SAY ANYTHING Review and Discussion

I'm a sucker for John Cusack movies from the '80s.

While Lloyd is pretty awesome and all, I can see what he might see in Diane in a high school sense. At that age, I don't think it takes much to be attracted to someone, and though Lloyd didn't know her that well beforehand, it was enough since she was a fairly well known figure. As you said, people "know of her," and that can be enough.

It's weird how only certain aspects of films become iconic, especially when they're pretty insignificant to the film they belong to. This is a perfect example. I was under the impression that the end of this film was Cusack holding up a boombox outside his ex's house for several days, until his undying devotion (and the power of Peter Gabriel's prog-pop) won her over, Fight Club style.

 

Nope. I'm not even convinced the gesture was romantic. It's the song that played as they first had sex (it's even suggested that they lost their virginity to each other), so holding the song outside her window almost seems like a hostile gesture. "Remember this? How I trembled in your arms? How we shared the most intimate thing two people can share? Apparently that meant nothing to you."

 

That aside, this is the first Crowe movie I've really truly liked. It's very honest and real in a way that most romantic comedy/dramas (and even less about teens) are. Lloyd's a little perfect and sometimes you wonder why he has such undying devotion, but love is strange and teenagers doubly so, so I'm willing to meet the movie half-way. Also love the Graduate ending, and how Crowe subverts it to change ambiguity into outright optimism.

He's not that perfect.  He's a good guy, but what are his plans for the future?  Kickboxing?  Plastics? 

It's a high school romcom, but still, he's something of a directionless guy.

Ah Diane Court, my first love.....

I love it when DVD reviews here become simply a chance for someone to write a full on review of the film.  Great stuff, Josh!

 

The few comments in here have me wondering if Crowe should go all "Before Sunset" on this sucker!  Hmmmmmm...  Get a whole generation of fans all riled up.

Hmmmm I'm not sure I would want to see Lloyd all jaded and beaten down by life as he no doubt would be in that scenario. Well maybe at the start and then somehow he learns to live again through bonding with Diane's son from her now dead husband and teaching him to kickbox and shotgun a beer.