Say Anything (Special Edition)

Lloyd Dobler (Cusack) is a quiet and earnest but extraordinary guy who thinks he's nothing special. He likes kickboxing and has a noble heart, and he wants more than anything to date the beautiful and brilliant school valedictorian, Diane Court (Skye). The summer after their graduation, she accedes to his niceness and persistence, and their relationship grows despite the misgivings of her overprotective father (Mahoney), who manages a nursing home. Besides the father's disapproval, Lloyd is facing a deadline: Diane has a scholarship to go to England at the end of the summer. This sweet and sincere 1989 film by writer-director Cameron Crowe has almost no shocking drama or real villain, but is effective and moving, like its hero.This is a story of normal people coping with real-world problems. Diane's relationship with her father is convincing, as are his motives for doing what he does, even though it's wrong. She loves him and wants to do right by him. That puts her in conflict with her devotion to Lloyd, an aimless young man who captures her heart. Her father is against the relationship because he views Lloyd as an obstacle to his daughter's success. Lloyd is one of the most honestly told and played characters I've seen, and one I can relate to as a man.

I’m not sure what the hype is about! Horrible movie! Promotes underage drinking and premarital sex! Makes everything seem glamorous! There is so many other terrible things about this movie besides the terrible storyline and acting, but not worth my breath

Love John Cusack, really loved him in this comedy "Say Anything" & also "Bullets Over Broadway." John is just a great actor so he is also great in dramas, really loved him in "Eight Men Out" & "1408" which is a drama/horror movie. Really good to see John in this movie with his sister Joan who is also a great actor. Also liked the two of them together as teens in the comedy "Sixteen Candles" and as young adults in "Gross Pointe Blank." "Say Anything" is a great teen comedy and it's without a lot of the teen shenanigans usually seen in teen movies, and John is really great in this role. Lili Taylor is also great in this movie as the dramatic, emotional, guitar-playing girlfriend who got dumped. This movie is funny but it also has some drama and a big twist with the daughter/father relationship. Really a great script with great actors to execute it. When I first saw this movie I knew I had to have it for my collection.

Say Anything may be best known in some circles as “the boom box scene movie” but having watched the movie, I can now say that it says a lot more than that. I think Cameron Crowe really avoided the teen movie cliché of having the popular girl fall for the school nerd and/or vice versa. The two lead characters played by John Cusack and Lorne Skye seem like fairly average high school students, neither is super popular, but one seems to have more ambition than the other. The falling in love felt more real and organic than most teen movies of recent movies, which lend it sort of a classical charm and an eye opening look at the all-consuming power of love.The one thing that didn’t quite work for me was the subplot of the father played by John Mahoney and his IRS troubles as he tries to keep his teenage daughter from throwing her life away. I’m virtually positive that it fits somewhere, I just didn’t connect the pieces together. It doesn’t take away from the sweet message that Say Anything has about the all-consuming power of love.

If you haven't watched this movie at least once in your life, you're not living it right! I've worn my dvd out and it never gets old. The 80's child in me just loves it and recognizes its perfection. The leads are a little ruff around the edges, acting wise, but it only adds to the chemistry between the characters. Cusack and Skye just suck you in and you can't turn away. The plot is simple, but relatable. It's not rocket science, but the characters circumstances are so familiar (even all these years later) and that makes the movie work. I love the music and love the way the scenes are played.Lloyd Dober is such a simple character, but he has so much heart. That's the first thing you notice about him. He's fun and he does his own thing. He's confident, but still vulnerable in a lot of ways. This vulnerabilty is highlighted when he falls for Diane. He's genuine and he knows what his strengths and weaknesses are. Therefore, he knows that he and Diane are from two different worlds and those worlds don't exactly mesh. Still, he goes after what he wants. He's not afraid despite the challenges and I loved that.Diane is smart, shy, and a planner. It took me a while to warm up to the character, but I did. It was interesting to see her fall for Dober because you could tell her plan was just to do something that she felt like doing without planning ahead, for once. It was nice to see it become more than that for her. I also enjoyed the story with her and her father. It was very calm, but punctuated.I could go on and on about this move, but just purchase it. You won't be disappointed!

This is a good film. A solid drama dealing with coming of age and romance in a very real way. But even though it is sometimes listed as comedy, I would most definitely not describe it as such and anybody expecting a frothy romcom will likely be disappointed.The story is that of the girl Diane (Ione Skye), a top of the class student, daughter of divorced parents and living with her father (John Mahoney, best known as Frasier's dad Martin) who runs a nursing home. He wants the very best for his daughter and spoils her accordingly. He is also overly protective and objects to her friendship with the decent but unambitious boy Derek (John Cusack) whom he deems not good enough for her. However, not everybody is all they seem to be and Diane's perfect world starts crumbling as she finds out what is really important in life.The characters all feel refreshingly real. Some are likable - others not so much. The acting is solid. And while I personally never saw the attraction of John Cusack as romantic lead, I will put that down to personal taste and will be quick to add that his performance here is excellent and that he is very well cast. Ione Skye works well as the female lead, I enjoyed seeing John Mahoney, and as I have already mentioned 'Frasier' (which I can't help being reminded of whenever I see him) it may be worth mentioning that Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith from Frasier) also appears in a small supporting role.Good film and though it is by now thirty years old and some aspects are distinctly dated (first and foremost the fashion), much of the story is as relevant today as it was in the late 1980s. Definitely a film I can recommend.

I really liked this film for its patient set up, its sweet yet mature characters, some really nice, natural performances. The film is well edited, well directed and is nicely shot. The colours are nice and natural I really like the suburban setting. Unlike most teen films these days this isn't a comedy, I struggle to think of any jokes at all actually. By the time this was released the 1980s were drawing to a close. The colours are more pastel and creamy, we don't get the bright eye popping neon yellows, reds and pink people associate with that decade, this came out in 1989. I really recommend giving this film a go, the cast is small, the story is simple with a few genuine surprises. There's no one dimensional antagonist either, the conflict feels honest and real, not serviceable to the plot. The Peter Gabriel scene has become iconic.The Blu Ray I think is worth the upgrade, the high definition transfer reveals close levels of detail on furniture and clothing fabrics. The colours look solid and natural, skin tones look natural too, the picture is sharp and contrast is strong.

Live this film. One of John Cusack's finest performances

Not a great film

A++