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Some movies have a good story that is made great by the casting. This is one such film. It has a cast to die for and makes what could have been an interesting film superb.

John and Joan Cusack play great characters along with Minnie Driver in a film about a hit man returning to his home town for a high school reunion. he reconnects with a lost love while competitors are trying to rub him out.

There is an assortment of characters in the film: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) as Dr. Oatman; Dan Akroyd as Blank's main competitor; Hank Azaria, K. Todd Freeman and Jeremy Piven.

This film has enough laughs amid the shooting and romance to satisfy anyone.

Good movie. Particularly the part where John Cusack is using the frying pan to put his point across to the bad guy on the kitchen floor. It's hard not to belly laugh. I thought it took cues from 'Blue Velvet', with its uncommon blend of humour and ultra-violence.

I read that parts of the dialogue were contributed by Cusack and a couple of [real-life] school friends, though cannot confirm this. It's believeable though - for example when he meets the legal guy propping up the bar at the re-union. His offering of the pen, the aside that Cusack should 'read the cap' and asking to use the funny quip - 'they all seem kinda related' - must have been based on a real person. Too sad to be fiction.

Minnie [cab] Driver, Joan Cusack and Dan Ackroyd personalise their performances very well. The support cast were excellent too. The music was an oddly enjoyable mix and the fight sequence with the pen was the most realistic (and exhausting) I'd seen. It was the attention to small detail which swung it in the end though. Cusack's buddy's coke-fuelled, paranoid banter was spot on ("Jenny Slater, Jenny Slater") as was the burning the fingers on the furnace, to name just two random details. The effect of this, is that they all add up to a movie which you can enjoy watching many times. And that makes it a rare gem.

Although not nearly as popular as it deserves to be, GROSS POINTE BLANK has become an increasingly respected cult flick in the year following its theatrical release and it's not hard to see why. The movie is probably the only film on earth that is able to blend comedy, graphic violence, and romance together perfectly, which is what makes it such a classic. John Cusack is excellent as Martin Q. Blank, a hit-man who attends his ten-year high school reunion. At first he doesn't want to, but decides to go since he has a case there and he wants to see his old girlfriend Debbie (Minnie Driver) again. This dark comedy is heavy on exciting action, suspense, gunfire, laughs, and fun, but it doesn't have not quite enough character development for my taste (a bit more on how Martin became accustomed to killing would have been nice). Still, GROSSE POINTE BLANK was one of the best films of 1997 and one of the better comedies of the 1990s. There were rumors of a sequel happening for a while, though the chances of that happening are slim to none. Too bad.

John Cusack (hit man) has got a violent feud with Dan Akroyd (another hit man). In between there is a budding romance with Minnie Driver and when I say " in between" I mean literally in between the shootouts and sometimes even DURING the shootouts. Hilarious. Original.

Weird, yet quite unique combination of violence and romance. It's literally like a gangster shooting someone and a second later proposing to marry his high school sweetheart. Sounds silly? Wait till you see it and seeing it you must if you are into black gangster comedies.

The good: produced by John Cusack himself, meaning he had control and it shows. The jokes are spot on and the story is refreshingly original, however weird it might be. Nice eighties soundtrack as well.

Any bad? It's a bit silly. So what? It's meant to be out of control silly, THAT's the fun of it.

One of the complaints about movies these days, and justifiably so, is that they're predictable. This movie is not predictable, and I never thought I'd be able to say that about a movie with four credited writers. Every time you think you can guess where it's going, it throws a curve. It was also very funny, which is nice because good comedies are becoming a rare species. John Cusack continues to show what a great actor he is as hitman Martin Blank. He doesn't wink at the audience, saying, Oh look, I'm a hitman, but plays him as normal, with the right amount of misgivings and tenacity. Minnie Driver is quite good as the woman he's still obsessed with (although she was good in GOOD WILL HUNTING, she should have been nominated for this performance), and Alan Arkin and Jeremy Piven were good, as ever, in support. The surprise, however, is Dan Aykroyd. Just when I was prepared to write him off forever, he comes through with a great performance here. The soundtrack is terrific too, avoiding the cliched 80's songs to provide a fresh, and compatible, score.

