Review of Say Anything... (1989) by Bartek F — 22 Feb 2010

If you were to ask any movie expert on what the greatest romances of all time were, they would say things like Bogart and Bergman in Casablanca or Gable and Leigh in Gone With the Wind. For me, Casablanca is the greatest romance movie of all time, but running a close second for me is Cusack and Skye in Say Anything..., a movie that walks the thin line of being a teeny-bopper romance flick, a goofball comedy, and an insightful view on the relationships between a boy and girl. Say Anything... not only walks this line, but practically dances on it the way Gene Kelly would in Singin' in the Rain, with exhuberance, style, and an overall feeling of joy.

Upon just hearing the storyline, most people would think Say Anything was just another stereotypical teen movie. In reality, I think Say Anything is the ANTI-TEEN MOVIE. It's a love story between two characters who are completely different. The girl is smart and serious and doesn't have much of a social life. The guy is a bit of a jock, really cool, and a kickboxer. There's one thing that makes Say Anything different from all other films that seems so similar. What makes it different is how real the movie is. None of the dialogue is forced or overdone. It's all written so realistically. You could almost imagine that Cameron Crowe just set up a tape recorder around a bunch of people and wrote the script based on the words that came out of their mouth. Say Anything is totally believable as a real life story (it probably helps that part of it is based on Crowe's own life).

The chemistry between John Cusack as the immortal Lloyd Dobbler and Ione Skye as the envious Diane Court is unlike any romance film made with in the past fifteen to thirty years. Lately, romance films have been giving us chemistry, but no reason to get behind the lovers and want to see them blossom. This task is flawlessly handled by Cameron Crowe, who gives perfect definition as to why the couple should be together. They open new worlds to each other, he shows her a world outside of books like she's been used to and she, in return, realizes that he is more than some average joe with no recognizable future prospects. Apart, they are talented, but together, they're connection is luminous.

Not only is this a wonderful romance for the ages, but it is also a clever teenage film, showing the teens in this movie as deep, thoughtful, occasionally exaggerated, but we were all like that at that age, that's what sets them apart from the Freddie Prinze Jrs and Julia Stiles of today. The teens in movies today (outside of American Beauty) have become charicatures. In Say Anything..., they are a world within themselves and we become the priviliged tourists to take pictures as we pass by.

Say Anything... is a cult classic now, but as history progresses and movies become video discs in a library some where in the distant future, this one should stand out like Jane Austin and William Shakespeare do today in that this movie analyzes the youth of our time and treats them with the respect and intelligence that they deserve. Kudos, Mr. Crowe, for bringing such a beautiful, heart-warming, optimistic, and overall brilliant piece of art into this world. To see it is to make your life that much brighter.

Four stars out of four.