One of my favorite early John Cusack movies....

One of the essential 80s flicks to see.

"...see the problem here is my little brother, this morning, got his arm caught in the microwave and my grandmother dropped acid and she freaked out and hijacked a school bus full of penguins so it's kind of a family crisis so...come back later okay?"

John Cusack has made a career out of playing the type of guy you meet and think "Wow, where was this guy when I was in high school?" and then you remember, he was there, right under your nose.

In Better off Dead, Cusack plays one of the first of these likeable but unpopular high school kids. Lane Myers is surrounded by odd people - his family, his only friend, his girlfriend, his classmates - and despite being a fairly normal, intelligent, witty teenager, he's misunderstood and unpopular. When his girlfriend dumps him for the high school ski jock and Lane fails to make the school ski team, he sets out to kill himself, semi-half-heartedly of course.

Better Off Dead stands out from other 80s teen sex comedies because of Cusack's performance and the absurdity and darkly comic touch director Savage Steve Holland brings to the table.

Moving jello, a sociopathic paperboy, talking drawings and a singing hamburger are only a few of the delights of Better Off Dead's twisted story!

One of the funniest movies of the 80s, and John Cusack's finest role.