Charming and proficient as a hired gun, Martin Blank returns to his hometown of Grosse Point, Michigan to attend his high school reunion and seek fulfillment and truth. Once there he plans to meet up with his former girlfriend and perform one last hit.*
Grosse Pointe Blank Follows A Hit Man Who Attends His High School Reunion In Order To Rekindle An Old Flame And Pull Off One Final Job, Until His Arch Rival Shows Up Aiming To Blow The Competition Away. Grosse Pointe Blank Is A Classic Comedy And One of My Favorites. Smart, Hilarious, Thrilling, And Compelling. John Cusack Is Incredible In His Role, Like Always. Cusack Is Awesome. Alan Arkin And Jeremy Piven Are Phenomenal, And Minnie Driver And Dan Aykroyd Make A Nice Appearance Here As Well. Grosse Pointe Blank Is A Masterwork. A Stunning Work of Pure Genius. Few Films Are As Enjoyable And Hilarious As This One. A Superb Achievement. Brilliantly Made And Superbly Crafted.*
"They all have husbands and wives and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they've all made themselves a part of something and they can talk about what they do. What am I gonna say? "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?"*
"There's a contract out on your life. Believe me. I was hired to kill you, but I'm not going to do it. It's either because I'm in love with your daughter or because I have a newfound respect for life."*
"Are you talking about a sense of my own mortality or a fear of death?"*
John Cusack Is Brilliant, A Cinematic Genius. Grosse Pointe Blank Is A Film That Will Stay With You Long After Its Over. Exceptional And Extraordinary In Every Way Imaginable. A Compelling, Mesmerizing, And Spellbinding Experience. No Words of Mine Can Describe How Amazing This Film Really Is. Cusack, Piven, Arkin, Driver, And Aykroyd Are All Phenomenal. Grosse Pointe Blank Is An American Classic. A Perfect Example of Truly Flawless FilmMaking. A Phenomenal, Incredible Achievement. I Love It. A Flawless Film...
Nearly perfect piece of dark comedy. Cusack is great as the conflicted hitman Martin Blank, who has to go to his 10-year high school reunion and kill a guy in the same weekend. Check out Dan Aykroyd as Blank's nemesis who tries, among other things, to get Blank to join a union for professional killers!
My favorite Cusack film - John and Joan - and the perfect romantic comedy. Just the right balance of great music, romantic chemistry, 80's nostalgia, action and hillarity.
I love movies that defy most conventional categorizations. When a movie is cross-pollinated with different genres, the film tends to be less predictable and more entertainingly unique than some of its more formulaic genre brethren. This is certainly the case with Grosse Point Blank, which has elements of drama and surprisingly visceral action, but is ultimately a romantic comedy about some very unusual people. John Cusack plays Martin Blank, a professional hitman who's having some career problems of late. After blowing a high-profile hit, Blank is forced to take a job in his old hometown of Grosse Point on the weekend of his ten-year high school class reunion; having left without a trace ten years ago, Blank slowly revisits the places and the people that he knew before he chose his career, including his old high school love Debbie, whom he abandoned without a word on Prom Night. Unfortunately, he's not the only gun in town, as a rival hitman is determined to force Blank to either join his mercenary union or retire... permanently. What makes this film so damned interesting is that it portrays everyone through the lens of a romantic comedy- fairly well-rounded, everyday people- despite being loaded with characters that, in an action movie, would be played as larger than life. Cusack as Blank is great as a hitman with, while not exactly morals, a set of scruples, who starts to have a bit of a nervous breakdown as his reunion forces him to take stock of his life. He plays the character as cool and collected, actually projecting an underplayed menace to the guy that comes off really well, but while he's all business when he's working (and he can be pretty coldblooded, as we see later in the film), he still becomes personable and relatable when he wants to, and we see that, to him, killing is just a job that he never bothered to put any real thought into. The role shows that John Cusack is much more versatile that one might think him from watching his previous films, while also playing into his established strengths. Minnie Driver plays Martin's ex-girlfriend Debbie, and the two do have a fantastic chemistry together. Driver's Debbie is a smart, fun woman who does DJ work at the local radio station; she's