Comedy is a matter of taste. What one person finds funny may seem pointlessly banal to another. Believe it or not there are people who don't find Airplane! or The Big Lebowski funny. Black comedy is even more of an acquired taste, mocking and seeking humour in taboo subjects, often to do with death. Today's film, Grosse Pointe Blank is a fine example of this.
Martin Blank, played by the ever watchable John Cusack, is a professional assassin who needs to get out of town for a few days and conveniently receives an invitation to his 10 year high school reunion and chooses to head home for the weekend for the first time since prom night. Meeting his old friends and family and the girlfriend who he stood up all those years ago, Martin finds the home fires are not still burning with his family home now a mini mall but that he still has feelings for the girl, Debi Newberry ably played by the unusually good Minnie Driver. Of course Martin's work intrudes into the suburban setting with often hilarious consequences as the reunion weekend progresses.
Despite the subject matter, the film is quite warm and light hearted throughout with a lot of fun to be had in meeting all of the old characters from school, something that has universal appeal. We can all relate to the assholes that we never wanted to see again after leaving school. Cusack gives a fine and very likeable performance as Blank. I would doubt there are many if any assassins with as much charm as Martin Blank. You can empathise with his position, coming home to find everything changed utterly and reaching out for the only thing that's still there, his old girlfriend.
The film has an excellent script with some great quotable lines with John Cusack getting the best of it. The team that put the script together would go on to work on Cusack's American adaptatio of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.
Debi: I should have worn a skirt.
Marty: I should have brought my gun.
Debi: What was that?
Martin: Should be fun!
The other are deserving of praise is the music, composed of a a fantastic collection of Indie music from the late '80s and early '90s which really helps to build the atmosphere and sets the background of the piece. Joe Strummer contributed a score which blends nicely with all of the classic '80's Indie pop and punk. It is rare for a film such as this for the music to play such an important role but it is in effect another character.
With a fine supporting cast, including Dan Ackroyd as a rival assassin and Cusack film regulars Joan Cusack and Jeremy Piven, this is a dine addition to the genre and has many great comedic moments and while the ending isn't really up to scratch, there is enough to keep you involved. A fun diversion on an otherwise uneventful day, worth a look and a cut above similar fare.
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