7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Romantic comedy about a less-than-average student who falls in love with a brilliant biochemistry major.
Starring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney, Lili Taylor, Amy BrooksRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 94% |
Teen | 46% |
Coming of age | 46% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital Mono (224 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
That first real love is rough. You’re seventeen, eighteen years old, school has just ended, the most monumental summer of your life lies ahead, but you know that the girl of your dreams is headed off for college in a few short months. Your emotions are irrational and uncontainable. She’s a vision, a muse, an object of desire that’s anything but obscure. There’s the sense that this is all there is, that this fleeting summer is life in miniscule, that nothing could ever possibly follow. That feeling is so distinct, so universal, but few films ever do it justice. The average teen romance is a half-baked comedy, a vulgar sex farce, or worse, a melting pot of dippy characters and saccharine generalities. But then there’s Say Anything—Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut—a film that encapsulates everything about that hazy summer between high school and the real world, and that looks with un-ironic optimism at the life-changing potency of young love.
Ah, young love...
Twenty years after its debut, Say Anything arrives on Blu-ray with an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that gets just about everything right. Catalog titles often get the rushed-out-the-door treatment, but Say Anything looks phenomenal for its age. While obviously not as sharp and defined as a contemporary release, the film displays an impressive sense of clarity, depth, and detail throughout. Check out the scene where Lloyd is talking to his sister on the pay phone—black levels are deep but allow you to make out shadow detail, the threading of Lloyd's shirt is easily discernable, and the pounding rain in the foreground and background creates an image with real presence. Colors are strong, even in darker scenes, and having lived in the Pacific Northwest myself, the predominance of bright green comes as no surprise. The film's thin grain structure is fully intact—there's no DNR here—and I didn't see any edge enhancement or technical defects. In fact, I really have few complaints. I did spot three instances when the color timing made a slight but noticeable shift—see 1:24:13, 1:27:57, and 1:28:10—but I'm sure this is source- related and not a transfer issue. Other than that, Say Anything is sourced from an exceptionally clean print and I can't imagine the film looking much better than it does here.
Cameron Crowe fans are well aware of the director's affinity for music, and Say Anything's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does that love justice, reproducing the many pop/rock songs in the film with warmth, depth, and fidelity. Bass response is strong without being overpowering and the music is enveloping, especially during the big party scene. The film's main theme sounds great, with swelling synth pads in the surround speakers while the guitar melody cuts cleanly through the mix. Aside from the music, this is a dialogue-driven, front-heavy film, but the rear channels do occasionally offer up some ambience, like neighborhood noises, party chatter, and street sounds. Though, I was surprised that we don't hear any rain in the rears during the massive downpour when Lloyd is at the payphone. Dialogue is a expertly prioritized and the whole track has a spacious and well-balanced mix. There's not much here to challenge your home stereo set-up, but Say Anything sounds full and clear, and you really can't ask for much more than that.
Commentary
Cameron Crowe, John Cusack and Ione Skye have so much to talk about here that they start the
commentary track a full twenty minutes before the film begins! In this introductory section—
which covers the inspiration for the story and the casting—stills from the film and on-set photos
play onscreen so we're not just listening to them talk. When the film actually begins, the three
reminisce non-stop, give insights into the character and script, telling stories, and sharing a lot of
laughs. This is one of the most heartfelt, good-natured commentaries I've heard in a
while.
An Iconic Film Revisted: Say Anything…20 Years Later (1080p, 21:57)
Props to 20th Century Fox for putting together this short but charming retrospective—and for
filming it in high definition—which features interviews with Cameron Crowe, John Cusack, Ione
Skye, John Mahoney, and Nancy Wilson. A lot of love clearly went into the making of Say
Anything, and Crowe discusses some of the very personal inspirations for the film, while the
actors look back on the experience fondly. A great addition.
A Conversation with Cameron Crowe (1080p, 9:31)
Culled from the same interview as the previous documentary, Crowe here explains how he came
to direct the film, admits John Cusack's initial reluctance to do the film, and reminisces about the
process of learning to become a director.
I Love Say Anything… (1080p, 7:31)
Here, a host of comedians—including Weird Al and Marianne Sierk—profess their undying love for
Say Anything, relive their favorite moments, and quote liberally from the film. This feels
like something that would be on an "I Love the '80s" special on VH1.
To Know Say Anything… Is To Love It! Trivia Track
Turn this feature on from the special features menu to trigger a steady flow of "pop-up video"
style trivia bubbles throughout the film. I found this to be a great pairing with the commentary
track.
Alternate Scenes (SD, 11:05 total)
Includes alternate takes of five scenes, including several less-than-effective attempts at the now-
iconic boom box scene.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 13:17)
There are ten deleted scenes; the most interesting include a creepy teacher hitting on Diane,
Lloyd confronting his fear of old people chewing food, and another song about Joe.
Extended Scenes (SD, 24:39)
To differentiate the old from the new in these thirteen extended sequences, the parts of the
scenes that exist the film are shown in black and white, while the excised pieces are in
color.
Vintage Featurette (SD, 6:58)
EPK featurettes really haven't changed at all over the years! Here you'll find talking head
interviews, clips from the film, and a bit of behind-the-scenes footage.
Photo Gallery (1080p, 6:20)
This self-playing gallery contains loads of publicity shots, stills, and on-set photos.
TV Spots (SD, 4:17 total)
Trailers (SD, 4:36 total)
I love Say Anything. Sweet, funny, charming, and full of relatable characters, it's likely to echo your own post-high school experiences in one way or another. It's also one of the best teen romance films ever and I'm glad to see it receive such a great treatment on Blu-ray. Highly recommended.
2009
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