Rating: 
Summary: "Come inside John - You'll catch your death!"
Review: Some Eighties movies aged really well. Some didn't...While the Breakfast Club and Heathers will rightly go on to be remembered as stone cold classics, Say Anything just slips beneath the tide and ebbs away. It starts promisingly enough, with the loner and the weirdo, but for me it never really turns them into a convincing couple - never quite explains their bond. And while the pychological torture of having your father put away is well done, the reunion of Cusack and Skye seems overly strained and somewhat implausible. But Cusack's friends and Skye's father add watchability to the proceedings, and John Cusack begins his movie career as he means to go on - by getting soaked to the skin. For this historical reference point alone, it's worth checking out this movie...
Rating: 
Summary: cameron crowe never lets us down
Review: i heard once that john cusack and cameron crowe were out to eat not long after this film was released. a young girl walked up to cusack and asked, "are you lloyd dobbler?" he answered, "on a good day."cameron crowe has created the perfect female fantasy played by the perfect leading man. lloyd is unsure of himself, yet willing to put his heart on the line. he's what every woman wants and what everyman should want to be. this dvd has some pretty interesting behind the scenes extras and deleted scenes too!
Rating:
Summary: cute although a little dated now
Review: John Cusack's lovelorn, bumbling character is endearing in this movie as he woos the high school valedictorian in the couple's last summer before college and/or real life beckons. The attitudes, slang, and even the music, I am sorry to report---all seem a little dated now. The acting is well-done all down the line, from Cusack's wise-cracking, broken hearted gal- pal, to his love's financially strapped father who resorts to unethical dealings in order to finance his dreams for his daughter. Some of the premises are also funnily flawed----who, even the brightest high schooler, gets a "fellowship" grant to study in Britain before setting foot in an American university?(...) Just a little raunchy but essentially sweet and modest in tone, here is teenage life of the 1980, still fresh from the "angst aspect" even though dated otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, I'll say anything...
Review: While I have an overwhelming propensity for movies of the eighties, Say Anything was by far one of the most irritating and galling films that I have viewed. In this post-high school graduation tale of woe, John Cusack plays the role of Lloyd Dobler, an aspiring kick-boxer and future welfare recipient who falls for the homely (although in Dobler's eyes, gorgeous), grade-oriented Diane Court (Ione Sky). What results in this oh-so-original concept of two teenagers getting together is a retching quandary of cheesy and clichéd dialogue combined with a feeble attempt at humor and an astounding ascendancy in mediocrity. I was somewhat taken aback by the good reviews this movie garnered, because it is well out of the same league as other 80's romantic comedies such as Pretty in Pink or Mannequin, or even St. Elmo's Fire for that matter (and even that wasn't exactly the pinnacle of badinage). Anyhow, as the film progresses, we are exposed to the repugnant correlation between Lloyd, Diane, and her father (John Mahoney, whose character had me ripping my hair out in choler). You see, Diane has just received a fellowship to prestigious university, and her anal patriarch must see to it that she goes uninhibited, so naturally he is repulsed by her association the winner that is Lloyd Dobler. Lloyd and Diane end up having a bit of mutual predilection, much to the dismay of Diane's father, and they eventually make the sex in the backseat of Diane's brand-new, well-deserved graduation present. This is as far as I recall because I turned off my television in disgust, on account of the fact that I watched a good majority of the movie and nothing funny or anything remotely emotional occurred. If you're ready for an exercise in banal, insipid, and monotonous teenage romantic indyll (in other words, something you see every day in high school), then this film is for you!
Rating:
Summary: Just give him a pen..
Review: One of my fav. John Cusack movies. I watched this movie so long ago, I had the biggest crush on Ione Sky. Very good movie. Just shows you that no matter how hot a chick is, if its in the script she yours.....
Rating:
Summary: Any Male Who Doesn't Want To Marry Ione Skye Has No Pulse!
Review: Cameron Crowe's debut film as a director is a joy to see. Mr. Crowe has done exactly the same thing here, in 1989's "Say Anything...", as he did eleven years later, in his (IMO) masterpiece "Almost Famous". And that is: to create a batch of realistic and, most importantly, likeable characters within the framework of his movie. It's nearly impossible, from this writer's point-of-view, to NOT like each and every one of the characters Cameron has crafted. These characters ring "true", and seem like people everyone would want to have as friends. "Say Anything" is a pretty simple "boy chasing girl" story. But what makes it special are the characterizations of the boy, the girl....plus the girl's proud-as-a-peacock father, played perfectly by John Mahoney, in what must certainly be one of the biggest (and best) roles of the actor's film career. This entire cast is first-rate, right down to the quirky (but completely believable) "best friend", Corey, played nicely by Lili Taylor. But for me, the standout even among this band of standouts is Ione Skye, who portrays Diane Court, the object of John Cusack's desire throughout the film. I challenge any male of the species to not fall for Ione/Diane while watching this movie. Director/Writer Crowe has struck a perfect balance with Ione's character .... She's smart -- very smart (she's just won a fellowship to a far-away European college). But she never flaunts this in the film. Ione's Diane is still accessible and "real". Not at all snobbish or stand-offish. I'm no filmmaker, but in my mind that balancing act with respect to Miss Skye's character was probably no small task...in either writing, or in acting it out. And keep in mind that Ione was only 16 years old when the film was made in early to mid-1988 (it premiered in theaters on April 14, 1989). This DVD presentation lives up to the movie contained therein: it's very good. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite pleasing, and the extra bonus items aren't half bad either. The producers of the DVD managed to secure the "Big Three" of Cameron Crowe, John Cusack, and Ione Skye for an audio commentary track. We also get a short Making-Of featurette, several deleted/alternate scenes (which are uniquely presented to allow the viewer to see exactly where in the film they would have gone, if used), and some trailers and original TV ads. Overall, a most-worthy Special Edition DVD. Very good film. Very nice DVD. .... And very sad I wasn't in Mr. Cusack's shoes during the making of this motion picture. :)
Rating:
Summary: Best of the teen 80's movies.
