Mini Review #125: Better Off Dead (1985) (UNCUT Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

Thank you Red Dwarf for recommending this movie! It was so much fun and I can't believe I had never heard of this before. Better Off Dead is a great example of how to set up and continue jokes as it has so many really funny running gags. My favourite of which is the random little kid turned Freddy Kruger/Terminator as he hunts down John Cusack for 2 dollars. There are some other great ones like the falling cereal gag or the flipping indoor space shuttle bit, but this random bicycle kid takes the kid. Watching his attempts to get this two dollars was so funny. From threatening John Cusack with a switch blade to multiplying himself on a dark and misty night to chase John with like 15 versions of himself through a grass field had me dying. But the funniest moment of all came from when John was skiing down the most perilous ski slope at the end of the film and the kid just comes from out of nowhere with his bike (skis attached) and starts screaming "I WANT MY 2 DOLLARS" as he chases him down the hill before being pushed of a giant cliff and screaming the most monotone scream I have ever heard in my life. The kid doesn't fear death and he wants his two dollars... I respect that. Besides that, the main romance between Cusack and Franklin was really sweet and their little date moment actually gave me some goosebumps. Even though they only met 50 minutes into this 1hr 30 min movie, I bought their relationship enough to care about them. This film is just super sweet and surprisingly very very funny! Give it a watch if you want something lighthearted and easy to digest!