FANGING FLICK
STORY SIMON MAJORCOOL FLICK FACT:
The 1967 Camaro was
originally owned by the son of
the movie’s transportation
coordinator; it was later
found in poor condition and
restored to its filmic glory“ONCE a-gain par-a-llel...” You can’t tell me you’ve never
said this to your mates at the traffic lights. In the car scene
especially, the ability to recite a film’s one-liners is a sure-fire
sign of its staying power, often trumping any flaws it may
have. There are no rose-coloured glasses when it comes to
Better Off Dead though; yep, the legend of Lane Meyer is
still well and truly hilarious after 33 years.
The depressive, bumbling Meyer was John Cusack’s
breakout role as a 19-year-old, and a part he played to
perfection. When Lane gets unceremoniously dumped
by his fickle girlfriend Beth (Wyss) for the rich Greendale
High School jerk Stalin (Dozier), he struggles to manage
his anger, frustration and depression, all compounded by
his unconventional home life – an exasperated dad Al (the
late David Ogden Stiers, best remembered as M*A*S*H’s
Charles Winchester III), Lane’s well-meaning but ridiculously
hopeless mum Jenny (Darby), and silent-genius younger
brother Badger (Stevens).
After a number of comical failed suicide attempts, Lane
turns to – then quickly away from – his loose best mate
Charles De Mar (played by the brilliant Curtis Armstrong)
for advice, before finding a kindred spirit in a sweet French
girl, Monique (Franklin).
Suffering as a lonely exchange student with the Meyers’
crazy neighbours Mrs Smith (Waterbury) and her deviant
son Ricky (Schneider), Monique is battling frustrations of her
own, but is secretly smitten with the oblivious Lane.
Monique takes it upon herself to get Lane’s shit together,
firstly by wielding the spanners on his cool black ’67 Camaro
that has been “darkening the driveway” for six months, then
refining his snow-skiing prowess to tackle the dangerous
K12 slope – for a race he regrettably challenged Stalinto in a desperate attempt to win back Beth’s affections.
With Lane now finding his mojo, he conquers his nemeses
one by one, including the Howard Cosell-speaking Asian
drag-racing brothers that revel in narrating his life failures,
and the Terminator-like BMX-riding paperboy adamant
about recovering his two dollars.
The film’s teen-spec daydreaming makes for some original
and highly effective animated scenes, but its Kim Darby’s
portrayal of Lane’s mum that provides some of the weirdest
yet funniest moments. Her attempts at cooking are epic
fails, while her reference to ‘Fronch’-inspired food and
accessories while trying to impress Monique point to a kind,
if misguided, heart.
This style of teen comedy won’t be to everyone’s taste,
and some may well question my 5/5 rating (not to mention
my maturity level), but you must appreciate that Better Off
Dead was one of the originators of this genre, so deserves full
kudos. I wish I could be a first-time viewer all over again – the
sight of that well-covered yet prominent two-door car in the
driveway was an exciting hint of something cool in the wings.VERDICT: 5/
THERE’S a little bit of Lane Meyer in all of us, and the semi-
autobiographical elements that director Holland weaves
into Better Off Dead add some realism amongst the hilarious
stupidity, making this offbeat film such a fantastic watch.
As a long-time John Cusack fan, I’ve always struggled to
understand his well-reported negativity towards the film,
but his recanting of that view in recent years has not only
polished most of the tarnish from his reputation, but makes
watching Better Off Dead even more enjoyable – the ‘cloud’
has been lifted. sBETTER OFF DEAD 1985
INSANITY DOESN’T RUN IN THE FAMILY, IT GALLOPS
BREAKDOWN
VEHICLES: 1967 Chevrolet
Camaro, 1973 Ford LTD
wagon, 1965 Ford Falcon,
White 1500 garbage truck,
Porsche 911, 1970 Dodge
D
STARS: John Cusack,
David Ogden Stiers, Curtis
Armstrong, Diane Franklin,
Kim Darby, Scooter Stevens,
Laura Waterbury, Dan
Schneider, Amanda Wyss,
Aaron Dozier
DIRECTOR: Savage Steve
Holland
ACTION: Comical mishaps
behind the wheel of a drag-
racing LTD wagon graduate to
some very cool tyre-smoking
Camaro action
PLOT: A depressed teenager
struggles with obsessive
love, family, friends, skiing, a
psychotic paperboy and a pair
of drag-racing Asian brothers
AVAILABLE: DVD, YouTube,
internet download1818 STREET MACHINE STREET MACHINE