Assignment

Characters/Actors Lloyd Dobler: John Cusack Diane Court: Ione Skye James Court: John Mahoney Corey Flood: Lili Taylor D.C.: Amy Brooks Rebecca: Pamela Segall

Communication Courses Interpersonal Communication Communication Concepts Honesty/Lying Relational Stages Self-Disclosure
Pedagogical Perspective

This is a light romantic comedy with a serious message about the impact of dishonesty in primary interpersonal relationships. The movie could be used in high school or college classes (Diane and Lloyd's non-depicted sexual activity might be a sensitive issue for some audiences).

Synopsis

Say Anything...is a lighthearted tale about an unlikely couple. Lloyd Dobler (Cusack) is unsure what he will do after graduating from high school, except to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional kick-boxer. Diane Court (Skye) is valedictorian of her class and plans for college - but unlike Lloyd, she has no social life. They attend a graduation party together, and Diane is pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and happy she feels around Lloyd. Their interest in each other grows and they date throughout the summer. Diane's parents are divorced and she lives with her father (Mahoney), with whom she always had open and honest communication. As Diane and Lloyd's relationship develops, Diane's relationship with her father begins to change. Diane's father believes Lloyd is complicating her life and he recommends that she break off her relationship with Lloyd before it becomes too serious. She acquiesces to her father's wishes. Neither Diane nor Lloyd is happy about the breakup, but she keeps telling herself it is for the best. Diane and her father appear to have a healthy and positive relationship, but when she learns that he has engaged in illegal financial dealings involving the nursing home he runs, her trust in him is shattered. Diane realizes she wants and needs Lloyd and reaches out to him; he supports her while she deals with the devastating fact that her father is not the man she thought he was. Diane tries to reconstruct her relationship with her father before she and Lloyd fly off to England together.

Assignment

In this assignment, you will write a 4-5 page paper, which should include answering the discussion questions (listed below). Conceptualize and answer these questions under the light of intercultural communication. That means that the answers should tie in with the significance of intercultural communication, and how it has influenced the characters in this movie. This paper should be written in an APA-Style format. Your paper will be evaluated on the following: - Content, - Grammar, - Structure and mechanics, - Relevance to the topic(s).

Discussion Questions

1. What relationship stages do Lloyd and Diane experience?

2. What were some of the reasons for self-disclosure between Diane and her father and between Lloyd and his female friends?

3. Why did Diane's father choose to lie to her about his finances? What effect did his dishonesty have on Diane and their relationship?