A taste of Maya

I was working late and had the TV on in the background, when on came the Actor's Workshop or whatever James Lipton's show is called. He had John Cusack on, whom I liked in Grosse Pointe Blank and Being John Malkovich. But I had never heard of Say Anything or High Fidelity. So I asked the family expert. This is a small taste of what you get when you ask Maya.

Where have you been? You had three kids -- they were watching these movies.

If you see Say Anything, you will be witnessing the precise romantic and emotional conditioning of the women my generation (and the previous generation). John Cusack's character grew to become the absolute, secret ideal of every woman I knew from high school to college. Songs were written about it in the 90s. Most of these women have since grown somewhat -- but I can't overstate the influence of this character.

The movie itself is a pretty good small movie directed by Cameron Crowe -- Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, etc. -- before he "sold out." That is, it has the feel of an independent film before they sold out too. The characters are human and funny, the acting interesting, etc. Incidentally, I think you've seen this: I have a vague memory of watching it in the theater with you and Cadyn when I was maybe... nine?

High Fidelity has a similar relationship to music obsessives. I still hear them making references to the movie to explain aspects of their life or taste -- privately, though, because since the movie became widely popular, they're too cool to admit to liking it.

It has a before-he-got-big Jack Black, it's about neurotic, self-obsessed, selfish, and pretentious men who simply cannot understand women. But they have really, really good taste in music. There used to be theories that this is who Lloyd Dobbler (the character from Say Anything) may have become after having his heart broken too many times.

Anyway -- between these two movies and a couple of other random ones, John Cusack's recent decline takes on tragic dimensions. He was for a while - and had the chance to be forever - the cultural ideal of the men and women of an entire generation. Then he made Must Like Dogs and America's Sweethearts. Tragic.

Give her a try.