still hurting from that one, horrible Prom Night years ago, and we see that she's struggling to reconcile her anger at Blank with her reawakened attraction to him (she pulls this off quite well). Unfortunately, things only get worse when she finds out what he does for a living. A hell of a surprise in the movie is Dan Aykroyd, of all people, as Grocer, Martin's chief professional rival. Grocer is even more coldblooded than Blank, with a prescription drug habit and a sick sense of humor. Ackroyd plays him unflinchingly as a slimy, two-faced dirtbag, but also gives him that perfect touch of the ordinary that actually makes him more dislikable than, say, a Hans Gruber, Machiavellian type. Jeremy Piven once again gives a fun, thankless supporting role as Martin's former best friend Paul, Alan Arkin has a short but sweet role as Martin's therapist Dr. Oatman, and Joan Cusack plays Blank's nasal, fowl mouthed, no-B.S. secretary Marcella (who speaks in hushed tones only with Blank, mostly out of intimidation and some respect). Appearing almost as an afterthought (particularly near the end of the movie) are two N.S.A. agents played by K. Todd Freeman and the always enjoyable Hank Azaria, who function sort of as the C3P0 and R2-D2 of the film. The script is incredibly good and wonderfully funny, laced with all kinds of witty banter and sharp, character-based humor (a big plus with me). And because all the characters are grounded and down to Earth, it only follows that the action sequences be down to Earth as well, and that is what sells them to me. The shootouts are all intense, but based around common sense (find cover, don't try to fly out into the open to get a shot in), and they're all no-frills, showing the violence of gunplay as well as the excitement. The one sequence that I loved most, however, is the hand-to-hand fight between Martin and the dog-faced Swedish assassin: it's brutal, it isn't polished or glamorized (the characters actually throw punches that miss, which makes the fight seem more real and desperate), and the hero takes as much of a beating as he gives out. The ending of the film, while in a way following the tried and true romantic comedy formula, is still filled with a wonderful moral ambiguity that takes good and bad out of the equation, leaving the viewer (and the characters) with just the people involved. It's kind of a bizarre movie, though it may not seem so much so at first glance, but it's a great movie that I feel is vastly underappreciated, mostly because the story doesn't fit easily into any set category. Definitely one of the funniest films I've yet seen, a fantastic low-key action movie, and a personal favorite all-around, the film is definitely greater than the sum of its genres.
I really liked this film - very witty and funny. The story was really good, kept me interested and John Cusack, Minnie Driver and Dan Ackroyd were all amazing :D
Despite me not going to high school in the 80's or the lack of me being a hitman, its one of those films I can totally identify with. I guess thats because I always seem to identify with John Cusack. Terrific soundtrack, lots of laughs, and good performances make this a terrific film!
Funny dark comedy,smart and witty and it has a stunning 1980's soundtrack.John Cusack at his best,a brilliant Alan Arkin and an amazing Dan Aykroyd.''I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork.How've you been?''THIS IS A MUST SEE MOVIE!
Life is no bed of roses for Martin Blank (John Cusack - "Con Air"). Working as a professional killer for five years, he finally sees little value in it and longs for a change. One only has to see the signs of resignation and possibly apology in his eyes when he answers a mark's question: 'why?'. 'It's not me', Blanke declares.
When a job goes wrong he is told to complete another job which he has decided will be his last. The job coincides with and is in close proximity to Grosse Pointe; the place where his ten year school reunion is taking place. Advised by his therapist (Arkin - "Coupe De Ville", "Glengary Glen Ross") and his office manager (Joan Cusack) to attend the reunion, Blank arrives in Grosse Pointe knowing that he will face the wrath of Debi (Driver - "Circle of Friends", "Sleepers", "Good Will Hunting"), the woman he left waiting on prom night before disappearing ten years previously.
But life is hanging by a string for Blank and his attempts at reconciliating with Debi are hampered by the close attentions of a pissed-off Eastern-bloc hitman and also Grocer (Ackroyd) and his hired goons who all want him dead. However, meeting up with his school 'pals' of the past might be an even worse experience...
