Say Anything...: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|1989 American teen romantic comedy-drama film}}

{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Other uses|Say Anything (disambiguation)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Say Anything...

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| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = [[Cameron Crowe]]

| producer = [[Polly Platt]] <br> [[James L. Brooks]]

| writer = Cameron Crowe

| starring = {{Plainlist|

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| language = English

| budget = $16 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/piano |title=Box Office Information for ''Say Anything..'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211233700/http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/piano|archive-date=11 December 2013 |website=[[TheWrap]] |access-date=April 4, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| gross = $20.7 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sayanything.htm |title=''Say Anything..'' (1989) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref>
}}

'''''Say Anything...''''' is a 1989 American [[teen film|teen]] [[romantic film|romantic]] [[comedy drama film]] written and directed by [[Cameron Crowe]] (in his feature directorial debut). The film follows the romance between Lloyd Dobler ([[John Cusack]]), an average student, and Diane Court ([[Ione Skye]]), the class [[valedictorian]], immediately after their graduation from high school.

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==Plot==

[[File:Sharp GF-7600 Boombox Front View Angled.jpg|thumb|The SharpToshiba GFRT-7600SX1 boombox that Cusack held above his head]]

<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->

At the end of their senior year of high school, noble [[underachiever]] Lloyd Dobler fallsbecomes forsmitten with [[valedictorian]] Diane Court and plans to ask her out, though they belong to different social groups.

Lloyd's parents are stationed in Germany in the [[U.S. Army]], so he lives with his sister Constance, a single mother, and has no plans yet for his future. Diane comes from a sheltered academic upbringing, living with her doting divorced father Jim, who owns the retirement home where she works. She will take up a prestigious fellowship in England at the end of the summer.

Lloyd offers to take Diane to their graduation party. She agrees, to everyone's surprise. Their next "date" is a dinner at Diane's, where Lloyd fails to impress Jim, and the [[Internal Revenue Service]] informs(IRS) agents arrive unexpectedly to inform the latter he is under scrutiny for [[tax fraud]].

Diane introduces Lloyd to the retirement home residents and he teaches her to drive her [[manual transmission]] [[Ford Tempo]] graduation gift. They grow closer and becomehave intimatesex, to her father's concern. Lloyd's musician best friend Corey, who has never gotten overovercome her cheatingunfaithful ex-boyfriend, Joe, warns him to take care of Diane.

Jim urges Diane to break up with Lloyd, feeling he is not an appropriate match, and suggests she give him a pen as a parting gift. Worried about her father, Diane tells Lloyd she wants to stop seeing him and concentrate on her studies, giving him the pen. Devastated, he seeks advice from Corey, who tells him to "be a man" because it takes more to be a "man" rather than just being a "guy". Meanwhile, Jim discovers his credit cards are declined as the investigation drags oncontinues.

On a [[boombox]] at dawn, Lloyd stands under herDiane's open bedroom window and plays "[[In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)|In Your Eyes]]" by [[Peter Gabriel]], which played when they becamehad intimatesex. The next day, Dianeshe meets with thean IRS investigator, who says they have evidence incriminating Jim with [[embezzlement|embezzling]] funds from his retirement home residents. He suggests she accept the fellowship as matters with her father will worsen.

Diane finds the cash concealed at home and confronts Jim, who tells her he took it to give her financial independence. Jim feels justified in doing so as he provided better care of his residents than their families. Distraught, she reconciles with Lloyd at his [[kickboxing]] gym.

At the end of the summer, Jim is incarcerated on a nine-month sentence after accepting a plea deal. Lloyd visits him at the prison, saying he is going withaccompanying Diane to England;. Jim reacts withangrily anger.when Lloyd gives him a letter from herDiane, but she arrives to say goodbye and they embrace. Diane gives himJim the pen she'd had given Lloyd, asking him to write to her in England. Lloyd supports and comforts Diane, who is [[fear of flying|afraid of flying]], on their flight.

