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Sep 14, 2022 · 'Cobra Kai' star Yuji Okumoto recalls doing an impression of Howard Cosell 'but with an Asian accent' for the 1985 cult classic 'Better Off Dead.'
- Kristen Baldwin
- 8 min
- David Konow
- It's based on real life. "Better Off Dead" was the creation of Savage Steve Holland, a promising young filmmaker just out of California Institute of the Arts.
- The director really had a stalker paperboy. Yes, Holland's real-life experiences are exaggerated for comedic effect in "Better Off Dead," and he, fortunately, found some humor in the trauma he endured.
- Henry Winkler helped get the movie made. After playing the Fonz on TV's "Happy Days," Henry Winkler reinvented himself as a producer and helped create the successful series "MacGyver."
- Holland desperately wanted John Cusack for the lead. John Cusack took off as an actor in the mid-'80s, with roles in the John Hughes classic "Sixteen Candles" and the Rob Reiner romantic comedy "The Sure Thing."
Oh, Better Off Dead has its moments -- in particular, a Chinese drag-racing duo who learned their English from watching Howard Cosell on "Wide World of Sports" -- but it's mostly the usual gross-out fare: inhaling Jello through a straw; fat kid; girl with dental retainer; sticking Q-Tips in nose, ears, mouth.
Better Off Dead: Directed by Savage Steve Holland. With John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade. After his girlfriend ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer.
High schooler Lane Meyer (John Cusack) loses his girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss) to the captain of the ski team, Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier). His pal Charles (Curtis Armstrong), though, has a plan for Lane to win her back: he must ski the K12, the highest peak in the local mountain range.
- (7)
- Savage Steve Holland
- PG
Oct 17, 1985 · Oh, "Better Off Dead" has its moments -- in particular, a Chinese drag-racing duo who learned their English from watching Howard Cosell on "Wide World of Sports" -- but it's mostly the usual...
Uneven, occasionally hilarious '80s teen comedy. Read Common Sense Media's Better Off Dead review, age rating, and parents guide.