"Grosse Pointe Blank" is an enjoyable experience; sharp and witty and very amusing for the most part - very much a 'new wave' type of movie. The quality script might have been less effective if it wasn't for the excellent execution from the cast. Cusack wallows in black comedy most of the time but balances his 'self-assured killer' performance with a less confident swagger when dealing with the people in Grosse Pointe. Dan Ackroyd makes an excellent return to form, Minnie Driver is a million miles from the innocent schoolgirl performance in "Circle Of Friends" and the hyperactive Joan Cusack is surprisingly well cast as Cusack's secretary.
What I most like about his film is the lack of sentimentality shown. By rights it should have been swimming in it but director, George Armitage, purposefully keeps "Grosse Pointe Blank" away from that typicality. There is nothing particularly outstanding about the movie, but you can't argue with the entertainment value. After this and 'Con Air', I think the tide is finally turning for John Cusack - he may be the next Al Pacino...
A spectacular comedy- one of the funniest movies I've seen since Fear and Loathing. Martin, a depressed everyman, is bored and tired with his line of work; killing people. At the pinnacle of his career, his is contemplating retiring, but gets one final assignment and an invitation to a high school reunion. And they both happen to be in the same place; Grosse Pointe. He goes back, to Grosse Pointe and comes along a woman whom he deserted on prom night(and has been obsessed with for years0 and, in an attempt to make amends and to possibly release his strong, repressed attraction to her, he asks her out on the reunion. Though, there's one problem. Several hitman are on his tail.
This is an excellent movie, great for fans of action and comedy. I hghly reccomend it.
Some times I feel like John in my neighbourhood...I guess that is not fiction...Any way I loved the movie and kept watching it.....Ten years,,Ten years....Ten fucking years....
Hey take care babe.
Rollansd
Martin Blank is a Profsional killer, and when he's invited to a 10 year school reunion he's not sure if he should go but he gets a job in his hometown and goes. When he arrives home he comes face to face with his old girlfriend who he left secretly on prom night, making her feel like shit. But they soon set the story straight and get on with one another. Now another agentsy are after Martin they want him to join there group. but by now he wants out of the buisness but as they have the same assinment as him, happens to be his girlfriend dad he has to help stop them killing her dad. very good film
A fresh, bright, original, charming, stylish and outragiously hilarious action comedy. John Cusack is teriffic. Minnie Driver is marvelous and refreshing. Alan arkin is hilarious. Packs plenty of bullet-riddled action, great laughs and excellent surprises. A great soundtrack of 80's tunes. Smartly written and performed finely. A non-stop fun ride that brings out great entertainment pleasure.
This was a somewhat dark comedy, but hilarious nonetheless. John Cusack at his best! The movie had me laughing out loud at the most absurd times. I really, really enjoyed it.
If Cusack disappeared and no one has a clue where he is, how did they send him an invitation??? And a bomb that has to be cooked in a microwave before it detonates??? There are so many flaws in this film it's almost amusing trying to find them, about the only entertaining thing in this movie.
Probably one of the best-written and smartest comedies made in the 90s. A mix between a funny and light romantic comedy and a dark and cool Tarantino-esque action film full of entertaining violence. A quirky, high-caliber dark comedy loaded with strong, occasionally brilliant dialogue and graced with great performances. An underrated and overlooked gem.
Pretty much any movie that stars John Cusack is worth sitting through at least one. Any film that has both him and his sister is pretty much a guaranteed Must See. This is one of the most dark, disturbing and hilarious films I have ever seen. As a comedy, for me, 2nd only to Dr. Strangleove.
Plot: Charming and proficient as a hired gun, Martin Blank returns to his hometown of Grosse Point, Michigan to attend his high school reunion and seek fulfillment and truth. Once there he plans to meet up with his former girlfriend and perform one last hit.
Final Verdict Best movie i have seen of John Cusack. Hilarious action packed film. Dan Aykroyd is brilliant in this movie as the biggest rival of the character John Cusack plays. Excellent soundtrack. Also fine performances by Minnie Driver and Joan Cusack. Highly recommended to see!!
MCT:August 4, 2008
MCT:July 31, 2008
MCT:June 7, 2008
MCT:June 4, 2008
MCT:April 13, 2008
MCT:February 24, 2008
MCT:February 23, 2008
MCT:February 18, 2008
Flixster - Share Movies
