After his girlfriend Beth Truss ditches him for boorish ski jock Roy Stalin, sad-sack high-school student Lane Meyer decides that suicide is the only answer, but his inept attempts bring him nothing but agony and embarrassment. (from IMDb)

The 80's were a special time for cinema. Growing up as an 80's baby myself, it was easy to find my roots growing around classics like Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But being a kid in the 80's also meant not really seeing the teen comedies of the 80's till later in life. I believe it was college when a buddy had me sit down and watch John Cusack's Better Off Dead... one afternoon. I remember being entertained well enough, but only a rogue meal crawling off Cusack's plate made a lasting impression. For its 40th anniversary, Paramount has released the film on 4K UHD disc, so I had the opportunity to revisit the film again to see how it holds up.

First off - the 4K transfer. The movie looks probably as good as it's going to ever look with its 4K transfer, but I wouldn't say it's "impressive." If anything, it has a good HD-quality look to it, but it hardly impresses. Now, if you're used to the VHS look or even the DVD, this will probably "wow" you, but compared to 4K transfers, there's nothing here to really grab your attention.

With that said, Better Off Dead... is one of those quirky teen comedies that captures the ache of being a teen in love well - and nursing a broken heart. The tone of the movie is surreal at best, toying lightly with more of the silly, over-the-top humor you'd get from Airplane! or The Naked Gun than just your usual rom-com stuff. It's not just situational comedy; things like seeing tentacles writhing in a pot of stew, a genius younger brother who is preoccupied with building lasers and rocketships, or a paperboy who shows up literally anywhere Cusack's Lane Meyer may be to demand the $2.00 owed to him, are the kind of silliness that leans away from realism and closer to parody. The movie never quite commits fully to this tone, though, which makes the moments when it does get exceptionally weird more jarring and funny, although the overall tone feels reserved or uneven.

Better Off Dead... is a great break-up comedy. Cusack plays Lane pretty grounded, albeit absolutely head-over-heels for classmate Beth Truss (Amanda Wyss). Any high school guy with a hopeless romantic side can absolutely relate to Lane's struggles. (Been there, man... been there.) He takes it to the brink, though, contemplating - and sometimes attempting - suicide several times. The first attempt has him wrapping a cord around his neck to hang himself before realizing Beth's not worth offing himself. Later, he contemplates jumping off a bridge and then ends up deciding to set himself on fire, but gets interrupted before even attempting (Someone else hilariously accidentally blows themselves up instead - but they survive in perfect cartoon-style). Another scene shows him trying the car-running-in-the-garage trick, but that ends up backfiring, too. So, yeah, the movie does address the topic of suicide head-on, but it never glorifies it, and Lane deciding ultimately to stick it out with life rewards him with a positive outcome. (Still, if you or someone you'd intend to watch this with is sensitive about the topic of suicide, you'll want to approach this with caution.)

The content for Better Off Dead... would probably win it a PG-13 in 2025. There is some profanity (like a couple uses of the "S" word and some blasphemy) and a little sexual humor, with the worst being a flashback to Lane and Beth under a blanket in the back of a station wagon discussing losing their virginity in that moment (or at least Lane's). Nothing is really shown, though, as the camera pans out to reveal a visual gag about their lack of privacy. Then there's Lane's aforementioned suicide attempts. It's often handled in a comedic way, but again, it's something worth being cautious about if you're sensitive to the topic.

While not a title often mentioned among the best of the decade - or even the year for 1985 - Better Off Dead... remains a fun, silly, and sometimes witty romantic comedy for those who don't really like romantic comedies. Cusack is at his best in some of these sillier roles, and Better Off Dead... is a great example.