Say Anything

Say Anything is an acclaimed 1986 romantic comedy about the courtship between Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack)—an average kid with aspirations to be a kickboxer—and Diane Court (Ione Skye), a valedictorian who just happens to be beautiful. The climactic scene, in which Lloyd serenades Diane with his boombox, helped make Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" a #1 hit on the rock charts.

Set during the summer after the characters' high school graduation, the film was also a sort of graduation for the teen comedy genre—The Washington Post hailed it as a transcendent romantic comedy that adults might enjoy as much as Moonstruck. It was a landmark in the careers of the director and the star as well, marking Cameron Crowe's directorial debut (he had previously written Fast Times at Ridgemont High), and signaling Cusack's growth from teen comic actor to leading man.