My friend Kropp made a reference the other day in a comment about the John Cusack movie High Fidelity. Great movie, but it reminded me of the best Cusack film of all time: Say Anything.Oh, Say Anything. Many of us would have been much better off not seeing that movie. Instead, we all fell in love with Lloyd Dobler and wished we would be able to find a guy like that to marry. Unfortunately, Lloyd is not real. In fact, he's very unreal. This love for Lloyd is so crazy that Chuck Klosterman once lamented in his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs that no woman will ever be satisfied because of their Lloyd Dobler compex.
But really, how could you NOT love Lloyd Dobler? Yeah, he had no direction in life and yeah, it took him forever to finally ask out the girl of his dreams, but who wouldn't feel sorry for a guy so completely heartbroken when he gets dumped? Who doesn't want a guy wooing them with a boombox under her window? Because unless the guy is a creepy stalker, every girl wouldn't mind something like that and rarely, if ever, does it happen in real life.
Plus, I think this movie is quoted almost as much as Caddyshack. "I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." Or "If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like Gas 'n Sip on a Saturday night, completely alone, drinking beers, no women anywhere?" Or what about Lloyd trying to explain to Diane's dad that he doesn't want to buy, sell, or repair anything for a living?
Little known fact: The band The Smithereens wrote a song called "A Girl Like You" for the movie. The movie's producers rejected it, saying the lyrics gave away too much of the plot. The band released it anyway on their own album and it was their first Top 40 hit. Here are the lyrics -- decide for yourself.
And of course, what would any Say Anything post be without this Peter Gabriel gem?
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
1 comment:
I was at a party in KC this weekend for Weinzirl (I've always thought Scotty was definitely Lloyd type) and this movie came up again - some of us with kids were talking about what to do when they start growing up - I said: "maybe they'll be lucky and meed a Lloyd Dobler, then we won't have to worry about anything."
Guys like Lloyd do exist - rare, but they're out there (ok, maybe not completely like Lloyd). Most parents don't like Lloyd types though, so they usually run them off, as they don't develop "on paper" early enough to satisfy them. Many girls are trained not to be attracted to Lloyd types, suffering quite a bit of brainwashing from the 'rents - true Lloyd types usually have the last laugh in the end though.
I think part of the mystery is that we never know if Lloyd really succeeds - Sure, he gets on a plane for London, but does he really end up happy with Diane, making her happy in every way for the rest of her life? I think the assumption that he does makes the illusion much more alluring.
My favorite quote from Lloyd has always been:
"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."
Mabye that's (subconsciously) why I don't sell anything.
Post a Comment