Where's 'Lloyd' when we need him most?

Our hero John Cusack has a new flick out -- the name goes something like "Martian Child" or "Julia Child" or some variation thereof. Will the Stuck in the 80s go see it? Probably. We need our Cusack fix any way we can get it.

But let me ask you this? How much longer do we have to wait for another brilliant Cusack movie from days of yore? And I don't even mean exclusively 80s here. I'll take another "High Fidelity" over "Must Love Dogs" any day. Give me another "Max" over "Serendipity." And I'll go as far as to take "Pushing Tin" over "America's Sweethearts."

I know the 41-year-old Cusack isn't going to get any choice "Lloyd Dobler" roles in the near future. That role in 1989's "Say Anything" has to be put up high on a shelf, under glass, for future teen actors to drool over.

One popular story on the blogs has it that a girl once came up to Cusack in a bar after "Say Anything" came out and asked him, "Are you Lloyd?" Cusack's reply: "On my better days."

Sappy romantic-comedies seem to be the fate of poor Dobler these days. Much against his character's creed, Cusack is now left with a job of selling anything, buying anything or processing anything. With Martian Child, he's probably selling something bought or processing something sold, buying something sold or processed ... you get the picture.

Come on, Cusack! Try kick-boxing ... sport of the future!

TOP 5 FAVORITE ROLES OF JOHN CUSACK:

5. Rob Gordon (High Fidelity): "I've been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I've come to the conclusion that my guts have s--t for brains. "

4. Buck Weaver (Eight Men Out): "Those fellas are all gone now."

3. Walter Gibson (The Sure Thing): "Didn't you ever get really s--tfaced and maybe make a complete fool of yourself and still have an excellent time?"

2. Lane Meyer (Better Off Dead): "Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky."

1. Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything): "If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like the Gas 'n' Sip on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?"

Comments

[Marissa]

It's a Cusack flick. That's all I need to know. Actually, I've seen the trailer a few times and I've anxiously awaited this movie. Think of this latest Cusack character as Lloyd grown up... Diane Court left him for some Stuck in the 80s blogger, and now Lloyd is left childless; yet, longing to be a father so he adopts a goofy little boy.

[Spears]

Me and Diane Court? Ione!

[Brett]

Man, that last scene from Eight Men Out, where he's sitting in the bleachers, watching Shoeless Joe play and talking to the fans who don't know who he is, that gives me chills every time. It's a great piece of acting to end a fantastic movie.

[Spears]

Hey, loved Eight Men Out. Hard to remember that it's an 80s flick.

Other great Cusack movies: True Colors, The Grifters, Tapeheads, Grosse Pointe Blank, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Some misses: One Crazy Summer, Con Air, The Thin Red Line.

[Bassnote]

I think Grosse Pointe Blank needs an honorable mention. A ton of 80's music in that movie. The scene where he and Jeremy Pivin are disposing of the body to the song "99 Luft Baloons" is a classic. In fact, I think I need to watch it again today.

[Johnny B. Goode]

I'm with you, Brett. The ending of "Eight Men Out" is one of my all-time favorites.

[Spears]

Strange but true: I hated Grosse Pointe Blank the first time I saw it.

[Bassnote]

Do you like it now?

[Spears]

It has its truly great moments, but I think it underachieved. Give me $500,000 and three months and I'll fix all the script problems.

Starting off with the needless casting of his sister as his secretary. And probably recasting the Minnie Driver's role. She's just not likeable in this particular flick.

[Sara Hall]

What?! Are you kidding me Spears? Minnie not likeable in this? I adore her in Grosse Point. She is absolutely spot on in her cynicism and reactions to his return. My sister and I love her line..."Where are all the good men dead, in the heart? or in the head?" Totally fantastic script. Joan is perfectly hilarious as the secretary! It's on Spears. I'm glovin' up. (Don't get excited dude - boxing, not rubber.)

[Spears]

Awww, you had me all excited there for a minute. To quote Road Trip (not an 80s movie, but the only other rubber-glove line I can think of):

"Is there something between us???"

[Tom]

Cusack is one of my favorite actors. I loved "Grosse Point" but the best Cusack movie has to be "The Sure Thing". It's very funny and quite quote worthy.

"We speak each other's unspoken language, fluently..."

