Better Off Dead (1985)

Better Off Dead tells the story of Lane Meyer (John Cusack), who engages in a series of self-destructive behaviors after his girlfriend, Beth, breaks up with him after catching the eye of arrogant blond guy Roy Stalin. Luckily, Lane falls under the sway of a new brunette Friend, Monique (Diane Franklin), a French exchange student trapped in the home of Lane’s creepy neighbor, Ricky.

Better Off Dead may have seemed like a typical ’80s teen comedy on the surface, but its absurdity transcends the genre and kicks it into masterpiece territory.

You could say this movie is so beloved that it’s remembered not just by cool kids but by everyone who lived through the ’80s, but let’s put it like this: If you like this movie, you’re cool with us. It was a modest hit in theaters before becoming a stone-cold cult classic.