Say Anything... (1989)

Lloyd Dobler is what we pretended Ferris Bueller was: actually cool, actually sweet, actually worthy of being someone’s role model.

This is so much cuter, sweeter, and different than I ever expected. I genuinely thought this would be filled with all the terrible 80s romantic comedy cliches - the misunderstandings, the grand gestures that border on stalking, the shallow characters. But Say Anything… avoids nearly all of that. It’s shockingly mature and naturalistic for a movie from this era.

Lloyd Dobler is way cooler, sweeter, and more aspirational than someone like Ferris Bueller, who we were all supposed to worship as the ultimate 80s teen icon. Lloyd isn’t cool because he’s a charming rule-breaker - he’s cool because he’s genuine, kind, and actually listens to Diane. He respects her. He supports her dreams even when they take her away from him. That’s real coolness.

I also expected the father to be a total cock block for the whole movie, but instead it takes this wild swerve into an unexpected financial crime subplot that actually works. The father isn’t just an obstacle - he’s a fully realized character with his own tragic arc. That complexity elevates the entire film.

John Cusack is wonderful in this. The performance is so natural and lived-in. And the screenplay is so much more realistic than I expected - but then again, I should have known better coming from a Cameron Crowe movie. He gets how people actually talk, especially teenagers trying to figure out who they are.

I wish I had seen this when I was in ninth grade. I think it would have had a much bigger impact than watching it in my 30s. I definitely could have related to aspects of Lloyd when I was that age - the uncertainty, the earnestness, the fear of not being enough.

But that being said, honestly, I still learned a little bit about being a good boyfriend watching this today. Lloyd models something important: being supportive without being a doormat, being vulnerable without being needy, being present without being suffocating. That’s valuable at any age.

This is a gem. I’m genuinely upset I avoided it for so long.

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