In GROSSE POINTE BLANK, a professional hit man who has lost the taste for his job wants to get out and uses his 10-year High school reunion party (Class of 1986) as way of starting a new beginning with his old flame, a radio DJ whom he had stood up for the high school prom and not seen since. Naturally, other killers are on his case and things don't go as expected.

This thriller-comedy is strongly reminiscent of the stories of Elmore Leonard, not only because of the Detroit connection (Grosse Pointe is a rich suburb of the motor city), but also in terms of plot and tone, which is mostly light-hearted but does not shy away from violence in key scenes.

The dialogue is snappy, the story generally entertaining and there is chemistry between the two leads. I think because the film leans a little too heavily on the humor, the juxtaposition with the violence is not always so smooth, but one could also read this as a metaphor for life, which does not care whether our experiences from one moment to the next fit nicely together or not.

I did enjoy that terse bit of philosophy the protagonist provides toward the end to explain his life choices to his love interest. It does not justify them, of course, but it gives food for thought about our role in society and what we interpret it to be.

I think the audience that will most appreciate this movie are Gen-Xers: the film plays many 80s musical hits and invokes a general feeling of nostalgia for that time which people who were teenagers back then will only cherish more as time goes on. That is not to say that others won't enjoy it, but just that it seems to be especially connected to that audience.

Overall, a good film.

Man, I really love this black comedy. It's very well put together, with many great performances and a dialogue that is very well-written. The action is brilliant aswell - you'll definitely see some cool stuff here. The soundtrack consists of many nice tunes from the 80's, that lift the film even higher. Well, you just can't go wrong with this one - A classic in my book.

A hit man returns to the Detroit area for his high school reunion, coincidently the location of his next assignment. This is an enjoyable comedy that just doesn't quite put it all together; the mixture of comedy and violence is somewhat jarring. The cast is terrific. Cusack does well as the hit man who tells everyone that he's a professional killer, and of course everyone thinks he's kidding. Sister Joan is amusing as his loyal secretary while Aykroyd has fun as a maniacal rival hit man who wants Cusack to join him in some sort of hit man union. Arkin is funny as Cusack's reluctant shrink. Even the much-maligned Driver is fine as the love interest.

Perpetually phenomenal every time I see it! Among one of John Cusack's best roles, I would've loved to have seen this in theaters, and I hope it gets a rerelease via fathom events at some point. This has one of the best soundtracks, an exquisite cast, some badass moments, and some fairly good writing. Really deserves praise and appreciation! I'm always intrigued by this sweet hitman movie whenever I get a chance to see it.

I love this movie. Grosse Pointe Blank is smart and witty and has a stunning 1980s soundtrack. Martin Blank (Cusack) is an angst ridden international hit-man who has stopped enjoying his work. He searches for meaning in his life and returns to Grosse Pointe, Michigan for his 10th year High School reunion and one last job. Blank meets his mom, some old friends and discovers that his childhood home has been knocked down to make way for a convenience store. He ponders his life choices and has recurring dreams about Debi Newberry (Driver) the girl he stood up on Prom night.

Blank's activities have attracted a collection of hit men trying to find an excuse to kill him. These include Aykroyd, two federal agents and a freelance Basque hit-man. There is a shoot-out at the end and overall the film has a large body count, but Cusack makes Blank seem like a lovable version of Jason Bourne. The film is something of an ensemble piece with great comic performances from Alan Arkin, Joan Cusack, Jeremy Piven and Aykroyd. The film pokes fun at the loner tough guy hero featured in so many Hollywood movies. At the time of its release the story was a little unusual but Mr and Mrs Smith has since explored similar territory of rich cosmopolitan assassins trying to blend into ordinary American life.

Blank spends most of the movie in pursuit of Debi. Will she forgive him? Will he have time to complete his assignment? This is my idea of a great movie. It's funny and clever and the characters are flawed but likable.

A lowbrow comedy about professional assassins crashes into a semi-serious class reunion movie and the result is the mediocre "Grosse Pointe Blank." If this had been played as a farcical comedy all the way through, it might have worked, but this movie actually asks us to care about John Cusack's character, who is a PROFESSIONAL ASSASSIN! I was uninvolved, infrequently amused and never laughed out loud. This is not a bad movie; Cusack is good, considering the movie doesn't know what it is, and Minnie Driver again is excellent in her own showy way. But their relationship was a head-scratcher. I kept asking myself "Why are they acting that way?" Curious, curious. And there's just too much shooting, shooting, shooting. Damn! So it's a disappointment then, but not all bad. (5 out of 10).

