Review of Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) by Forrest P — 09 Oct 2010

Frankly, this is a very primitive shoot'em-up comedy. Compared to later films like Hot Fuzz and Pineapple Express, this film seems a little tame.

Grosse Pointe Blank stars John Cusack as Martin Q. Blank, a professional hitman who is invited to his high school reunion. John Cusack is always an excellent casting choice. Even if he's never "phenomenal" (I don't think I've yet seen him do what I would call and Oscar worthy performance), Cusack is guaranteed to give everything he has in his roles. For that reason, even the bad movies he's in are a little better because he was a part of it. Easily Grosse Pointe Blank's best feature is Cusack.

Minnie Driver was not a bad casting choice either, of course, as Cusack's high school sweetheart. The chemistry between her and Cusack is very poignant. However, the most surprising performance of the film was given by none other than Dan Aykroyd. I have to say that Aykroyd gave a very decent performance, which is not something I would expect to say ever again.

This film is fine, but by the time you get to the climax, the film feels a little tired of itself. I don't see a lot of the effort or passion in this movie that I saw in Pineapple Express and Hot Fuzz. There's really no comparison. Plus, the ending felt very rushed, anti-climactic, and even slightly derivative.

There are not a whole lot of surprises in Grosse Pointe Blank since the filmmakers didn't even seem interested in going for the shock value. It's nice, neatly packaged, sprinkled with enough laughs to keep the audience entertained, but doesn't leave a hell of a lot of a lasting impact.