 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Better Off Dead
- Review Date: September 12, 2008
- PG
- Genre: Comedy
- 1985
Common Sense Media says
Uneven, occasionally hilarious '80s teen comedy.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that some releases of this movie carry the PG-13 rating, others a PG. It's pretty mild for its type nonetheless. There is drug humor and a few sexual references and modest swearing. Reckless behavior -- on the ski slopes and drag racing in streets -- is glorified. Queasiest factor for most viewers might be the repeated depiction of (unsuccessful) teen suicide as gag pratfalls.
What's the story?
Lane (John Cusack) is a typical teenager in a typically weird suburban northern California household (younger brother is a mad-scientist type; mom's atrocious kitchen techniques are right out of the the Addams Family, best friend is a crazed goofball). Lane adores his girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss), a fellow student he's been dating for six months. Straightaway she dumps him for the handsome, popular varsity ski-team champ, and Lane goes into a bad-luck tailspin. His car radio plays nothing but breakup songs, and he finds himself repeatedly humiliated in front of Beth, in and out of school. Other dudes (even a famous cartoon character!) tell him they're going to ask Beth out. The tormented Lane repeatedly tries to kill himself, but finds a promising new relationship with the proverbial girl next door -- a French-exchange student being amorously pursued by the fat "dork" son in her host family.
Is it any good?
BETTER OFF DEAD graduated to theaters with a homeroomful of D-grade locker-room comedies (many inspired by Porky's, whose title character cameos here) fixated on teen lust, teen drugs, and teen feuds/revenge/payback. While some critics failed it from the outset, Better Off Dead turned out to be a notch more upscale than most of its classmates and gained a "cult" reputation for its clever gags (even if some haven't aged too well; anyone for a Howard Cosell parody?) and zany blend of animation and live-action. Some individual bits are fall-down hilarious, if pretty much throwaways in a severely disjointed plotline.
A young John Cusack would have more multidimensional roles to play later in his career, and the absurdist approach to life from a bewildered adolescent's POV would be done in remarkably similar style -- but with more heart -- by TV's Malcolm in the Middle. Still, a generation of parents who grew up in the 1980s cherish Better Off Dead and might want to give it a spin again with their own offspring to see whether the humor holds up. That's if the cavalier treatment of suicide as a running joke isn't a dealbreaker.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the heartbreaks that come along with school crushes and first loves. Do you think this feature treats the topic sympathetically or just milks it for yocks? FYI, the writer-director claimed his own painful breakup as a youth inspired the comedy. What do kids think about the slapsticky teen-suicide angle, especially compared to achingly serious dramas on the subject such as Permanent Record and The Virgin Suicides? Is suicide no laughing matter, or is joking it away a good approach?
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AGE
Good movie, but would be rated PG-13 today.
This movie is pretty good, to admit it. It's my mom's favorite. "Gee, Ricky. I'm really sorry your mom blew-up last night" LOL!
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AGE
I hated it
This move disgusted me, It was Sexually explicit, Crude in every aspect of the word, and the language was completely uncalled for. The sex jokes/language misuse was abound. Frequent uses of s**t and d**m along with h**l and t*******s mistaken for Tentacles, describing a lusty "nerd-character" who saught to own one of the characters. The fact that one of the characters was stripped down into their undergarments was another uncalled for scene, and the blunt statement that Lane lost his virginity to Beth put this over the top. The meaning of overcoming challenges was a plus, but the ONLY plus. I give this move a 1/20
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AGE
Hmmm.....
This is an ok movie. However, talk to your kids about suicide beforehand. It has a bunch of talk about it. Also has some sexual language such as "t*******s". Only let your kids watch if they can handle it.
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| Topics: | high school, misfits and underdogs |
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Savage Steve Holland |
| Cast: | Curtis Armstrong, David Ogden Stiers, John Cusack, Kim Darby |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 98 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 11, 1985 |
| DVD release date: | July 16, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
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