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Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: very dark, very funny
Review: A love story involving a contract killer? YES. Probably John Cusack's finest work, next of course to High Fidelity. Alan Arkin as Dr. Oatman, Dan Ackroyd as the rival hitman. Very funny movie about what happens 10 years after high school.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Looking for a great, funny, crazy movie? You found it!
Review: This is not a typical movie. It is fast paced, full of action and hilarious. The characters are portrayed so perfectly, you feel as if you a part of the story. I highly recommend this flick for any type of movie buff. How could you go wrong with John Cusack and Minnie Driver!?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A bright comedy on a dark subject
Review: It is not easy to make a murderer a sympathetic and likeable character, but this movie succeeeds in doing just that. As Blank, Cusack does a great job portraying a professional killer who is beginning to get disillusioned with his job. It's not guilt - he feels he is only killing bad people - but a feeling that his life is empty.

During this period of spiritual blight, Blank gets an invitation to his high school reunion, which also happens to be near where his next job should be. Since he disappeared right before his senior prom, he knows that there will be some fences to mend, in particular with his abandoned prom date, played by Minnie Driver.

This is all brilliant comedy, as Blank tries to reunite with his old love and think about a more legitimate life, all the while pursued by government agents and other killers. There are a lot of great lines and funny moments and this is a showcase for Cusack, who, while always a great actor, particularly shines here. His sister Joan, playing Blank's assistant, is also exceptional in her limited role.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A KILLER COMEDY...
Review: This is an offbeat, black comedy about a hit man, Martin Blank (John Cusack), who is undergoing some personal angst about his career choice. He sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin), who, once he becomes aware of his patient's profession, wants nothing more to do with him. Moreover, a most unlikely, rival hit man (Dan Ackroyd) is on his tail, looking to clear the field of a potential rival.

What's a conflicted hit man to do? Why go to his tenth year high school reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, of course. There, "Marty" plans to do his final hit and hook up with his high school sweetheart, Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), whom he unceremoniously stood up on prom night, ten years earlier. Once he gets there, however, things do not go according to plan, and "Marty" is in store for a few surprises.

John Cusack is terrific as the hit man, playing him with just the right blend of sangfroid cool and, at other times, with all the charm of the boy next door. Dan ackroyd is funny as the unlikely, rival hit man. Alan Arkin is excellent as the shrink who does not want "Marty" as his patient. Minnie Driver is the least compelling of those cast in this film, as she adds very little to its success. Joan Cusack, John Cusack's real life sibling, more than makes up for the gap left by Driver, however, as she infuses the role of Marcella, "Marty's" gal friday, with enough pizazz to shore up the film.

All in all this is a surprisingly entertaining film. Unfortunately, the DVD offers next to nothing by way of special features. Do not, however, let this deter you from buying this funny and unusual film.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: did i miss something
Review: should not be in the comedy section. Didn't laugh once, bad plot

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mr. Cusack's charm is KING!
Review: I don't usually gush about actors. They are worth praising when they do the character right. But after watching 4 of Mr. Cusack's movies back to back, I have to say that he is one cool cat!! In this movie, he had to walk a fine line between being too cool or too labored. He's neither. As a hit man, he is still able to portray emotions as an everyday man seeking meaningful relationships. But when the profession calls for action and precision, he's totally capable.

This comedy succeeded in many levels: 1. great balance in mixing genres, 2. chemistry between characters, 3. comical talents of its cast members, and 4. the pace the filmmaker set.

If you were looking for 'black' or 'quirky' (hate to label it this way) comedy, this is it. If you were remotely interested in Mr. Cusack, Miss Driver, Miss Cusack, or Mr. Akroyd's work, this is it. The least you can do is to rent it and form your own opinion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ackroyd is actually funny in this.
Review: I can usually bank on John Cusack - "The Grifters", "The Sure Thing", "Say Anything", "High Fidelity", "Being John Malkovitch" - try to forget about "Pushing Tin" and some others. The same is true about Jeremy Piven (see him as the cashier in "Singles"). I was concerned, however, about Dan Ackroyd. He was actually very funny in this as the Grocer. Buy this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cusack (King of Cool ) in pacy, witty, black comedy-thriller
Review: John Cusack seems incapable of doing wrong ( Con Air excepted! ) and this little gem reminds us of his great range. I became a fan of his during the early teen-comedy days of 'Better off Dead' and 'The Sure Thing', but this actor is a future Oscar-winner, just wait and see!

The film follows the high school reunion dilemma of Cusack's character, Martin Blank, who has to balance his desire to return to his home town of Grosse Point and meet his old girlfriend, with his unconventional dayjob of professional hitman. Minnie Driver plays the love interest, and the other cast members provide able support - and yes, this even applies to Dan Ackroyd!

The movie works so well because we like most of the characters in it! Cusack's character is obviously disfunctional, and the early scenes with his adopted psychiatrist Alan Arkin are hysterical. The scenes with his real-life sister Joan, all held over the phone, also are played mostly for laughs, as she arranges his next 'job' as if it were the most normal thing in the world. And yet at the heart of this there lies a story of unrequited love, and therin lies its soul.

The violence in the film is slickly done, and not over-glamourised, apart from the action-comedy fest that is the store shoot-out scene, where the store attendant plays out his fantasy violence on a video game while behind him all hell is breaking loose for real. It also features quite possibly the most realistic martial arts fight scene ever committed to celluloid as Cusack has to fight for his life in the corridor of his old school with a rival hitman sent to kill him. Joe Pesci's imaginative use for a pen in 'Casino' is re-visited here, so be warned!

However the film as a whole is more than the sum of it's parts. It features little observations of how we all change, and I'm sure anyone who has ever been to their own reunion will recognise characters in the film from their own lives. The bottom line is that the film just works, and while it was never going to be palatable enough for mainstream American viewing, it has gained a sizeable cult following both in the USA and Europe where it's dark edge is more appreciated.

Intelligent, well-acted, witty, dark, and violent at times. This is a movie with an edge, and an attitude. If it could wear shades, they'd be designer Ray-Bans. Just a cool movie! Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great movie
Review: Calling all John Cusack fans! You must own this DVD. This movie is a great action packed semi-dark comedy that keeps your attention from start to finish. The wide screen version DVD is a must have. Why would anyone want full screen these days? At any rate, Cusack and Driver click in this romantic piece of nostalgia. Joan Cusack plays his secreatary with a great performance. Also look for other Cusacks. Another Cusack (a sister I assume) plays a drunk friend and yet another (a brother I assume) plays a waiter. Apparently he makes this movie a family affair. And lets not forget Dan Ackroyd's great performance as a fellow hitman. A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I have enjoyed this movie everytime that I watch it. Great subtle humor. John & Joan Cusack play off of one another as they do in other films (Say Anything) and that is really part of the fun. If you like off the wall/intelligent humor, this is a must see.
Napa Scott


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