20 awesome ’80s movies you should totally see before you die

13. Say Anything (1989)

Writer-director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) is a master when it comes to crafting love stories. Who knew John Cusack holding a boom box over his head blaring Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” would become the gold standard of romantic gestures for all Gen-Xers?

Cusack plays Lloyd Dobbler an average guy who pines for the beautiful and smart Diane Court (Ione Skye). Only Lloyd is anything but average, something Diane quickly discovers.

Prior to Say Anything, Cusack appeared in multiple films including Class, Better Off Dead … , The Sure Thing, Sixteen Candles and One Crazy Summer. But it’s Say Anything that cemented him as an ’80s icon.

The film also features cameos by Pamela Adlon (Better Things), Eric Stolz (Some Kind of Wonderful) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza), Joan Cusack (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and John Mahoney (Frasier) round out the cast.,

The film doesn’t just explore the burgeoning relationship between Diane and Lloyd, it also deals with the disintegration of Diane’s tight-knit relationship with her father (Mahoney) who has been keeping a big secret from her despite their shared pact that they can “say anything” to each other.

Say Anything is an earnest look at the intensity of falling hard for the first time, and it leaves viewers feeling optimistic that love can conquer all.