==Cast==

{{Cast listing|

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}

* [[John Cusack]] as Lloyd Dobler

* [[Ione Skye]] as Diane Court

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* [[Lili Taylor]] as Corey Flood

* Amy Brooks as D.C.

* [[Pamela Adlon|Pamela Segall]] as Rebecca

* [[Jason Gould]] as Mike Cameron

* [[Loren Dean]] as Joe

* Glenn Walker Harris Jr. as Jason Dobler

* [[Polly Platt]] as Mrs. Flood

* [[Bebe Neuwirth]] as Mrs. Evans

* [[Jeremy Piven]] as Mark

* [[Bebe Neuwirth]] as Mrs. Evans

* [[Eric Stoltz]] as Vahlere

* [[Kim Walker (actress)|Kim Walker]] as Sheila

* [[Chynna Phillips]] as Mimi

* [[Joanna Frank]] as Mrs. Kerwin

* [[Richard Portnow]] as IRS agentAgent Stewart

* [[Philip Baker Hall]] as IRS boss

* [[Don Wilson (kickboxer)|Don "The Dragon" Wilson]] as sparring partner

* [[Joan Cusack]] as Constance Dobler (uncredited)

* [[Philip Baker Hall]] as IRS boss

* [[Richard Portnow]] as IRS agent Stewart

* [[Joanna Frank]] as Mrs. Kerwin

* [[John Hillner]] as court's attorney

* [[Dan Castellaneta]] as Diane's teacher (uncredited)

* [[Lois Chiles]] as Diane's mother (uncredited)

}}

{{Div col end}}

==Casting==

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==Soundtrack==

[[The Smithereens]] originally wrote "[[A Girl Like You (The Smithereens song)|A Girl Like You]]" for the moviefilm, but the film's producers ultimately cut the song believing it revealed too much of the plot, and used "[[In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)|In Your Eyes]]" by [[Peter Gabriel]] in its place; "A Girl Like You" was released later that year on their album ''[[11 (The Smithereens album)|''11'']]'' and became a top 40 hit in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Freeman |first=Paul |date=1990-09-20 |title=Smash For Smithereens |url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/1990-/09-/20/features/9003180919_1_smithereenssmash-patfor-dinizio-albumsmithereens/ |url-status=deadlive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701040936/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-09-20/features/9003180919_1_smithereens-pat-dinizio-album |archive-date=2016-07-01 |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Robinson |first=Joanna |date=2015-05-28 |title=Cameron Crowe Takes Us on a Musical Tour Through His Filmography |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/cameron-crowe-music-interview |access-date=2023-11-07 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] wrote that the soundtrack, like the film, is "much smarter than the standard teen fare of the era."<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84115|label=Say Anything ... (soundtrack)}}</ref> The soundtrack consists of these songs:

[[AllMusic]] wrote that the soundtrack, like the film, is "much smarter than the standard teen fare of the era."<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84115|label=Say Anything ... (soundtrack)}}</ref> The soundtrack consists of these songs:

{{Track listing

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Giving the film four stars out of four, ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' film critic [[Roger Ebert]] called ''Say Anything...'' "one of the best films of the year—a film that is really about something, that cares deeply about the issues it contains—and yet it also works wonderfully as a funny, warmhearted romantic comedy."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Say Anything|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/say-anything-1989|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|date=April 14, 1989|access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref> He later included it in his 2002 Great Movie list, writing, "''Say Anything'' exists entirely in a real world, is not a fantasy or a pious parable, has characters who we sort of recognize, and is directed with care for the human feelings involved."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Great Movie: Say Anything|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-say-anything-1989|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|date=February 17, 2002|access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref>

[[Pauline Kael]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' was similarly enthusiastic, writing, "It's a slight movie, but that's not a put-down. Its slightness has to do with the writer-director Cameron Crowe's specialty: he's wired into teen-age flakes and the sloppy, exuberant confusion of high-school dating. Crowe is great here on oddity and fringe moments; the comedy helps to dry out the romanticism -- to give it lightness and a trace of enchantment."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kael |first= Pauline|date= May 15, 1989|title=The Current Cinema: Young Stuff |url=https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1989-05-15/flipbook/120/ |magazine= The New Yorker|access-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref>

