Classic 80s movie: “Say Anything”
Today’s Classic 80s Movie guest post comes from Dean.
Movie Title: Say Anything…
Year: 1989
Writer: Cameron Crowe
Director: Cameron Crowe
Lead Actors: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney
Plot Summary: A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.
Why I Think This Is A Classic 80s Movies: The 80s were, to me, the golden era of teen movies. 80s teen movies kept something that many 90s teen movies dropped out — innocence. Say Anything… is a movie that isn’t preoccupied with sex and virginity yet addresses them in a much calmer and gentler matter than most teen movies. It also treats the looming ‘future’ in a way that is complex and less black and white. In short, Say Anything… feature characters that are harder to pigeonhole. Lloyd is described as an underachiever, and objectively that may be true, but he’s far from a loser and is very aware of the choices he’s making. Diane isn’t just the nerdy over-achiever pushed by her father. She is a lonely girl who has also made a choice, that she rues a bit on graduation day. Like many teen movies of the 80s, Say Anything… manages to stay true to the age of the characters it depicts by sticking to the inherent innocence of that age and by favoring their journey, over whatever destination or goal they (and the writers) have in mind for them.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie: After finding out her father has been guilty of embezzlement, Diane goes to Lloyd hoping to get back together. She surprises him in practice. Distracted, he gets kicked in the face and breaks his nose, thus spending the next scene with a bloody nose and ice pressed against his face. This situation not only gives a visual metaphor and reminder to the pain Diane caused Lloyd when she broke up with him, but makes the scene unique and memorable. Diane tells Lloyd what happened, and says that she needs and loves him. Lloyd gives her a hard time (creating conflict and making it a little harder for Diane to get her objective). At the climax of the scene, Lloyd raises his biggest doubt — that Diane doesn’t need him, she just needs someone. A moment later he makes his decision — he doesn’t care. He just wants to be with her. This scene forces Diane to be on the courting side, for the first time, and expose herself. Lloyd also has to take a risk at the end, that she may hurt him again. At the end it is Lloyd’s essence, his honesty and romanticism, that guides his decision and defines who he is. He will risk getting hurt again, if it means being there and with the girl he loves.
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie: So many to choose from! I’d have to go with Lloyd’s description of what to do with his life at his first dinner with Diane’s father and friends, who aren’t too happy about Lloyd and Diane’s budding relationship:
JIM: Yeah, Lloyd. What are your plans for the future?
LLOYD: Spend as much time as possible with Diane before she leaves.
JIM: Seriously, Lloyd.
LLOYD: I’m totally and completely serious.
JIM: No, really.
LLOYD: You mean like career? Uh, I don’t know. I’ve, I’ve thought about this quite a bit sir, and I’d have to say considering what’s waiting out there for me, 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. So, uh, my father’s in the army, he wants me to join, but I can’t work for that corporation, so what I’ve been doing lately is kickboxing, which is really a, uh, new sport, but I think it’s got a good future. As far as career longevity goes, I don’t really know, because, you know, you can’t really tell. If your eight and six as a fighter, you know, but it’s no good, you know, you have to be great, but I can’t really tell if I’m great until I’ve had a couple of pro fights. But I haven’t been knocked out yet. I don’t know, I can’t figure it all out tonight sir, I’m going to hang with your daughter.
It’s an important moment that tests everyone involved. Diane’s father gets a confirmation for his doubts about Lloyd. Diane is a little uncomfortable with Lloyd’s plans, but continues to date him anyway, accepting hims as he is. Most importantly, it tells us a lot about Lloyd. Here he is in a threatening situation, yet he gives an honest answer. He stays authentic. He doesn’t bend to Diane’s father’s expectations. Lloyd’s honesty is reaffirmed. We learn about Lloyd’s actual plans for the future (kickboxing) and why he doesn’t have more traditional plans. He isn’t just a slacker — he has a point of view.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: The fact that in many ways, Lloyd isn’t the real protagonist of the film. He may be the one we empathize with the most and the driving force behind the plot, but Diane is the one who has the biggest arc. Diane’s relationship with her father practically defines her. She grew up under his strict guidance and idolized him. They are very close. Throughout the film, she has to grow up and become an independent person. First by making a decision her father doesn’t approve of (dating Lloyd) and later by accepting her father as a flawed human being and not the perfect man she had in her head (after he is found guilty of fraud). Diane’s relationship with Lloyd serves as a catalyst for her own journey of growing up, through her relationship with her father. This relationship also serves as something standing in the way of Our Couple. In short, the film’s main romance is weaved with a substantial and darker subplot, and pushes Diane’s character on her arc. This is a good reminder that any romance can’t just be about two fun, attractive people getting together, but about how these people grow and change as a result of their romance.
Thanks, Dean! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
Tomorrow: Another Classic 80s Movie!
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