It’s comforting to know that women are attached to the sullen charm exuded by the character Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything. Enough so that it’s worthy of a column in the Washington Post over 15 years after the movie came out.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the character was played by John Cusack, who’s movie star looks also landed him the lead in America’s Sweethearts, where he played the tall, dark and handsome movie star he is, rather than a misunderstood teen. It could be easily dismissed as fantasy. But I’ve also noticed several celebrities who bear more resembelance to Lloyd and less to Cusack.
These are the guys who give a digital cowboy (my euphemism for nerd) like myself some hope that my spouse views me as more than someone who can clean the spyware off the computer, and is only slightly less afraid of spiders than she is:
Rivers Cuomo
He’s short. He’s moody. He’s majoring in English at Harvard. He’s also celibate. Yawn. Yet he sells millions of albums, in spite of the fact that he looks like Lisa Loeb’s twin sister (well, when he shaves, anyway).
Alton Brown
He’s a nerd who cooks. But somehow that has landed him a chunk of basic cable stardom and the adoration of women. Enough admiration that they are willing to pay way too much money for a pairing knife he created.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Yes, he’s even better looking than Cusack. But keep in mind that he rose to the A-list by playing a nerd (The Day After Tomorrow) and a gay cowboy (Brokeback Mountain). Granted he was a soldier in Jarhead, but I think French kissing Heath Ledger counteracts that completely.
Tom Cruise
You heard me. Tom Cruise. Yes, he’s still at the top of the A-List and his last movie was a huge hit. But think of it this way: how many 5″7′ Scientologists with nagging rumors of homosexuality can still have that much of an effect on women? My wife thinks I’m too short and I’m 5″11′.
Well, that’s enough for now. It’s date night. I have to go dust off my boom box and pull out my Peter Gabriel tape. Wish me luck!