Parents' Guide to

Say Anything

By Randy White, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Smart, edgy coming-of-age story.

Movie PG-13 1989 100 minutes
Say Anything Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

emcats24
emcats24 Adult
July 13, 2022
age 15+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Marianne71
Marianne71 Adult
October 6, 2019
age 10+

A good way to teach girls early what real love looks like.

What interests me about this film is that it is (almost) waaaay ahead of it's time in terms of values and the way women are treated. There's a scene where a couple walk past the main characters and she repeatedly tells the boy to leave her alone and he repeatedly fails to do so. While this is in stark contrast to the way that the central couple communicate - in the film no one steps in - which I can't immagine happening today. Nevertheless it's a good teachable moment. The film is as much the girl's story as the boy's and they are excellent role models both. The story is deeply romantic and online some have commented that love like that doesn't exist. It did for me - but only because I learned to walk away from the jerks who didn't treat me with the kind of respect that is modelled here. Yes, they do have sex - yes there is drinking - but if you watch it with your kids then you can manage these issues. They have sex, but it's not shown and its in the context of a profoundly loving and respectful relationship, which is, in my opinion, a better version of reality than never showing anything at all. I'd say that girls and boys of ten and up with benefit greatly from holding the behaviours portrayed as a gold standard.
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What's the Story?

In SAY ANYTHING, a smart, funny story about growing up and struggling with imminent responsibilities, Lloyd (John Cusack) is a teenage kickboxer on no particular career path. Diane (Ione Skye) is a brainiac with an overprotective father (John Mahoney). After graduation, the opposites fall for each other, spend the summer together, and end up making love, the details of which Diane spills to her father. Her father wants more for his daughter than a future with a slacker like Lloyd -- she's set to go to England to study on a fellowship at the end of the summer. Under pressure from her father, Diane breaks up with Lloyd. But when she discovers that her father has been stealing from the retirement home he owns, she reconsiders. Lloyd's the one person she's come to trust.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (6):

A frank portrait of teens on the cusp of adulthood, this movie mines a type of movie that has acquired a (deservedly) negative reputation and comes up with gold. You can call Say Anything a "teen flick," but writer/director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) tells a story about people who just happen to be teens. Utilizing stock elements of the genre -- hip soundtrack, slacker kids, and screwed-up families -- Crowe finds the stuff of great drama.

Much of the humor is found in adolescent awkwardness. Viewers can't help but feel Lloyd's angst as he asks Diane out, deals with her father, and evades an overzealous guidance counselor. But the movie's serious themes ring true as well. Diane's father isn't dismissed as a criminal who wants to keep the lovers apart; his stealing is a misguided effort to give his daughter the best of everything. Eric Stoltz (Some Kind of Wonderful) and Lili Taylor round out a superb supporting cast.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Diane trusts Lloyd in Say Anything and why Diane's father acts the way he does. Also, how do Diane and Lloyd cope with the stresses of teenage life?

  • Do you think this movie is still relevant? Why, or why not?

  • Why do you think this movie is considered a teen classic?

  • Do you think Diane and Lloyd are role models? Why, or why not?

  • How do the characters in Say Anything demonstrate gratitude, compassion, and integrity? Why are those important character strengths?

Movie Details

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