Following high school graduation, Lloyd pursues Diane (Ione Skye), who is cleverer and more “successful” than him. She lives with her pushy father (John Mahoney, of Frasier fame), who has strong ideas about her future.
As a 1980s teen saga, it’s in the general vein of the films by John Hughes. But there’s far more nuance and sophistication here, with Crowe developing the father character and his complex relationship with his daughter. (In Hughes’ films, adults are merely a one-dimensional “enemy”.)
Cusack and Skye both have a lot of charm and the scenes with the two of them working out their feelings for one another are sweet and endearing. Mahoney comes across weirdly, but we later learn why that is.
