Say Anything

Say Anything (1989)
Director: Cameron Crowe
Cast: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney
Memorable Line(s): "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

John Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler a perennial loser who finally wins...almost. Dobler is a kid from a modest background who aspires to be a kickboxer with no back-up plan if that falls through. (Which we all know it will.) He falls for the class brainiac valedictorian, Diane Court (Ione Skye) just as their high school days are at a close. Surprisingly, she lets him in the door and gives him a chance. It's puppy love at its greatest heights. The chemistry between them is undeniable, yet fate will deny it. Brains win out and Diane comes to her senses and acknowledges, with her father's (Mahoney) encouragement, that this is a mismatched and doomed relationship.

As a viewer, Crowe takes us to deftly through the highs and lows of a teen romance in Say Anything and he makes us really root for poor Lloyd. The dialog and sentiments are poignantly painted with Crowe's script and although we know its a movie, we still all can relate to teen angst and a broken heart.

The cast compliments the witty and realistic script and Crowe's direction is sharp and without artifice. Crowe, a former writer for Rolling Stones magazine, uses music strategically and tactically throughout the movie to accentuate the moments that make the movie stand out. Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" is used magnificently in the film to portray the inner spirit and desire of a teenage boy with a broken, yet hopeful heart.

In my opinion, while debatable, Say Anything as a directorial debut is Crowe's best and most fully realized piece of work as a director.