I never noticed before, but Lloyd Dobler is the slacker version of Mario Savio. Compare.
Dobler: “I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”
Savio: “we’re a bunch of raw materials that don’t mean to have any process put upon us, don’t mean to be made into any product, don’t mean to end up being bought….”
The Edge of the American West 
7 comments
November 29, 2007 at 8:10 am
kelmanari
You’re my history hero.
November 29, 2007 at 5:34 pm
kelmanari
And another thing: we just watched Zodiac, which was okay. I didn’t by Jake G’s acting, but the movie was incredibly well paced for a loooong film. Anyway, Ione Skye showed up in the most upsetting scene in the film. I hadn’t scene her for years. Is she still married to Adam Horowitz? Or was she with another Beastie Boy? Which reminds me, they really are genius.
And then there’s this: the depiction of class in that film, particularly Diane’s ostensibly upper-middle-class family, shows how deep into the Gilded Age we now are. Their house is so humdrum, as compared to what Hollywood now uses for markers of affluence. I mean, a jukebox? That shows us that they’re relatively well off. Come on. Compare that to Veronica Mars’s apartment (she was, while still on the air, supposed to have been working class). While the Mars family rented, I suppose, they had granite countertops, fancy Mac laptops, stainless appliances, etc. Poor Diane, all she’s got is an old jukebox. And Lloyd might as well be on welfare, given what he’s wearing. Actually, here’s a better data point: stick with Cameron Crowe and consider Jerry McGuire. Jerry’s girlfriend, played by gristly what’s her Bridget Jones name, is a secretary. But she lives in a delicious Craftsman bungalow, practically filled to bursting with really nice stuff. Bridget’s house and clothes make Diane’s stuff seem threadbare and tatty. Let’s here it for the 90s.
November 29, 2007 at 5:35 pm
kelmanari
By s/b buy. Duh. Another Yglesias moment.
November 29, 2007 at 11:33 pm
eric
In fairness to everyone, the point of the jukebox and other items in the John Mahoney/Ione Skye household is that they’re expensive, but under a certain price tag, so they don’t have to be reportable purchases, or something like that. Remember, the IRS agent asks her if the house is full of things that cost a lot, but not too much.
Cusack’s delivery in that little scene is wonderful. Whether it’s genius or incident, I don’t know, but it’s great.
“Now, here’s a little story I got to tell, about three bad brothers, you know so well….”
November 29, 2007 at 11:41 pm
kelmanari
Ugh, and scene should be seen. I really shouldn’t be allowed to comment. Or post for that matter. Remind me again why we’re doing this.
November 30, 2007 at 3:06 am
eric
When are you going to notice “here” for “hear”?
November 30, 2007 at 3:59 am
kelmanari
Here s/b hear. Hear’s the problum: I realy can’t right coments or posts wen Im trying too get out the door. I have too take a minute to profreed, or I pull an Yglesias.