“Say Anything...” enchants again

“Dad, do you know what he did the first night I went out with him? We were walking across by the 7/11, and he pointed out some glass for me to walk around. And I always think of that when people say, ‘What are you doing with Lloyd Dobler?’”

Diane Court (Ione Skye) is telling her father (John Mahoney) about the boy she’s been dating, Lloyd (John Cusack). It’s one of the many scenes in “Say Anything…” where you can’t help but look at the screen and smile, amazed at how perfectly written each moment is.

Now, 20 years after its release, “Say Anything…” is available on Blu-Ray, and it is truly lovely. There are several small retrospective documentaries added since the last DVD release, and they are all insightful and funny. The film itself looks and sounds as good as any 20-year-old movie possibly could in high definition, and my hope is its re-release will inspire younger teens to check out what to them may only be “that John Cusack boom box movie.”

So what is “Say Anything…” about? Well, it’s a love story, but it’s more than that. It’s about the unbridled, passionate, sincere love of two young people – not lust, mind you, but real, true love. It never talks down to its characters or dismisses them as being young and foolish. When they agree to just be friends (“but with potential”), we know where that road will lead. We know where that road will lead from the moment Lloyd brushes away the glass at Diane’s feet and we see her fall in love with him.

Lloyd, Diane, and her father are the three central characters in “Say Anything…” They are all bright, well-meaning, and immensely complex. The second act of the film contains a shocking revelation about Diane’s father we would get in no other movie. It’s almost jarring, but it has to be. It drives the rest of the film, in directions both anticipated and completely unexpected. The surprises are laudable, and the ending is earned and properly resolved.

I rented “Say Anything…” as a young person on VHS about ten years ago, thinking I was getting the John Cusack movie with the “Give me my two dollars!” line in it (“Better Off Dead,” for the curious). I recognized the famous boom box scene on the cover, but I knew nothing else of it. Watching it, I became completely immersed in it. I had never seen anything like it, and I loved it.

“Say Anything…” continues to shape my life, even now. It was the subject of one of the first conversations I ever had with the girl who would eventually become my first girlfriend (and is still a good friend to this day). One year in high school, I bought every copy of it at my local Wal-Mart and gave them as gifts to my closest friends. And for years, my personal e-mail address has been a famous quote from the film: shegavemeapen@hotmail.com.

This is not a movie that warrants fandom or obsession. “Say Anything…” is a movie to love. It is bright, funny, and wise. It also may just be the greatest date movie of all time. Twenty years after its release, it is still a flawless portrayal of modern teen romance. If you haven’t seen this film, now is the time.