You know that nondescript high school loser who thought he had a chance with the perfect girl, and he really didn’t, but he tried anyway, and it worked, because down deep he was really decent and kind and that’s all a girl really wants, but then her father got in the way, and she broke it off …
And then he solved it all by showing up outside her bedroom window with a boombox playing the most romantic rock ballad ever?
It’s Romeo and Juliet meets the stereo age, an identity mashup that resulted in everybody’s favorite high school romance, “Say Anything.” We can easily argue that writer/director Cameron Crowe’s work has been downhill ever since (Remember “Elizabethtown”? Anyone?) But in this 1989 classic, John Cusack became the thinking woman’s hottie, and Crowe absolutely nailed the attractive myth of young adults finding themselves through love.
The late-1980s hairstyles look a bit dated, as if everybody had forgotten to groom their pet poodle. And the clothes harken back to the “Let’s Get Physical” days of leggings and loose gym pants. But your teenagers will identify with Cusack and one-hit co-star Ione Skye, whose good looks are timeless. For a myth come to life, their romance develops with sweetly plausible conversation and canoodling.
John Mahoney provides the tension, as Skye’s protective father. What makes him interesting is that he doesn’t object to his daughter having a fling, he just wants her to dump the aspiring-kickboxer when she starts her “real” life. But Mahoney’s father figure may be hiding secrets of his own, and the youngsters will have to make their own way at the end.
It all adds up to a movie fans have consistently voted among the best high school films and best romantic films, a tough two-fer. And you’ll never get that Peter Gabriel song out of your head.
Each Tuesday, Michael Booth uncovers a movie gem for rewarding family entertainment. Send your suggestions to mbooth@denverpost.com.