In a less positive review, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it a "half-baked love story, full of good intentions but uneven in the telling." But, the review also said the film's "[a]ppealing tale of an undirected army brat proving himself worthy of the most exceptional girl in high school elicits a few laughs, plenty of smiles and some genuine feeling."<ref>{{cite web|title=Say Anything...|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794651|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 31, 1988|access-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> In a mixed review, Caryn James of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote:

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==Cultural influence==

The film features one of the most culturally recognizableenduring scenes in Americanromance movie historyfilms, in which John Cusack holds a [[boombox]] above his head outside Diane's bedroom window to let her know that he has not given up on her. Crowe and producer [[James L. Brooks]] believed the scene could become a hallmark of the movie, though Crowe found it difficult to film because Cusack felt it was "too passive". The scene was first scored with [[Fishbone]]'s "Question of Life", but after viewing the scene, Crowe opted to replace it with Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to better fit the mood that he wished to convey. Gabriel initially turned down Crowe because he confused the film with another film in production at the time, a [[John Belushi]] biography called [[Wired (film)|''Wired'']].<ref>{{AFI film|58268}}</ref> "That scene is like Romeo under the trellis," said Crowe reminiscing about the iconic scene. "But I have this feeling when I watch it that it's filled with double emotion – both with the story and the actors, whose own trepidation bleeds in."<ref>Alexander, Bryan. "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/04/14/say-anything-anniversary-boombox-scene-immortal/3454645002/ 'Say Anything' at 30: John Cusack's real concerns about boom box serenade ensured immortality]", ''[[USA Today]]''. April 14, 2019.</ref>

In a September 2012 interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', discussing the 25th anniversary of ''[[So (album)|So]]'' (from which "In Your Eyes" hails), Gabriel commented on the cultural impact of the scene, "It definitely gave [the song] a second life, because now it's so often parodied in comedy shows and it is one of the modern day ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' balcony clichés. I've talked to [[John Cusack]] about that. We're sort of trapped together in a minuscule moment of contemporary culture."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-peter-gabriel-reflects-on-his-1986-landmark-album-so-20120904 |title=Q&A: Peter Gabriel Reflects On His Landmark 1986 Album ''So'' |date=2012-09-04 |last=Greene |first=Andy |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909224036/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-peter-gabriel-reflects-on-his-1986-landmark-album-so-20120904 |archive-date=9 September 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> In October 2012, as Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a [[boombox]] and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. [[Cameron Crowe]] was also present at the concert and later [[Twitter|tweeted]] "Peter Gabriel and John Cusack on stage together at the Hollywood Bowl tonight. Won't forget that... ever."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5949918/peter-gabriels-performance-of-in-your-eyes-interrupted-by-john-cusack-holding-a-boombox |website=[[Gawker]] |title=Peter Gabriel's Performance of In Your Eyes Interrupted By John Cusack Holding A Boombox |last=Zimmerman |first=Neetzan|date=October 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218212029/http://gawker.com/5949918/peter-gabriels-performance-of-in-your-eyes-interrupted-by-john-cusack-holding-a-boombox |archive-date=18 February 2013 |access-date=8 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> At a concert in [[Madison Square Garden]] on September 18, 2023 (touring his album ''[[I/O (Peter Gabriel album)|I/O]])'', Gabriel held up an inflatable toy boombox during a performance of "In Your Eyes," reported as "a nod to Lloyd Dobler."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/peter-gabriel-brought-the-moon-to-madison-square-garden-pics-setlist-video/|title=Peter Gabriel brought the moon to Madison Square Garden|date=2023-09-19|work=Brooklyn Vegan|access-date=2023-09-20}}</ref>

