Avner Kauffman. Knows how to cook and loves his wife.

Funny, but the broken glass moment at 7-11 was, to me, the weakest moment in the film - a movie contrivance to give Diane a chance to explain the inexpicable, i.e. why she was falling for Lloyd. But the thing is, her falling for him was totally believable and natural - and that moment had nothing at all to do with it. A better moment by far was when he bowed to the imaginary crowds in the street after the successful completion of his date. We got to see Lloyd as he really was, with no one (that he knew of) wathcing - and he was more likable, even, than in the broken glass incident.

Women love Lloyd because he was emotionally vulnerable w/out losing his confidence/sense of self. He chose to believe what in what he was feeling instead of calibrataing his repsonse to what Diane seemed to be feeling. When Diane said "let's just be friends" he didn't get all rejected and aloof - he remained optimistic, responding "sure...friends with potential." When they made love and Diane said "hey, you're shaking, are you cold?" he went for it - he admitted to trembling because he was *happy*.

You also had to love Lloyd because he so obviously loved being in love. He didn't protect himself. Even after Diane dumped him, he didn't protect himself. When she showed up at the gym needing support, he asked her "Are you coming back because you need me, or because you need somebody?"...then "Forget it, I don't even care." He wanted to be with her on any terms, and being abel to admit that made him strong - not weak as his Gas 'N Sip compatriots would have him believe.

And you had to love that nervous talking thing.

Jake Ryan ? You gotta be kidding me. I didn't even remember that was the character's name. He was such a two dimensional cardboard cutout of a boy. He had no personality - a Porsche is no substitute. Llody's best friend totally nailed what seemed wrong about Jake Ryan in her song lyric: "He likes girls with names like Ashley. That'll never be me."

Sure, Jake was gorgeous and had money, but how come everyone overlooks the fact that he gave Caroline to The Geek when she was so intoxicated that she believed them when they said they were the other person? That's pretty fucking callous, imo. I understand being sick of a person, especially someone who gets wasted and trashes your house, but that's no excuse for passing her over - drunk and confused - to another guy because you're sick of her.

What happens to Lloyd? He and Diane break up in Europe (she dumps him for a snotty, cocky academic type -- she's always needing men to boss her around, and Lloyd's just not the type to do that). He joins the army, becomes an assassin, returns for his 10 year high school reunion, and hooks up with Diane again. The sequel to Say Anything is Grosse Pointe Blank.

Anyway, I love Say Anything, but it isn't exactly inspiring as a feminist movie. I mean, it does suggest that there are men like Lloyd out there who are capable of being feminists, but Diane is pretty lousy as an example of what feminism seeks to encourage in young women. I also, then, have a hard time understanding why a person like Lloyd, who would supposedly be attracted to a self-confident young woman, would mistake Diane's bravado for the real deal.