Say Anything
Say Anything (1989) is a Cameron Crowe movie about first love. What makes this different from all the other first-love stories? Nineteen year old Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) is a good fellow. Not handsome, not popular, not “one of the guys,” not academically talented, not ambitious—just a good young man. His two best friends are female—one obsessing about her break-up with Joe, and the other a plain-Jane with her head screwed on straight. Lloyd’s living with his sister and her pre-school son, and he is great with the kid. While his grumpy sister scolds Lloyd, “Why can’t you be an uncle to him rather than his play mate?” Lloyd continues to teach the kid kick boxing. When Lloyd asks the unapproachable Diane Court (Ione Skye) to go with him to the wild graduation party, she agrees, has a great time away from studying, and is touched by the way he lets her mix and mingle but still keeps an eye on her to make sure she is doing all right. Who or what will try to keep the two young folks from coming together? The movie is head and shoulders above most, for, instead of having a powerful father squelch the match, this movie sets up a complex relationship between Diane and her father (solid acting by one John Mahoney). Especially since his divorce, he has focused all his energy on Diane’s success, as well as on his nursing home where she helps out. Without giving too much of the story away, I will say he comes under attack and needs more of Diane’s support. There’s a bad moon on the rise. Actually, no, there is an 80s sound track: Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fishbone, Aerosmith, Soundgarden, and more. Although this music did not grab me, I was enthralled with the realistic way plain old Lloyd and super-achiever Diane handled their love. Although the themes are serious, the movie is warm and comic.
Jim Bell