"That scene is like Romeo under the trellis," said Crowe reminiscing about the iconic scene. "But I have this feeling when I watch it that it's filled with double emotion – both with the story and the actors, whose own trepidation bleeds in."<ref>Alexander, Bryan. "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/04/14/say-anything-anniversary-boombox-scene-immortal/3454645002/ 'Say Anything' at 30: John Cusack's real concerns about boom box serenade ensured immortality]", ''[[USA Today]]. April 14, 2019.</ref>

In a September 2012 interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', discussing the 25th anniversary of ''[[So (album)|So]]'' (from which "In Your Eyes" hails), Gabriel commented on the cultural impact of the scene, "It definitely gave [the song] a second life, because now it's so often parodied in comedy shows and it is one of the modern day ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' balcony clichés. I've talked to [[John Cusack]] about that. We're sort of trapped together in a minuscule moment of contemporary culture."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-peter-gabriel-reflects-on-his-1986-landmark-album-so-20120904 |title=Q&A: Peter Gabriel Reflects On His Landmark 1986 Album ''So'' |date=2012-09-04 |last=Greene |first=Andy |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909224036/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-peter-gabriel-reflects-on-his-1986-landmark-album-so-20120904 |archive-date=9 September 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> In October 2012, as Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a [[boombox]] and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. [[Cameron Crowe]] was also present at the concert and later [[Twitter|tweeted]] "Peter Gabriel and John Cusack on stage together at the Hollywood Bowl tonight. Won't forget that... ever."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5949918/peter-gabriels-performance-of-in-your-eyes-interrupted-by-john-cusack-holding-a-boombox |website=[[Gawker]] |title=Peter Gabriel's Performance of In Your Eyes Interrupted By John Cusack Holding A Boombox |last=Zimmerman |first=Neetzan|date=October 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218212029/http://gawker.com/5949918/peter-gabriels-performance-of-in-your-eyes-interrupted-by-john-cusack-holding-a-boombox |archive-date=18 February 2013 |access-date=8 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

At a concert in [[Madison Square Garden]] on September 18, 2023 (touring his album ''[[I/O (Peter Gabriel album)|I/O]])'', Gabriel held up an inflatable toy boombox during a performance of "In Your Eyes," reported as "a nod to Lloyd Dobler."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/peter-gabriel-brought-the-moon-to-madison-square-garden-pics-setlist-video/|title=Peter Gabriel brought the moon to Madison Square Garden|date=2023-09-19|work=Brooklyn Vegan|access-date=2023-09-20}}</ref>

==Canceled TV series==

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==External links==

{{Wikiquote}}

* {{IMDb title|0098258|Say Anything...}}

* {{AFI film}}

* {{AllMovie title|43033|Say Anything...}}

* {{TCMDb title}}

* [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-say-anything25-2009oct25,0,1435053.story {{"'}}Say Anything...' says so much"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', October 25, 2009.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Say Anything ...}}

[[Category:1989 comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1989 directorial debut films]]

[[Category:1989 films]]

[[Category:1980s1989 romantic comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s1989 teenromantic comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s American films]]

[[Category:1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s English-language films]]

[[Category:English-language1980s romantic comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s teen romancecomedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s teen romance films]]

[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]

[[Category:American coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]

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[[Category:American teen romance films]]

[[Category:Coming-of-age romance films]]

[[Category:English-language romantic comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:Films about father–daughter relationships]]

[[Category:Films directed by Cameron Crowe]]

[[Category:Films produced by James L. Brooks]]

[[Category:Films scored by Anne Dudley]]

[[Category:Films scored by Richard Gibbs]]

[[Category:Films set in Seattle]]

[[Category:Films shot in Washington (state)Seattle]]

[[Category:Films with screenplays by Cameron Crowe]]

[[Category:Gracie Films films]]

[[Category:1980s American films]]

[[Category:1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s English-language films]]

[[Category:1980s romantic comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s teen comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1980s teen romance films]]

[[Category:1989 comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:1989 directorial debut films]]

[[Category:1989 films]]

[[Category:English-language comedy-drama films]]