Better Off Dead... poster

Movie Info

Release Date: August 23, 1985
Runtime: 97 minutes
Alternative titles: View all (8)
Genres:
Comedy Romance
Budget: $3,500,000
Revenue: $10,297,601
Original Language: English
Status: Released
Spoken Languages:
Critic Scores
Ratings from trusted sources
🍅
75%
Tomatometer
51
51/100
Metacritic
🎬
6.6/10
TMDB
543 votes
7.1/10
IMDb
53,578 votes
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Better Off Dead...

1985

"Love is a gamble; will he win?"

Also known as: 🇬🇧 EN: Better of Dead? 🇪🇸 ES: La mujer de sus sueños? 🇮🇹 IT: Sapore di hamburger? 🇯🇵 JA: やぶれかぶれ一発勝負? 🇷🇴 RO: Mai bine mort... All international titles (8) →
Comedy Romance 97 min 7.1/10

Synopsis

🧒

Parental Guide — Suitable for 13+

13+

Content guidance for parents

Category Level Indicator
Violence 1/5
Sexual Content 2/5
Language 1/5
Drugs / Alcohol 1/5
Frightening Elements 0/5
🔗

Connections with other movies

This movie has thematic and stylistic connections with the following productions:

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Box Office

Budget: $3,500,000
Revenue: $10,297,601
Profit $6,797,601
ROI +194.2% (2.9x)

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Cast of Better Off Dead...

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Keywords

#duringcreditsstinger 234 #aftercreditsstinger 176 #admiring 88 #hilarious 84 #familiar 21 #nerd 9 #teen comedy 7 #snow skiing 6 #suicidal 4 #duck 2 #paperboy 1 #skiing 1

Production Companies

Trivia & Fun Facts about Better Off Dead...

5
  • John Cusack's character Lane Meyer was originally conceived to be more of a typical teenage hero, but director Savage Steve Holland encouraged Cusack to infuse more of his own personality into the role, resulting in a more eccentric portrayal.

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  • The paperboy character, played by Aaron Dozier, became a fan favorite due to his relentless pursuit of payment; his catchphrase "I want my two dollars!" has since become a memorable quote in pop culture.

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  • In one scene, Lane is seen wearing a shirt that features the logo of the fictional 'Duke' ski team, a playful nod to the 1984 film 'Revenge of the Nerds', which also featured a rivalry between jocks and nerds.

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  • During the filming, there was a noticeable lack of snow in California, prompting the crew to use synthetic snow for the ski scenes, which created challenges in achieving a realistic look.

    Behind the Scenes ai
  • The film contains a memorable animated sequence in which Lane's thoughts are visualized through whimsical animations; this was a creative solution to convey his inner turmoil without heavy dialogue.

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