Review of Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) by Brad R — 12 May 2011

One of the best parts of Grosse Pointe Blank is that its premise is so quirky and so original, as well as so massively appealing in its cheekiness, the film is instantly engaging. In an intelligently twisty dark-comedy backdrop, having a professional hit-man visit his high school reunion, with a bunch of cookie-cutter, "normal" types that used to be his friends and classmates, is an ingeniously creative stroke yielding a treasure trove of comedic gold. The screenwriting team, including story originator Tom Jankiewicz, infused quick-witted, snappy dialog with an outlandish and yet oddly grounded framework of homeboy hit-man. For those who crave a subversive undercurrent of the demented or absurd, this film will ultimately satisfy that impulse, since it sublimely and subtly posits an imaginative question: how might professional assassins arrive at their chosen profession and, most importantly, what prompts them to stay in it?

This question isn't expressed outright in any element of the story or segment of screenplay but is definitely present, bringing an unsuspected depth to the proceedings. In point of fact, though, Martin's journey home is as mundane as anyone else's, even if his life outside of Grosse Pointe is anything but. It helps that Cusack offers his best (and usual) affability to this character, making him the likable, everyman teddy bear of all assassins. His chemistry with Driver is undeniably winning too, and though the film treads dangerously close to romantic comedy/screwball formula restrictions, the film's darkly comic premise and wry, tongue-in-cheek edge render the film's romantic tendencies more refreshing than most films that adhere strictly to genre labels and conventions.

Also, characterizing Driver's Debi as a DJ is a smooth move on the part of the story artists and filmmakers. After all, the film's incredibly hip and timeless soundtrack, mining modest hits from the decade of excess, comes already assembled owing to Debi's chosen profession and further helps to marry the surreality of Martin's external world with the internal microcosm of his quaintly suburban home town.

Grosse Pointe Blank contains a quiet potential for greatness and would achieve that elusive marker if not for the fact that the film runs over a few speed bumps that serve to derail its impressive aims. Despite the bevy of pitch-perfect comedic performances from almost the entire ensemble, Dan Aykroyd, despite his resume, seemed a bit miscast as B-villain Grocer. Whether the character was written in this manner or performed to be a stiff, bumbling caricature that lacked any real menace or sense of comedic timing, Aykroyd's take did not match the smooth, silky, slickness of Martin's assassin world or the hometown angst of his high school reunion. It seems unlikely that Grocer would be the symbol of this disjointedness when Martin's life and introspection of his past are naturally misaligned. Aykroyd's presence was, in the end, kind of annoying.

Also, while the movie was mostly refreshing and steered clear of most romantic comedy standards, the trite, abrupt ending prevented the film from achieving its almost-greatness and constituted its one instance of sticking to the same-old. Without spoiling it, the ending became something of a predictable, sudden affair, containing a nugget of uplifting positivity but abandoning the witty edge of everything that preceded it. The ending is what paves the way for comparisons to romantic comedies when the film itself is striving to be so much more.

In the end, though, Grosse Pointe Blank is a decently-directed, razor-sharp skewering of several genres that never gets bogged down by its minor flaws or any meaty ties to tried and tired comedic conventions. In many ways, it echoes of American Beauty or similar fare with a decidedly less serious and, therefore, funnier edge. It may not always hit its mark, but Grosse Pointe Blank is, at its base, a straight-shooting slice of entertainment.