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Say Anything, 1989
On the eve of his high school graduation, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) decides to ask out his class's valedictorian, Diane Court (Ione Skye). Though she's lived a very sheltered life with her doting father James (John Mahoney), Diane agrees to go out with Lloyd, and the two quickly fall into a sweet romance. But with Diane's departure to England looming and some drama in her family life, she begins to get cold feet.
I have had a very mixed set of experiences with 80s romantic comedies. A lot of it has had to do with how often I've been asked to root for people who are either borderline-rapists or just, you know, not that upset when the people around them are rapists. You can say, "That's just how it was then!". Okay, it doesn't make them any more likable.
So this film was a real breath of fresh air and a really charming departure from what I've come to expect from the 80s teen rom-com.
To begin with, I enjoyed both Lloyd and Diane as leads. I thought that the balance between their romance and their own personal lives was really well done. Diane is under stress because she's preparing to leave the country right at she learns that the IRS is investigating her father. Lloyd lives with his sister (played by real-life sibling Joan Cusack) and her son, and is unsure about what to do post-school. He knows that he doesn't want to follow his family into the military, but the only thing he's really got going on is a passion for kickboxing. Unlike so many romantic comedy leads, they really feel like they have lives outside of their relationship with each other, and a sense of a past.
I also liked the way that the film captured the insecurity of two people embarking on their first serious romance. There's a lot of stumbling and bumbling, but these are two good, sensitive people. Neither of them wants to hurt the other, and they just don't know if they're doing the right thing. Their conversations with each other are frank, and you really root for them to find their way through their issues. I keep coming back to the word "charming" and that's really how I felt through the whole thing. The film seems to understand the way that deep relationships develop from small moments: Lloyd teaching Diane to drive stick shift, or helping her avoid stepping on some glass. Further, Diane's easy attitude when Lloyd seems nervous during their first sexual encounter. There's an ease to someone you fall in love with, and this movie captures that in a really fun way.
I enjoyed the supporting cast. Joan Cusack is solid as Lloyd's older sister, still feeling cynical because she's been abandoned by her child's father. Lili Taylor is a lot of fun as one of Lloyd's best friends, Corey, whose manipulative relationship with a dude named Joe (baby Loren Dean!) has led her to both a suicide attempt and to writing 65 songs about the pain of their relationship. In fact, the friendship between Lloyd was one of my favorite things in the film. I loved Lloyd telling Joe to back off and leave Corey alone---though I also appreciated that the film gave Corey her own chance to realize that Joe is a manipulative jerk. Later, Corey gives Lloyd advice that is well-meaning--ultimately rooting for her friend to be happy. Mahony is also great as a man whose relationship with his daughter is a bit too close. While it borders on creepy at times, the main impression is of someone who has become way too emotionally dependent on their relationship with one person.
Overall I just loved this movie. There wasn't a singe moment in which it made a misstep. Just a sweet, endearing look at young love with much more attention than usual to the idea that people are human beings outside of their romantic relationships.
Say Anything, 1989
On the eve of his high school graduation, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) decides to ask out his class's valedictorian, Diane Court (Ione Skye). Though she's lived a very sheltered life with her doting father James (John Mahoney), Diane agrees to go out with Lloyd, and the two quickly fall into a sweet romance. But with Diane's departure to England looming and some drama in her family life, she begins to get cold feet.
I have had a very mixed set of experiences with 80s romantic comedies. A lot of it has had to do with how often I've been asked to root for people who are either borderline-rapists or just, you know, not that upset when the people around them are rapists. You can say, "That's just how it was then!". Okay, it doesn't make them any more likable.
So this film was a real breath of fresh air and a really charming departure from what I've come to expect from the 80s teen rom-com.
To begin with, I enjoyed both Lloyd and Diane as leads. I thought that the balance between their romance and their own personal lives was really well done. Diane is under stress because she's preparing to leave the country right at she learns that the IRS is investigating her father. Lloyd lives with his sister (played by real-life sibling Joan Cusack) and her son, and is unsure about what to do post-school. He knows that he doesn't want to follow his family into the military, but the only thing he's really got going on is a passion for kickboxing. Unlike so many romantic comedy leads, they really feel like they have lives outside of their relationship with each other, and a sense of a past.
I also liked the way that the film captured the insecurity of two people embarking on their first serious romance. There's a lot of stumbling and bumbling, but these are two good, sensitive people. Neither of them wants to hurt the other, and they just don't know if they're doing the right thing. Their conversations with each other are frank, and you really root for them to find their way through their issues. I keep coming back to the word "charming" and that's really how I felt through the whole thing. The film seems to understand the way that deep relationships develop from small moments: Lloyd teaching Diane to drive stick shift, or helping her avoid stepping on some glass. Further, Diane's easy attitude when Lloyd seems nervous during their first sexual encounter. There's an ease to someone you fall in love with, and this movie captures that in a really fun way.
I enjoyed the supporting cast. Joan Cusack is solid as Lloyd's older sister, still feeling cynical because she's been abandoned by her child's father. Lili Taylor is a lot of fun as one of Lloyd's best friends, Corey, whose manipulative relationship with a dude named Joe (baby Loren Dean!) has led her to both a suicide attempt and to writing 65 songs about the pain of their relationship. In fact, the friendship between Lloyd was one of my favorite things in the film. I loved Lloyd telling Joe to back off and leave Corey alone---though I also appreciated that the film gave Corey her own chance to realize that Joe is a manipulative jerk. Later, Corey gives Lloyd advice that is well-meaning--ultimately rooting for her friend to be happy. Mahony is also great as a man whose relationship with his daughter is a bit too close. While it borders on creepy at times, the main impression is of someone who has become way too emotionally dependent on their relationship with one person.
Overall I just loved this movie. There wasn't a singe moment in which it made a misstep. Just a sweet, endearing look at young love with much more attention than usual to the idea that people are human beings outside of their romantic relationships.