Say Anything...
| Say Anything | |
|---|---|
| File:Say Anything Poster.jpg Say Anything DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Cameron Crowe |
| Written by | Cameron Crowe |
| Produced by | Polly Platt |
| Starring | John Cusack Ione Skye John Mahoney Joan Cusack |
| Cinematography | László Kovács |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | April 14, 1989 |
Running time | 100 min. |
| Language | English |
This page is about the film Say Anything. Information about the band Say Anything can be found here: Say Anything (band)
Say Anything... is a romance film directed by Cameron Crowe and released in 1989. This movie was Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, and is one of his best-loved films, as well as one of the best-remembered performances from John Cusack. In 2002, Entertainment Weekly ranked it as the greatest modern movie romance.
Taglines:
- To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.
- She's got every thing going for her. He's going for her with every thing he's got.
- A Lloyd meets girl story.
Basic plot
The movie, which is set in Seattle, Washington, features John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler, a mediocre student and aspiring kickboxer who improbably attempts a relationship with school valedictorian Diane Court (played by Ione Skye), despite the fact that she is far outside his social circle. Diane falls for Lloyd, partly because of his gallant ways and partly because he makes her laugh. However, their relationship is beset by several obstacles. Diane has just won a major scholarship for England and will be going there at the end of the summer. Her father James, played by John Mahoney, is under investigation by the IRS for alleged tax violations committed at his nursing home, and Diane worries she should be spending more time with her father rather than Lloyd. Also, Diane's father does not approve of his daughter dating an underachiever like Lloyd, and pressures her to break up with him.
Memorable scenes
A memorable scene from the movie occurs after Diane breaks up with Lloyd. Lloyd appears outside her bedroom window at night while she sleeps, in an attempt to win her back, holding a boombox over his head playing the song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. It is now a standard pop culture reference for romance, despite the fact that such behavior would likely lead to arrest by law enforcement.
Another memorable scene from the movie is when Jeremy Piven is hanging out with some other guys giving Lloyd advice on his girl troubles. Lloyd finally asks them, "If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like Gas 'n Sip on a Saturday night, completely alone, drinking beers, no women anywhere?" They pause, look around, and answer back, "By choice, man, by choice."
Trivia
Crowe asked The Smithereens to write and record the theme song to the movie. When the finished product A Girl Like You, was given to the producers, it was rejected due to the lyrics giving away too much of the plot. It was released on the band's Smithereens 11 album and went on to be their first Top-40 single.
Lloyd Dobler lives with his sister, Constance. Constance is played by Joan Cusack, the sister of John Cusack.
Pop culture references
- In an episode of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Phil Ken Sebben attempts to woo Birdgirl by playing an "In Your Eyes"-sounding song through a boombox.
- In the South Park episode Raisins, Stan, when advised to win back his ex-girlfriend Wendy by playing Peter Gabriel outside her window, shows up at her house in a Lloyd Dobler-ish outfit but plays a decidedly unromantic Peter Gabriel song, "Shock the Monkey." Unsurprisingly, this tactic fails.
- In an episode of American Dad, Stan Smith attempts to make up with his wife after an argument by holding Peter Gabriel himself over his head to sing "In Your Eyes." (The tactic is partially unsuccessful because he is mistakenly using David Byrne, not Peter Gabriel.)
- There exists a band, The Lloyd Dobler Effect, named after the film's lead character.
- The Hawthorne Heights song "Niki FM" prominently features the line, "I'm outside your window with my radio."
- In The Starting Line "Best of Me" music video the main character is standing outside his dream girl's window in a trench coat and boom box similar to Lloyd's.
- The film's iconic boombox sequence is parodied in Date Movie, in which the lead character, Grant (played by Adam Campbell) gets pelted with fruit and various other debris whilst standing in front of Julia's (played by Alyson Hannigan) window.
External links
- Say Anything at IMDb
