Really? I thought Say Anything was just another John Cusack movie after watching The Sure Thing and Better off Dead seventy gajillion times, and even seeking out Hot Pursuit and One Crazy Summer because, John Cusack! But perhaps my bemusement over him playing a college student when I was in High School and a High School student when I was in college colors my opinion too much.

(eta: And I can see why he'd keep coming back to the tried and true romantic comedies after the lack of recognition for Eight Men and Grifters )

Maybe once you make out with your movie mom, it's a fork in the road.

I can see why he'd keep coming back to the tried and true romantic comedies after the lack of recognition for Eight Men and Grifters

I think "The Grifters" is still a movie people talk about (thought maybe more for Bening and Huston than for him), and it got a bunch of Oscar and other nominations that year.

He's always made movies that weren't romantic comedies; his last two movies before "Must Love Dogs" were "Runaway Jury" and "Identity," and it looks like his next movie is a thriller with Billy Bob Thornton. It's just that the romantic comedies are the ones people remember, which he probably sees as both a blessing and a curse.

wrod.

once you make out with your movie mom

If you must be used to wipe the floor with, best the person doing the wiping be Anjelica Huston, you know?

So Lloyd Dobbler ruined other men for John Cusack too?

He's always made movies that weren't romantic comedies

I meant he keep making them in between other things. Which just makes sense, gotta do what makes money. But when The Grifters came out there was a lot of talk about how this was a breakout role that would put him into position to move away from the rom-coms and that didn't really happen.

I wonder how much of that is the movie market over the last ten years. I can name you ten romantic comedies, and ten action movies, and ten oscar-bait historical epics. But for the life of me, I have trouble thinking up a large number of plain old dramas.

I mean, plain old dramas that were made for more than $11 and a package of macaroni, and plain old dramas that made any money. I guess they exist, but they seem to exist in places like HBO, you know?

I could respect Cusack more if he picked better romantic comedies (preferably that never, ever star Meg Ryan), but if it's between romantic comedies and shlock Michael Bay fare, I say bring on the SNAG.

I guess they exist, but they seem to exist in places like HBO, you know?

That seems to have happened with a number of genres. The "weepie," for instance. Used to be, Joan Crawford or Norma Shearer would suffer and suffer for the major studios. Now, it's someone who had a hit TV series 10 years ago suffering for Lifetime.

Sorry to divert from the Cusack topic, but I have a question. I mailed some DVDs back to Netflix on Tuesday, and have yet to hear that they've been received. Normally I would have heard something by yesterday afternoon or tomorrow morning. At what point should I start worrying?