Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) wants to take Diane Court (Ione Skye) out again. The trouble is, he's never been out with Diane. He once sat across from her at a restaurant in the mall, and ever since, Lloyd's been in love. Against the better judgement of his friends (all girls), Lloyd sets out to make Diane notice him.
James Court (John Mahoney) is extremely protective of his daughter, Diane. He has always been her best friend, and her sole confidante. When Diane receives a scholarship to study abroad, James fears that she will throw it all away in order to stay near Lloyd. He manipulates her into breaking off her new relationship. Heartbroken and alone, Lloyd tries to deal with losing Diane. Can he say anything to win back her love?
A main topic in "Say Anything..." is the idea of friendship. Friendship can come in many forms: between man and woman, boyfriend and girlfriend, or parent and child. While Lloyd grew up with three girls as his best friends, it was never anything more than platonic. He was able to be with the opposite sex without risking falling in love and getting hurt. Lloyd and Diane started out as friends because Diane knew she'd be leaving for college in a few months. But as the two of them spent more and more time together, a love began to grow. James Court had always used his friendship with his daughter as a way to control her. When Diane finds out a terrible secret about her father, she loses all faith in him. He unfortunately learns that without trust, no form of friendship can survive.
This movie, in my opinion, is one of the sweetest love stories ever put on film. There are some scenes (like Lloyd standing outside Diane's bedroom window, holding his radio high above his head so she hears "their song" being played) that make my heart melt. John Cusack, as always, gives a great performance. I don't think any other actor could have portrayed Lloyd Dobler as sincerely as he did.
Stars: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney
Director: Cameron Crowe
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Why You'll Know It's From the 80's:
Lloyd, in one scene, describes kickboxing as "the sport of the future".
Kickboxing was not really a well-known sport before this movie
came out.Dog Appeal: Food is either shown or mentioned in many scenes
Daisy's Rating:
