Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

movie love

Washington Post Style columnist Hank Stuever (or, at least, the women he interviews) gets it right about movie love in his Valentine’s Day column about Lloyd Dobler, the memorable hero of Say Anything played by John Cusack. (“What I Did for Lloyd” - 02/14/06)

“Jake Ryan (from Sixteen Candles is dessert, and Lloyd Dobler is like the vegetables you need,” says Sasha Johnson, 29, a Washington TV producer. “Lloyd Dobler ruined men forever. I can’t take total credit for this, an ex-boyfriend said this to me once. He contended that Lloyd Dobler’s boombox moment became the pinnacle of romance — the standard that no man could ever meet no matter how hard he tried. I’ve always loved Lloyd Dobler and have grown to appreciate him more as the years have gone on … the guy in high school that no woman wanted but ultimately now the kind of man we want to marry.

“He had that right mix of self-assuredness, sensitivity and geekiness. He was willing to make an insanely bold gesture to get the woman of his dreams back — something every woman wishes could happen to her.”

Shawna Shepherd, 28, an associate TV producer, agrees. “I am always on the hunt for the Lloyd Dobler type. Unfortunately the ones I’ve dated so far pale in comparison to the Hollywood character,” she says. “Sure they were quirky, and the mix tapes award-winning — I still listen to them — but a shower and a treat to dinner every now and then would have been nice, too. And let’s face it, if a guy stood outside with a boombox playing music outside my window, I’d be unimpressed and slightly freaked out.”

I think that about captures it: There’s something sweet and imperfect and endearing about Lloyd Dobler that makes him perfect in a movieland kind of way. But those occasional “big gestures” that seem so grand in the movies may not work quite the same way in real life. You don’t have those perfect camera angles, reaction shots and soundtrack in the “real world.”

I’m not in swoony movie-love with Lloyd Dobler and Say Anything. (It’s not even my favorite John Cusack movie.) I tend to sour on the last third of the movie, but I enjoy just about everything up until then. And there’s some teriffic dialogue, like this line from a bitter Lili Taylor:

The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don’t be a guy.