Review: What sets this movie apart from all the other teen 80's movies is the simple fact that this takes an intelligent view point of teen love. Also the story is just bizzare enough to be possible which makes the whole thing even more inspiring. As said by numerous others the chemistry between all the actors is phenomenal, and John Mahoney's seen where he is curled up in the bathtub dressed in suit and tie is one of the more poignant dramatic images to come out of 80's cinema. Don't be fooled going into it - this isn't another Better Off Dead as it tends more towards the dramatic than the comic side; nor is it another Breakfast Club - Say anything treats its characters with considerably more respect and portrays a more realistic vision of frustrated youth. However it is also a portrait of optimism (an extremely unpopular subject in films nowadays). That is not to say that it comes equipped with a tacked on happy ending, where everyone learns a lesson and is better off because of it (again, that honor goes to The Breakfast Club). No, rather it is an extremely well done examination of one man who simply believes in the happy ending and is willing to fight for it. He works for his princess, and battles the dragons along the way, so that by the time he has achieved his goal you cant help but think 'way to go man - you deserve it!' As for the DVD itself, its got everything you could want on it and more, and besides that it commonly runs for about 10 bucks at most stores. From one teenager to another, this is highly reccomended.
Rating:
Summary: IT TOOK ME 14 YEARS TO GET AROUND TO SEEING THIS
Review: This is such a good movie. I wish I had discovered it sooner. I had never seen any of John Cusack's movies until my oldest son (now 20) moved back from Missouri where people thought HE was Cusack. Naturally, we had to watch some of his movies, and Say Anything is the best of the lot thus far. Being an under-achiever who ended up with a Beautiful Brain (If I ever become a millionaire, I'll already have the trophy wife.) I felt a kinship to Lloyd as he had to work up the courage to call Diane to ask her out. Where so many movies showcase characters that are two-dimensional, Say Anything has three-dimensional characters who behave in a way that most people really do. As with most reviewers, I feel the most powerful scene was Lloyd with his boombox: One Final Act of Desperation. It just about ripped out my heart the first time I saw it. I bought the soundtrack just to get "In Your Eyes." Yes, guys, this is ultimately a chick flick, but it has a subtle power that crosses over for anyone who has been dumped and wished for just one more chance. I don't know if this will ever reach the status of a classic, but for me, Say Anything and Casablanca are two movies I will always associate with love lost, and then regained.
Rating:
Summary: I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen.
Review: If you asked anyone who was the best director of the "teen movie" in the 80s, most people would say John Hughes, and they would be right. Movies like the Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles are classics and really capture the essence of being a teen in that decade. But the answer to what the best teen movie in the 80s is has to be the 1989 Cameron Crowe directorial debut "Say Anything" starring John Cusack and Ione Skye. This film gives us characters to really care about and situations that are realistic. The actors respond beautifully, Cusack is perfect as the nerdy "athlete" (Kickboxing- the sport of the future) who simply decides to ask out school valedictorian/goddess Diane Court (Skye) right after graduation. His conversations he has with himself while trying to get the nerve to ask her to a post graduation party are classic and sound real familiar to my high school years. Skye (a relative unknown before this film and since) also turns in a flawless performance as the beautiful brain who has always wanted a taste of high school life, but has had to turn it down repeatedly to focus on grades. She reluctantly agrees to go with Lloyd (Cusack) to the party and has the time of her life because for the first time, she is seen as just a high school girl and not the unreachable perfect standard. We remember people like that in high school. They probably had the exact feelings Skye shows us in Diane Court. The plot really is not very intricate or complex. Diane's father (John Mahoney) runs an old folks home and is very protective of his daughter. It's obvious he has sacrificed a lot to give his daughter all the chance to go to England to study next semester. Perhaps he has even done some things that were not all together ethical. He does a great job with his character as well, especially at the end, when the situation spins out of control and he is forced to sit back and just watch. Crowe's approach here is to give us real people as characters and let us identify with them. Unlike so many of the teen movies today, which are unnecessarily raunchy and stupid, this film cares about the characters and what matters to them. When Skye gives Cusack the pen mentioned in the title of this review, it is at a time where she is crushed emotionally and is almost manipulated into action. Anyone who has felt the pain of love lost or the joy of love found will appreciate the reality of this film. By the way, the most well known scene, pictured on the DVD cover, is Cusack holding up the boom box while Peter Gabriel's "In your Eyes" plays on the radio. One of the best songs in the decade of the 80s, this one captures the mood of the entire film perfectly. All in all, this is possibly the best teen movie of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Guilty pleasure
Review: You can't help but like this film. The underdog gets the girl--and early in the movie. This is not a film where he spends the whole time chasing her. No, no. This is a different movie altogether. He doesn't want to sell anything that's bought and processed, or process anything that's bought and sold. Or buy anything that's sold and processed. But, he doesn't know what he wants to do besides spend as much time with Diane Court as possible. This is about finding out someone is not what you thought they were [not the main character OR the girl, no, someone else], learning to trust, following your gut, and the painful lessons of near adulthood. OScar worthy? No, but a pleasure all the same.
| 
