Stalin. Lane cannot get past this rejection and decides that the only way out of his misery is through suicide, hence the title. His half-hearted attempts at suicide always manage to leave him alive, with comedic consequences. One of the most endearing aspects of this movie is the entertaining ensemble of characters which includes Lane's wacky family, a best friend who uses everyday substances as drugs, two Japanese guys (one of whom speaks no English and the other who only speaks Howard Cosell) that repeatedly try to get Lane into a drag race, a repulsive Pig Burger manager (played by Chuck Mitchell), with a bad temper, an annoying obese neighbor who crochets and snorts nasal spray, and the French foreign exchange student named Monique (played by Diane Franklin), who is staying with them. Monique turns out to be a Los Angeles Dodgers fan who pretends not to speak English, helps Lane fix up his 1967 Camaro, and rekindles Lane's confidence and will to live through "language lessons" in the international language of love.

In the climactic scene involving a ski competition against the ski jock Roy Stalin, a treacherous slope called the K-12, a persistent paper boy who wants his two dollars (spawning the catchphrase, "I want my two dollars!" which has become more well-known than the film itself), and Lane racing down the mountain on one ski, he overcomes a life gone downhill to find happiness.

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was produced primarily by Rupert Hine. A number of songs that appear in the film, including Howard Jones' "Like To Get To Know You Well", Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some", Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover", and Hall & Oates' "She's Gone", do not appear on the CD soundtrack.

The opening track, "With One Look (The Wildest Dream)", was produced by Hine and features Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx on lead vocals and guitars respectively. Hine had previously worked with Curnin and West-Oram, and also contributed vocals to the song. The following track, "Arrested By You", as well as "Better Off Dub (Title Music)" and "Race The K-12 (Instrumental)" were performed solely by Hine.

"Dancing In Isolation" features Terri Nunn of Berlin on lead vocals. Hine produced the song and was reportedly under consideration to produce an album for Berlin.

"Come To Your Rescue" was performed by Thinkman, a group formed by, and including, Hine for the purpose of restoring his solo career without the music press knowing about it . West-Oram also provided guitar work to this song, as well as the instrumental "The Falcon Beat".

The only two tracks on the CD without Hine's involvement are "A Little Luck" and "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)" . Valley Girl
's Elizabeth Daily, credited on the soundtrack as E.G. Daily, sang lead vocals on both songs and also performed them "live" in the film during the high school dance scene.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Better Off Dead ]

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