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Staring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney

Review by The Ranting WolfCastle

    I love movies that incorporate the title into some line of dialogue.   Most of the time it's cheesy, but this one you hardly notice it, and I might add that I am extremely perceptive to have even caught it, thank you very much.  I really enjoyed this movie.  It's one of those films that I've seen parts of my entire life but never known what film it really was. 

    Since I can't really sum up the plot very well, I'm using the one on the back of the cover, hope you don't mind.  In this charming, critically-acclaimed tale of first love, Lloyd (John Cusack), an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of Diane, and unattainable high school beauty and straight-A student (Ione Skye).  He surprises just about everyone-including himself-when she returns the sentiment.  But Diane's over-possessive, divorced Dad (John Mahoney) doesn't approve and it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.

    The thing I liked about this movie is John Cusack, this part had to be written for him.  He rambles on at the drop of a hat, and it just seems like something he might do in real life.  The actors are all good, Ione Skye is beautiful as well as a good actress, and John Mahoney from "Frazier" plays the Dad.   But I guess you already knew that due to the plot synopsis.  Sorry.   There is also a brief cameo by Captain Fry from "The Rock", Jeremy Piven, who is cool and Joan Cusack, who plays and is in real life John's sister.  They are actually in a few other movies together. 

    I also liked how you had to figure out certain things in the plot for yourself, instead of being spoon fed every last detail.  I think people that made movies in the eighties gave the general public a lot more credit than the nineties movie makers.  The thing is, I don't normally like love stories.  They are always sappy and pathetic, with usually an unoriginal plot.  This one kind of makes me want to go out and talk to girls, but I soon got over that due to my overall lack of security.   Still, Lloyd isn't afraid to and it pays off.  I basically think that this film is entertaining, more so than almost any love story I've ever seen. 

    One part is kind of pointless, Diane's parents are divorced, and when the IRS is checking into her Dad, she goes and tells her Mom about it.  I don't really understand that, it seems that a background story throughout the movie is about Diane and her parents.  When she goes and talks to her Mom, it doesn't fit.  Her mother is only in that one scene, and I just don't understand why it is in the movie.

    I liked how they did the ending, professional screenplay writers would say that they ended after the end, which is bad, but I liked it so BACK OFF.  I guess that's all I have to say, wait for the no smoking light to go off........"Ding."

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