Grosse Pointe Blank


1.5/4

Starring: John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Alan Arkin, Joan Cusack

Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, and Some Drug Content

Putting it simply, “Grosse Pointe Blank” doesn’t work.  It’s way too long, way too unorganized, and way too unfunny.  The film simply doesn’t know what it wants to be.  A black comedy/satire?  A romantic comedy?  An action thriller?  By trying to be all of them (having four credited screenwriters is indicative of this), it ends up being none of them.

Martin Q. Blank (Cusack) is a hit-man with some serious issues.  Something’s missing in his life, and he is having regrets at ditching his prom date Debi (Driver) and running off to join the Army.  His therapist (Arkin) suggests that he go to his upcoming high school reunion and try to smooth things over with Debi…and not kill anyone while he’s there.  That poses a problem, however, as he has to make up for a botched hit, and a rival (Aykroyd) is trying to off him while he’s there.

I really like John Cusack.  He may have a limited range, but he’s really effective in the roles that he’s fit for.  If there’s any reason why I stuck through to the end without turning the movie off, it’s Cusack.  Driver is also good here, but she isn’t given much of a chance to shine.  Joan Cusack does her usual schtick, while Dan Aykroyd gives what is probably his best performance.  This is a much darker Aykroyd than we’re used to seeing, and it works.

There’s a rule of thumb in terms of the ration of the number of screenwriters to the overall quality of the film: the more screenwriters a film has, the lesser quality the film is.  With four screenwriters credited, one make the assumption that this film is not particularly good, and they’d be right.  The tone is uneven, the pacing is erratic, and the film is just plain boring.

The only elements in this film that work are the satirical ones.  When it focuses on skewering the one-upmanship that takes place at high school reunions and professional life, it works.  Unfortunately, those elements are an afterthought, and even those are hit and miss (no pun intended).

I don’t know who this movie is intended for, and to be honest, I don’t think the movie does either.  This film misses by a wide margin.

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