The Movie: Better Off Dead (1985)
What Is It?: Savage
Steve Holland was John Hughes for the kids who huffed glue at the back of the
class, and Better Off Dead is his
undisputed masterwork. Teen angst embraces surrealism as John Cusack broods
over girls and cars, eats Franch fries and meals that look like puke and
slither of their own volition, skis deadly slopes, and hangs out with his
middle-aged high school chum Curtis Armstrong.
Why Today?: On
this day in 1985, Better Off Dead hits theaters.
