Gross Pointe Blank (1997)

Directed by: George Armitage | 113 minutes | action, comedy, romance, crime, thriller | Actors: John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack, Hank Azaria, K. Todd Freeman, Jeremy Piven, Mitch Ryan, Michael Cudlitz, Benny Urquidez, Duffy Taylor

How do you go through a school reunion – where the most important question, of course, is ‘what became of you?’ – while being a ruthless killer and also having trouble with yourself. That calls for black humor. ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ is carried by the laconic cynical presentation of John Cusack, who is really cut out for this kind of film. Cusack professionally strolls through the bizarre spectacle that is conjured up before us and that is an art, because ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ really navigates from over-the-top slapstick to tragicomedy and back again. It doesn’t always come across as natural, but it’s Cusack who gets us through it, supported by Minnie Driver – who plays Cusack surprisingly well, Dan Aykroyd and sister Joan – always a sarcastic little angel.

The aforementioned reunion is not even a big part of the film, to which John Cusack himself co-wrote. The core is formed by Martin Blank’s wavering steps in his hometown Grosse Pointe, a film section that has the atmosphere of Tarantino or Rodriguez, but more contemplative. Martin’s identity crisis – as he tackles his runaway past – is hilarious at the same time; his psychotic mother (Barbara Harris) thinks he’s some hot shit and he is bombed on the site where his house once stood; his psychiatrist (Alan Arkin) advises him on the phone to keep breathing and ex-sweetheart Debi, whom he left at the ‘prom’ ten years ago, looks on with interest but frowning. “It’s not an excuse, it’s a reason”, reports Martin about the influence of his loveless youth on his behavior.

Meanwhile, he must fend off the ‘feds’, a clumsy duo played by Hank Azaria and K. Todd Freeman who want to catch Martin in the act and his rental competitor Grocer, who is played as a joker in the form of a lavish Aykroyd. Martin then invites Debi as a date to the reunion – oh irony, bores her with stories about his profession as she tries to check if he’s the one. The romantic storyline is saved from the slime threads by the witty, tailor-made dialogues. According to the requirements of the romcom, a serious crisis occurs between the lovebirds before the denouement, but do not expect clichés and certainly no whining moments, the scenario is too smart for that. ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ is a boisterous comedy – sometimes a little too subtle – and ends in style, as absurd as it began; the Naked-Gun pitfalls are circumvented by the good writing. Cusack can work on a Tarantino without any problems, as an actor but also as a screenwriter: “I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How’ve you been?”