Say Anything... (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer (WGA):

Cameron Crowe (written by)

Release Date:

14 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.

Plot:

A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.

Plot Keywords:

High School | England | Graduation | High School Graduation | Valedictorian

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Cusack	...	Lloyd Dobler
Ione Skye	...	Diane Court
John Mahoney	...	James Court
Lili Taylor	...	Corey Flood
Amy Brooks	...	D.C.
Pamela Adlon	...	Rebecca (as Pamela Segall)
Jason Gould	...	Mike Cameron
Loren Dean	...	Joe
Glenn Walker Harris Jr.	...	Jason Dobler
Charles Walker	...	Principal
Russel Lunday	...	Parent
Polly Platt	...	Mrs. Flood
Gloria Cromwell	...	Ruth
Jeremy Piven	...	Mark
Patrick O'Neill	...	Denny

Also Known As:

...Say Anything... (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Gracie Films

Trivia:

The movie's line "I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen." was voted as the #73 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lloyd and Diane drop off the drunk guy at his house after the graduation party, the street and driveway are completely wet. However, when Lloyd walks Diane home the same morning, the streets and sidewalks are completely dry.

Quotes:

D.C.: Why don't you just call her again?
Lloyd Dobler: I draw the line at 7 unreturned phone calls.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Van Wilder (2002)

Soundtrack:

Within Your Reach

Hard to Place this Movie in any Genre Besides "Good Movie"

I've never cared for "teen movies" and this *isn't* one, so don't worry. On the surface, this movie would appear to be about high school, or growing up, or the 'loser' guy dares to get the 'winner' girl. This movie is about truthfulness and it's liberating qualities and also about the price one pays for success or greatness.

Diane Court is the valedictorian and the "most likely to succeed" in her high school. Lloyd Dobler is the well-liked underachiever with good character. Lloyd's low-pressure friends accept Diane at a party and she, at last, gets to let her hair down. This launches a romance that Diane's father disdains.

Always quick to shower her with praise, encouragements, and gifts Diane's father has visions of her earth-shattering success. On her part, Diane is getting a little self-conscious over her father's incessant chatter about what HE wants her to be.

Lloyd's attentions to Diane grow inconvenient to her father perhaps less for his romantic interest, but worse: he's diverting her from her greatness. Simultaneously, Lloyd has no outward indicators of achievement. He lacks direction and can't really say what his next moves are. Diane's father's agitation grows when investigators from the IRS launch a criminal investigation of him.

The acting in this film is so believable you feel like you are in the movie yourself. John Mahoney (the father)makes this role look so easy and his face conveys every emotion so clearly. John Cusack nails this role as the anxious-to-please, smitten teen with a sincere heart. His dialog sounds very natural. Ione Skye is lucky. Not many female rolls for teenage girls are as juicy as this one: no nudity, no ax murderers, and no entering into talent competitions. Additional endorsement: I danced with a naval officer from a nuclear sub to the main theme of this film and he immediately asked me if I had seen this film. We proceeded to have a conversation about how great this film is!