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.