Daily Dialogue — May 7, 2015

PRINCIPAL: Thank you. Thank you, Joe. And now it’s time. I just can’t introduce this person without saying: History, Oceanography, Creative Writing, Biochemistry. I think you know who I’m talking about. We’re going to remember this student who said, “Hey world, check me out.” Giving a speech entitled “Soaring Ahead,” Miss Diane Court.
DIANE: Thank-you. The real world.
LLOYD (to his friend): Look at those eyes!
DIANE: We’re all about to enter “The Real World.” That’s what everybody says. But most of us have been in the real world a long time. But I have something to tell everybody. I’ve glimpsed our future, and all I can say is…“Go Back.” [Diane’s father, in the audience, is the only person to laugh.] Well, it’s almost over. We’ve gone to school together for three years, and we’ve been through a lot. But with that training out of high school gone, what’s going to happen to us? We all know what the answers are. We want to be happy, go to college, work hard, maybe raise a family. But what if that doesn’t happen? I have to be honest though, I have, I have all the hope and ambition in the world. But when I think about the future, the truth is, I am really scared.

— Say Anything… (1989), written by Cameron Crowe

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Graduation. Today’s suggestion by mkm28.

Trivia: Producer James L. Brooks said what inspired this movie was an incident where Brooks saw a man walking with his daughter. He saw them and wondered what would happen if the father committed a crime. Those thoughts were used to create the story.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by mkm28: “When you said graduation, this scene from Say Anything is the first thing that popped into my mind. I think it works primarily because of subtext — Diane’s speech (and the principle’s adulation) are pretty typical (though she gets real at the end), but it’s the students’ reactions that make it great. She’s their superstar, and they could care less — except for Lloyd, who has a crush. Also, there’s a callback in this scene — her father had previously told her that her speech wasn’t quite working (can’t remember the exact advice) and he ends up being the only person who laughs.”