As far as 80's teen romance movies go, I was pretty sure I had them all figured out. Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, etc.... They all told a very familiar story of teenagers in love. But at the tale end of the 80's a very different teen romance movie would come along and really put all the other ones to shame. And that movie is Say Anything...
As the directorial debut of the now famous Cameron Crowe, this film stands alone as the pinnacle of 80's teen romance movies. It's smarter, funnier, and downright more watchable then any other teen movie of that decade. Crowe takes a formula that was concocted by noble teen romancer John Huges and beats him at his own game by adding a nice intellectual touch to set this film so far above other pictures of the day.
Say Anything... stars John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler as a very poetic underachiever. It is through John Cusack's character that Crowe's script really shines, with all the witty and philological (and sometimes downright hilarious) lines, Lloyd is seen as a very lovable character. Arguable the best acting done by Cusack, by far.
The symbolism of suppressed adolescences is a very nice touch in this unorthodox rom-com. Lloyd, who lives with his single-mom-sister, has these boundaries put up to keep him caged; i.e. the stereo has a marked volume limit to how high it can be set. These representations give a very genuine reflection of the central characters and how they become bogged down by their surroundings and aren't truly free until the end of the film. Lloyd has his sister/family and Diane has her father.
These meticulous metaphors that shine perfectly in this impeccable script are just one reason alone to see this film. Honestly, about halfway through the film you will think you have it figured out until the third act sends you for a spin.
So I highly recommend this film in all its cheesy, mushy glory. I'm not really one for romance films but this one has me totally sold.
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