Better Off Dead

Released: 1985
Comedy
Starring: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby
Director: Savage Steve Holland
Running Time: 97 minutes


The breakdown:
This is a classic 80's movie of love gone wrong and believing in yourself.  A boy is in love with a girl who dumps him at the beginning of the movie.  The rest of the movie is showing him trying to kill himself, unsuccessfully, and then learning life isn't as bad as he thought.


Ok so Lane loses his girlfriend Beth, who he thinks he deeply loves, to a really popular jock at his high school.  Lane (played by Cusack) figures his life is over and he can't live without her.  Throughout most of the first half of the movie he tries killing himself (half-heartedly) in various manners (my favorite is attempting to jump off a ledge) but he never succeeds, thankfully. 
What I like so much about this movie is actually the supporting cast.  His family consists of his mom, who is totally spaced out and doesn't really pay attention to anything going on with Lane's life.  His kid brother who always buys books about building space rockets and how to get sleazy women, and then practices these things successfully.  His dad is convinced Lane is on drugs.  His neighbors, the Smiths (Ricky and his mom) are absolutely hysterical and socially awkward.  Lane's best friend is interested in "real" drugs but he claims he can't get any in the northern California town they live in, so he snorts just about anything he can.  There's a couple of Korean drag racing brothers that constantly leave Lane in the dust with his station wagon.  They have a loud speaker attached to the roof of their car and they only speak English by doing a Howard Cosell impersonation (that's how they learned to speak English).  And one of my favorites the character known only as the "paperboy" who desperately needs $2.00 from Lane's family for the paper delivery.  "I want my two dollars!"
The Smiths just happen to take in a gorgeous French exchange student, Monique, and she takes a liking to Lane.  Monique and Lane really hit it off when she reveals to him that she hates the Smiths so much she pretends she doesn't speak or understand English.  Lane tells Monique he's tired of losing races to the Korean brothers and she helps him restore his beautiful black 1967 Camaro to running (and racing) condition. 
Lane, even though him and Monique are now friends, still kinda' wants to win Beth back.  Her new boyfriend is an excellent downhill skier and Lane wants to beat him on the slopes (the killer hard K-12 to be exact) to prove his manhood/worthiness? I guess.
The film comes to its climax as the whole high school meets on the slopes to watch the big showdown between Lane and his rival to see who's the best.
I won't tell you the end if you haven't seen it, but it a really cute movie and I love it.
I give it 5 out of 5 for the unique characters and the numerous laugh out loud moments.

PS
I was quite upset to discover recently that John Cusack actually hates this movie.  This is one of his best and my personal favorites, but I've also heard that John is a real jerk, while his sister Joan is really nice.