Finally I Can … Say Anything

Some of you might be aware of the fact that Almost Famous is my favorite movie. It’s quite an underrated coming-of-age film that I have loved from the moment I saw it in Sandvika, Norway while visiting my friends there.So yes, I really do not have any excuse to not having seen Say Anything till now. In fact I have had the DVD lying in the “I have to watch these movies someday soon” section of my collection for almost a year now. Also after watching it I strongly feel that probably the only other person besides Cameron Crowe who could have pulled out such a genre defining movie was John Huges. Nevertheless, better late than never…What really strikes me about Say Anything is that even after two decades it seems like such a fresh romantic comedy. Compare it to the rom-coms of today and you instantly realize that not only have one or the other been influenced by it, but also that they are so pathetic that it would be an insult to compare them with it. Say Anything is not so much a coming-of-age film as it is simply about relationships. The relationship between Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) and Diane Court (Ione Skye) is the primary focus of the film, but equally important is the relationship Diane shares with her father played by the wonderful John Mahoney. Then there is also the not so deeply explored relationship between Lloyd and his real and reel life sister Constance played by Joan Cusack. Obviously like any good rom-com each one of these relationships is tested and the outcomes although at times predictable are extremely likable. Say Anything to this date remains a genre defining piece of cinema that has clearly inspired many movies. It also is quite a quotable movie and iconic in terms of John Cusack’s character holding the boom box playing Peter Gabriel’s “In your eyes” outside Diane’s window. Below is a selection of just a few of the quotable quotes; Lloyd Dobler: She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.Diane Court: Nobody thinks it will work, do they?
Lloyd Dobler: No. You just described every great success story.Joe: Dude, where'd she dump you, man?
Lloyd Dobler: In the car. Denny: Oh man, your car? Man, Dissed in the Malibu. That’s your castle, man.Lloyd Dobler: Kickboxing. Sport of the future.Lloyd Dobler: 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.Now, the other things that worked in the movie’s favor, for me, were the fact that John Cusack was in it along with Joan Cusack. I have always enjoyed movies where both of them have acted together. Then, I loved the way the movie ended with a “Bing”… not a BANG, but a “BING”. Lastly, Cameron Crowe seems to have his fingers firmly on the nerve of music which is evident from the soundtrack of this movie, and that of Almost Famous. So, if you are looking for a date movie, or a movie to watch if the date that you were longing for didn’t work out, pick up a copy of Say Anything and enjoy this 4/5 star rated movie. Now… next stop should be 16 Candles… Soon!