Flick of The Day: Say Anything...

Another day, another film from Cameron Crowe, after previous flicks of the day Almost Famous and Singles, today's film is a paean to teenage romance, Say Anything, his directorial debut and a big hit upon its release in 1989.

Say Anything

Say Anything is unusual among films of its genre, it takes an intelligent look at teenage romance without resorting to the usual teen movie clichés and stereotypes so common in American cinema. There are no jocks, no cliques and no cheerleaders. An impossibly young John Cusack, is Lloyd Dobler an average high school student with no real ideas or prospects as to what to do when he graduates apart from pursuing the best student in the class, Diane Court, played by the lovely Ione Skye. Against the wishes of her overbearing father, played against type by John Mahoney, perhaps best known for playing Martin Crane in TV's Frasier, Diane agrees to go out with Lloyd and gradually falls in love with his quirky sense of humour and mannerisms. The kind of character that John Cusack would make a career out of.  As their relationship deepens, Diane begins to feel guilty for spending too much time with Lloyd as her father is indicted for tax evasion.

Perhaps the best compliment that can be paid to this film is that it neither talks down to its audience or panders to it. The characters are quite naturally drawn and look and feel like they exist in the real world. This is not the teenage fantasy land of 10 Things I Hate About You or She's All That. There are real issues and conflicts at the heart of this story. John Mahoney is excellent as the single father who appears to believe himself to be acting in Diane's best interests but then given the conclusion of the film, is he merely acting as an emotional blackmailer in all his dealings with Diane? This is not resolved satisfactorily and is just one example of the "grown-up" nature of the film.

Let's not forget that this is a romantic film and there is some great chemistry between the leads, aided by a fine script with some great witty lines that ring true.

"Lloyd Dobler: I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

Another prerequisite for any film like this is a great ending, something that affirms all that has come before it and this film has it in spades. The film is rightly remembered as a classic, particularly for that famous scene involving Lloyd, his boom-box and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". Ultimately, what makes this film is that its story is universal. It drags us back with a warm look at that brief half-life between the end of your school days and the start of real adult life. That kind of storytelling is a true gift. Check it out.