The 1980’s produced a lot of “teenage sex” movies, most of which are inane and revolting. 1989’s Say Anything is a complete surprise. It’s intelligent, funny, and full of wisdom.
John Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler, who is a teenager with the unique goal of being a champion kickboxer. He doesn’t really have too many other goals, other than to go out with Diane Court (Ione Skye), the attractive valedictorian of his class.
Lloyd not only wants to date Diane, but he truly admires her for her brains. His is attracted to her as a person, not a body. Diane finally agrees to go out with him and finds him attractive and “dependable.” Their relationship is one based on trust, caring and the sharing of experiences.
In contrast to Lloyd’s lack of planning for the future, Diane has hers laid out before her. She’s going to England on a scholarship and her father (John Mahoney) will spare no expense to make her life exactly what she wants. The only fly in the ointment is that Mr. Court has gone a little far to make Diane’s dreams come true. He’s been charged with tax evasion and faces imprisonment.
This is far from a simple teen comedy. It’s a complex, true-to-life story of interpersonal relationships. Diane, her father, and Lloyd all most come to terms with how they feel about one another. They each have their own little support system to help them make decisions. Diane has her father, who has her support in return, and Lloyd has his friends, Corey (Lili Taylor) and DC (Amy Brooks).
Say Anything is full of wonderful dialogue and situations written and directed by Cameron Crowe, who’s responsible for one of this year’s Best Picture Nominees, Jerry McGuire. If there’s anything to fault about the movie, I couldn’t really find it.
Overlooked in theaters, video provides audiences a chance to get to know Lloyd and Diane, two of the best defined teenage characters in film. Rent it!
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
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