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Dancing_P [ 8.0 ]
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Off-the-wall, to say the least; I think people underestimate how much TV comedy of the 00's owes to this film. It's true that director Savage Steve Holland went on to direct a lot of crappy shows, but it goes beyond that: there's something to this film's tone and humor that will be familiar to anyone who watched the late Andy Richter Controls the Universe or even Family Guy. Lane Myer (John Cusack) loves his girlfriend; actually, love is understating it somewhat. He's obsessed with her. When she leaves him for the school's hottest skier, his world all but comes crashing down. Not to mention that his family is going insane and he is being hunted by an unbelieveably persistent paperboy. It sounds awful, like unbelieveably clichéd TV-movie crap with Urkel in it or something... but it's really not. Better Off Dead is one of the most inventive teen comedies I've seen (and I've seen more than I'd be willing to admit). Just take the scene where Lane, now working at a burger joint, lets his mind wander while fixing a hamburger. The hamburger comes to life (thanks to some relatively rudimentary claymation) and begins to... well... shred on an electric guitar. There's absolutely nothing serious about this film and although it has a certain artificial feel to it, it's entertaining from beginning to end. This is one of John Cusack's earlier roles (before he gave all girls false hope and all guys something to shoot for in Say Anything) but also sets the prototype for this type of role, which has been reprised and retooled endlessly since (a few times by Cusack himself). The rest of the cast play it broad, but broad is right on the money for this movie.
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kcremer [ 8.5 ]
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This is my favorite John Cusack movie, and one of the best comedies of the '80's. Some jokes fall flat (the Oriental drag-racing brothers), but the funny ones more than compensate for that. The scenes with Ricky Smith, the fat kid across the street, and the guy who played Porky in Porky's(1981)- whom Cusack's always hitting with his car - are still hilarious after all these years.
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DokBrowne [ 9.0 ]
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Perhaps the quirkiest teen comedy I've ever seen. Its surreal attitude (like the mom stewing a pot containing giant moving tentacles) gives it instant and big time charm. See how easy it is to make a good teen movie? Why is this so rare?
Remember, it's a 1-7 scale
CAST/ACTING: 6 (it's all about John Cusack and Curtis Armstrong; the French girl does well, but more as a character than a dynamic actress; Taylor Negron used to be a great character actor/bit player in the old days; cutie Elizabeth Daily before she went into animation and never came back; and nothing says offbeat like the once ubiquitous Vincent Schiavelli, playing a beloved math teacher of all people...so many forgotten faces...)
DIRECTING: 4 (it's not Welles but Savage Steve Holland has a unique touch)
SCRIPT: 5 (the sheer oddity of it all must be commended; you can tell this movie was made with a wackier attention to detail than most)
ORIGINALITY/CREATIVITY: 7 (the least that can be said for a teen movie that boasts 3 completely different animation sequences and a bunch of comical suicide attempts)
TECHNICAL/VISUAL STYLE: 6 (Holland goes nuts with variation, filming most of the sequences with some kind of atmospheric exaggeration; plus I love that singing hamburger)
EFFECTIVENESS OF GENRE (teen movie/comedy): 7 (it's one of the best I've seen in terms of sheer inventiveness and hilarity; I don't know how Holland does it, but he makes even the simplest jokes work, like when Taylor Negron as the mailman is walking down the street, he just casually drops most of the letters in his hand along the way, and for some reason this had me laughing hysterically for several minutes...)
ENDING: 4 (typical Hero Wins the Big Race Then Nabs the Girl, but with a few eccentric flourishes, such as the kid brother blasting off in a spaceship he made from directions on a cereal box)
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 7 (I'm already anxious to buy it for repeat viewings; certainly one of the most joyful and surprising movie experiences I've had recently)
OVERALL: 46 / 56 points
AVERAGE: 5.75 / 7
GRADE: A-
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Stitch [ 8.0 ]
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Funny movie that has generated a lot of quotes. A must for John Cusack fans. The plot revolves around Lane Meyer (John Cusack) and how he reacts to loosing the girlfriend of his dreams. Helping him are his best friend, skiing, and the cute French exchange student staying with a neighbor. In fact the whole town is full of interesting and bizarre people. Makes for a very enjoyable movie experience.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.2 |
| No. Ratings | : 19 | |
| No. Reviews | : 10 | |
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