Say Anything

In Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, John Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler--an average guy with a penchant for kickboxing. There is only one thing that all-around nice guy Lloyd wants for his high school graduation--a date with beautiful valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye). Lloyd's dream comes true when Diane accepts his invitation to a graduation party. Diane falls for Lloyd, whose goal is to spend as much time with her as possible. Their budding romance is put to the test when Diane has to choose between pursuing her academic dreams and spending time with him. John Mahoney is first-rate as Diane's father, a single parent who wants only the best for his brilliant daughter but who harbors a serious secret that the IRS is investigating. Like John Hughes's classic films of the 1980s (PRETTY IN PINK, THE BREAKFAST CLUB) that dealt with the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, Crowe's intelligent script and film cut through stereotypes and portray teenagers as real people rather than caricatures.