The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

If, somehow, neither of these titles is familiar to you then know we had radically different childhoods and that you are about to be blessed. Both of these films are directed by Savage Steve Holland whose most recent film is Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave (2020) and who is credited as animator on the show Press Your Luck for the “whammy” animations (which I only just learned and makes me love him more). They also both star John Cusack in lead roles and Curtis Armstrong in supporting.

Who I think will enjoy these:

If you enjoy the campy, joke-driven comedies of yesteryear then these are films for you. Are they dated? Absolutely. If you are old enough they will certainly make you relieve tropes and performances you have forgotten or repressed (Bobcat Goldwait doing his thing in One Crazy Summer). If you never experienced the 1980’s then these might be a treat for you – think Stranger Things but less moody and not as focused on children.

My sales pitch:

This post is unusual as I am writing about two films but for me I can’t think of one without the other. In fact I often confuse parts of the films because they are similar in so many ways.

To begin – Better Off Dead. I just learned this is the first film Mr. Holland directed and I am amazed. It’s assured, it’s funny and despite the protagonist continually attempting to commit suicide it’s a lot of fun.

So a brief summary, Lane Meyer (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend for a popular jock. Skiing is everything at their high school and sadly Lane doesn’t ski well at all. So naturally his thoughts turn to suicide. Only all of his attempts are foiled, usually due to his ineptness.

So if I’m trying to sell the film to you here is what I say – the movie is funny. It has a lot of sight gags and base humor as well as some witty and clever parts. Lane’s family is a fantastic, between the genius younger brother who learns from a book “How To Pick Up Trashy Women” to his mother and her strange food concoctions.

Lane has a strange neighbor with an overbearing mother who host a mysterious foreign exchange student. There is a psychopathic newspaper delivery boy, a best friend who wants nothing more than to delve into the world of drugs and two brothers who want nothing more than to drag race him in the streets.

The film features interesting animation, an original song by Van Halen (which accompanies an animated hamburger) and a line delivery “Ricky!” that has never allowed me to hear the name in any other way.

Watch Better Off Dead if you are looking for a quirky love story about a sad young man who can’t see where his true talents lie (and can’t ski at all).

And then the other movie:

One Crazy Summer has similar elements to Better Off Dead, snobby rich kids, a hero who is supposed to be good at a sport (here we have Hoops McCann being hopeless at basketball) and the possibility of true love.

One Crazy Summer differs from Better Off Dead in a number of ways. First, Hoops isn’t constantly trying to kill himself. Instead he’s going to Nantucket with his best friend to spend the summer and to work on writing his love story. Driving there they pick up a hitchhiker who just so happens to be on the run from a motorcycle gang. Oh, did I mention she’s played by Demi Moore?

Ms. Moore plays Cassandra Eldridge and she has a big problem, her grandfather’s house is in jeopardy from a rich family that wants to develop the land. Honestly I don’t remember this subplot at all, so while it’s surely important what I remember is the father of the family torturing the lobsters he cooks in disturbing ways.

There’s a uncle who spends the summer poised by the telephone to win a radio contest, a young Jeremy Piven as a preppy jerk, a Godzilla costume that gets stuck (we see you Arrested Development and we do not judge) and an animated Rhino who just can’t catch a break.

Here is where I leave you

I’m going to be honest, it’s been at least thirty years since I last saw these films. John Cusack has disowned them and I’m not sure if they are available for streaming. So why am I writing about them today? Because like many films I watched when I was young they made such a wonderful impression on me.

Many of those films, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Back to The Future, are all well regarded and remembered. Outside of one of my friends I have no idea who watched these two films and that’s a shame. Are they high art? No, but neither are the first two Austin Powers’ films and I think those gems should be seen by everyone.

There’s a playfulness in these movies, a lack of seriousness while trying to tell a story, that I miss. It’s okay to have a bit of fun while trying to tell your love story. Are there going to be parts of these movies that haven’t aged well? Oh boy, I can only imagine. I feel that point could be made about most films from the past though and isn’t a reason to ignore them.

If you are looking for something silly and a bit absurd to watch I think you could do far worse than these two movies. Plus you get to see a number of future movie stars in their early roles which is always a treat.