Better Off Dead (1985)

Director: Savage Steve Holland

Rated: PG

Where to watch: Amazon Prime (Purchase or Rent)

Trigger Warning: This film discusses attempted suicide.

In this comedic 1980s John Cusack film, high-schooler Lane Meyer (John Cusack) gets dumped by his girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss)–who he is completely obsessed with–for the jock captain of the ski team, Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier).  As he trains to race Roy in the most dangerous ski slope, he forms a friendship with the French foreign exchange student, Monique (Diane Franklin), who doesn’t speak a word of English and is staying with his next door neighbor Ricky (Dan Schneider). The film is full of memorable one-liners and ridiculous scenarios that only a true 1980s classic could have. The moral of the story is, no matter how terrible you may think your life is–no matter how much you think you’d be better off dead–there is always something better and brighter coming your way.