Rating: 
Summary: Two dollars... Two dollars...
Review: This is an uproariously funny flick, allegedly written by a guy experiencing a very black mood who wanted to get it all out of his system. When he showed the product to his friends, they couldn't stop laughing, so he went with the flow and just made it funnier and funnier.John Cusack, as we all know, rocks. He rocks on in this movie, like in all his other ones I've ever seen. For me, I think the thing that worked best about this movie is the sheer concatenation of random, bizarre subplots. The homicidal newspaper boy who wants his 2 dollars; the Japanese brothers who learned to speak English by watching Howard Cosell; Lane's mutant pal, played by the actor who played "Booger" in "Revenge of the Nerds"; Lane's effortlessly brilliant little brother, who gets everything he wants while Lane's life goes to hell; Lane's monumentally un-hip father, who wants to be cool; and the disgusting fat kid who has the hots for his french exchange student; sue me, but it all works. It is also a movie that doesn't really take itself too seriously. The basic story of identifying true love is a good one, but basically, it's all just constantly hilarious. Oh, the trials and tribulations of suburbia. Definitely a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal look at teen angst
Review: John Cusack once again shows the struggle for peer acceptance in this funny 80s comedy. Cusack gives a great performance at what he knows best, being a teenager. For Lane Myer, being a teenager is the most surreal and diverse experience one can go through. His life is full of things that you wouldn't normally find: a ditsy mother who likes to experiment with all types of food (from boiling bacon to cooking something that looks like an octopus), a father who reads 70s slang manuals to try to relate to Lane, and a younger brother who has a better time scoring chicks than Lane. Even school is surreal for him. I mean, who is actually happy to be at school? The movie also brings in some interesting twists, like drawings that talk back to Lane, and fun sequence featuring an Eddie Van Halen hamburger playing guitar. The film comes up with one of my favorite lines of all time: When Lane is pushed off a bridge and into a garbage truck, he passes two black tree trimmers and one of them says "Now that's a shame when folks throw away a perfectly good white boy like that". What I'm trying to get at is, Lane looks at adolesence as we all did at one time or another, as a very twilight zone-ish experience. We all tried to win admiration and respect from peers, and then when we struck out, we would see things as Lane did. Better Off Dead is a hilarous adaptation on those life experiences.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny
Review: You cannot consider yourself a John Cusack fan unless you have seen this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: 1980s Zeitgeist
Review: I liked the dinner scene. It has to be one of the most disasterous dinners on film. I thought one of the funniest moments was when Ricky's mother was telling everyone that Ricky and Monique spoke the "international language" and no one knew what she was talking about.
Rating:
Summary: ONe of the greatest teen movies of all time.
Review: This movie every kid should see. it was sooo funny and entertaining...one of the best teen movies of the 80s...if you liked ferris bueller you will love this one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest movies ever
Review: A complete sleeper in the theaters, Better Off Dead cleaned up on video. The story and characters are so off the wall,and over the top, that you have to love them. You'll never be able to forget the paperboy and his unrelenting pursuit of 2 dollars.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Fun Flick
Review: There's a lot to love in this John Cusack vehicle from his mother's cooking, goofy claymation sequences, fast food working, exchange student, the presence of Boogar from "Revenge of the Nerds", skiing hijinx and more. The film is just plain fun and entertaining. I have seen it many times and I can tell you its one you want for your collection-a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: silly
Review: One of the most stupid movies I have ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: a strangely hilarious movie
Review: this movie is so 80s it hurts. at the same time, it has bizarre black comedy like i've never seen before or since. it's really funny and i watch it all the time. john cusak is great in it. booger is hilarious too. the plot is cheesy romantic slop but what do expect in a comedy?
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: After viewing "Better Off Dead," I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the best comedies of all time. Though low budget, this movie has so many strange twists and turns that there is no denying it; it's a classic. Some of the best parts are the Asian race car drivers, Lane's neighbor Ricky Smith and his mother, and the obsessive paperboy. BUY IT!
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