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• Better Off Dead is a 1985 teen comedy starring John Cusack, as the hapless Lane Meyer, a teenage boy who is dumped by his girlfriend, becomes depressed and tries to commit suicide. While the plot may not sound like grist for a comedy, the film is unapologetically comical. The central running gag throughout the plot is Lane's botched—and increasingly silly—suicide attempts. Better Off Dead was the sixth in a string of 1980s film roles that would establish Cusack as a major actor, particularly as a star of romantic comedies.

• Fast Facts

  1. Directed by Savage Steve Holland
  2. Produced by Gil Friesen, Michael Jaffe and Andrew Meyer
  3. Written by Savage Steve Holland
  4. Released on August 23, 1985
  5. Starring John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Diane Franklin and Curtis Armstrong

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Say Anything | Revenge of the Nerds | The Breakfast Club | Weekend at Bernie's | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | High Fidelity | John Cusack | Joan Cusack

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