[Marissa]

Although it's not my favorite Cusack flick, I liked Grosse Point Blank a lot. I didn't see anything wrong with Minnie Driver's place in it.
Steve, where there's John Cusack, inevitably Joan will be there somewhere.
I'm still upset that John Cusack didn't get proper kudos for his performance in The Grifters. His acting has greater depth than the teen we fell in love with as Lloyd. With that being said, Martian Child really comes as no surprise.
Now, to convince him to have a love child with me....

[Miguel Duarte]

John Cusack best film is probably Being John Malkovich,followed by The Thin Red Line and Bullets Over Broadway. But the ultimate Cusack movies are Say Anything, High Fidelity(his best performance ever came from this movie) and Grosse Pointe Blank (i don`t agree with you Spears, i think Minnie Driver was pretty good in it). Long live Johnny but i`m a little bit affraid that the man may be in a middle life crisis (i hope not). Let`s just hope we don`t see him jumping on Oprah`s couch anyday soon like the other weirdo!

[Spears]

My theory on Cusack is that you shouldn't focus on his acting: Focus on his characters. He's created some of the truly great characters along the way. I couldn't name the full name of many of Tom Cruise's characters, but Lane Meyer, Walter "Gib" Gibson, Lloyd Dobler, Rob Gordon -- they roll off the tongue.

[Marissa]

Whether you focus on his acting or the characters he portrays, for this girl he's the bomb-diggity. I will admit that his portrayal of Lloyd gave me the Cusack bug.
I don't loooooooove every movie he's done. I watched Must Love Dogs because it was Cusack, but it needed a new script and a believable leading lady. Does anyone else agree the chemistry just wasn't there?

[Tom]

I agree Marissa, Must Love Dogs had no chemistry and a forced script. There was no spark like Sandler and Barrymore in The Wedding Singer or 50 First Dates. Lets hope he gets some classic Cusack roles quickly ie. Martin Blank, Lloyd Dobler, Walter Gibson...

[Spears]

Diane Lane looks ancient compared to Cusack in that movie. Truth is, she's only one year older than John.

But go back and look at her in something like Streets of Fire. Va-va-va-voom.

Must Love Dogs should be called Must Love Cusack, because that's the only way you could get me to watch it.

No chemistry, bizarre script, and what's with Christopher Plummer's role as the wolving, but overly literate dad?

[Marissa]

Streets of Fire! That's one of my guilty pleasure films/soundtracks. It's weird you mention that movie, Steve. I was just thinking about it the other day. Are you psycho?
Must Love Dogs was so forced. Not even the Cusackian magic could make that movie worth watching a second time. I just made myself gasp with that statement.
I'm off to watch High Fidelity to flush the bitter memory of that movie from my mind.

[Miguel Duarte]

Last September Empire magazine, the most prestigious cinema magazine in the world published a 6 pages interview with John where he said that the favourite movie of his career is Being John Malkovich. In the same article Empire published what were for them the five best John Cusack performances: 1-Roy Dillon(The Grifters); 2-Lloyd Dobler(Say Anything); 3-Martin Blank(Grosse Pointe Blank); 4-Craig Schwartz(Being John Malkovich); 5-Rob Gordon(High Fidelity). By the way,another british magazine, Total Film, made an article a few months ago about the 80 great things about the 80s.Well, for them the greatest thing about the 80s was John Cusack! They wrote "1983:prepboy-comedy Classdebuts a number of hot new names.Yet it`s not dreamy lead Andrew Mccarthy or nipple-baring Virginia Madsen who`s set for superstardom, but a babyface tucked in the corner called John Cusack, one of the few talents who simultaneously embodies and transcends the decade. And he`s clung onto his cred longer than Tom Cruise.Having both Sixteen Candles and The Sure Thing on a CV is enough to deserve a stereo-aloft salute à la Say Anything,but he`s alsothe star of greatest 80s-revisited movie,Grosse Pointe Blank. Now that`s class." If you want the rest of the top ten list here it is: 2-breakdancing; 3-video nasties(Evil Dead,etc); 4-the fall of the Berlin wall; 5-CDs; 6-Empire Strikes Back; 7-Mr. T!; 8-amusement arcades; 9-sword and sorcery movies; 10-toys and games(Trivial Pursuit,Rubik`s Cube,etc) with number 11 being ET. Weird list,hem Mr. Spears? That was my little European report to you guys!