Romance and a bit of '80s nostalgia were in the air today as a pack of Lloyd Dobler lookalikes descended upon various New York City locations to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cameron Crowe's beloved romantic comedy 'Say Anything.' The day also marked the release of the movie's 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray and DVD.
'Say Anything,' with its witty, natural dialogue and believable characters, was a refreshing departure from typical teen rom-coms back in the day, and underachieving kickboxer Dobler (a typically understated John Cusack), was a perfect anti-hero. In the movie's most celebrated scene, the lovelorn Lloyd serenades ex-girlfriend Diane (Ione Skye) by holding a boombox playing Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' outside her bedroom window. (The scene's so classic it's been parodied on both 'South Park' and 'American Dad.')
To commemorate the movie, dozens of faux-Doblers wearing tan trench coats and toting boomboxes gathered at 7AM, then headed to locales all around the city before winding up in Times Square for a sort of grand finale. As they posed beneath the 47th Street bleachers with boomboxes held aloft, tourists and curious passersby snapped photos.
Brian, a Dobler from Jersey City, expressed his admiration for the character: "He's the ultimate failed romantic hero; he puts himself out there, he gets the girl, then he gets dumped for no good reason. But then he wins her back in the end; he triumphs over all."
Fittingly, it wasn't an easy day for the Doblers. According to Jeff from Long Island, some locations were rougher than others. "We got kicked out by park guards, police officers. In Union Square, these elves from a competing promotion got really angry."
Not to mention the fact that repeated boombox hoisting is quite a workout. "I don't know if I can do it anymore, my arms are dying," Jeff admitted in Times Square. "I had a 30-pound boombox all day, I just traded down to a smaller one."
But then as DC-area band Lloyd Dobler Effect, who were on hand to wrap up the celebration, launched into a fervent cover of "In Your Eyes," the Doblers were called upon to lift their boomboxes once more. "I can't feel my lower back," said Jeff. "It's worth it, though. It's a great movie."
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