About the same time as this film was made there was a spate of hitman focused comedy dramas (from Leon to Coldblooded) so this risked being viewed in the same way as these. This is strictly a comedy - there's no deep soul searching here, the analyst is also in it for comedy value.

The story is funny and lively, the soundtrack reminded us that not all 80's music was rubbish and the whole feel of the film is one that it must have been fun to make. John Cusack is excellent as the hitman, he just seems to bring the character to life and play him in a jokey way without making fun of the film, Dan Akroyd gets the best role he's had in years as the hitman trying to get Cusack to join his union, while Minnie Driver is girly and fun - the whole cast are excellent in fact!

The film is not a classic by any means and many see it as a down side that it ignores any serious issues or that the film is set so far away from reality but for me this is part of the fun. Sit down, don't take it seriously and just enjoy the ride!

This is one of my favourite films of all time. John Cusack is outstanding as is Joan. Very funny and a brillant soundtrack to go with it- what more could you want? Was surprised by Dan ackroyd in this- he does a really good job here. It's a film that can be rewatched over and over and it is always perfect.

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

More like a club--work less, make more.

Get past the glitches and a couple slow spots and the iffy romance, and look at the dozen or so utterly hilarious scenes and you have a movie to die for. There are lots of subtle comments, and subtle facial movements and gestures, to make a careful viewing really pay off. If you stick to the big effects it might be disappointing, so give more weight to the writing and acting. It's a comedy, don't forget, and almost every line is funny.

John Cusak is restrained and comical, and can be clever and combative with Dan Aykroyd, wistful with Minnie Driver, and neurotic with Alan Arkin, who has the funniest moments in the film. Throw in three (count them) other Cusaks as supporting actors, and the ever pointed Jeremy Piven. Oh, and Hank Azaria, too. Quite a cast, and each has his or her great moment.

The plot isn't really the point, so it barrels along from hit to hit (so to speak), and has a terrific soundtrack to pump it up, and basically serves as a way for us to see one funny situation after another. There is a purpose to most of it, though, and by the end there is a climax, and a resolution to the love situation that may or may not be satisfying. But who cares? You'll be laughing, and marking the times for the funny scenes so you can see them again.

Watched this for the first time in 20 years and all I could think of was "what ever happened to John Cusack and why doesn't he make great films like this???" Fantastic sound track to a black comedy.

Grosse Pointe Blank is a whirlwind of a film--no chance the viewer will be bored. But it is quite unsettling in its underlying message, which can be summed up as: ¨Everything is nothing, and nothing is everything.¨ The female protagonist is pathetic, and the depiction of her veers toward a more general misogyny. No matter how horrific the truth is, there is a woman desperate enough to accept it, having once been jilted by a lover who shows up ten years later?

The main theme of this film is just kind of horrible, morally speaking. But it is so kaleidoscopically multigeneric--or, rather, intergeneric--that one can easily ignore any questions of meaning, spending one´s time instead on the multifarious elements of action, noir, romantic comedy, nostalgic comedy, human interest story, etc. Put simply, Grosse Pointe Blank is a big fat garbage pizza of a film. That said, I do own that it is thought-provoking. I imagine that most people who rave about this creation don´t spend much time thinking about its many disturbing implications.

The accompanying music is a walk down memory lane for anyone who was listening to pop music in the 1980s. Not sure whether anyone else will appreciate the score.

Absolutely enjoyable movie with a great 80's soundtrack. Action, romance, comedy. If you're a John Cusack fan this is one for the list. I'm not a fan of Minnie Driver but even she is tolerable in this flick. Basic premise; a hitman goes to his high school reunion.

Grosse Pointe Blank is a good movie with a good,albeit different,storyline,a good cast and some good twists to it too.I've never been a huge fan of John Cusack,but I did appreciate his role as Martin Q. Blank in this.I really enjoyed Dan Aykroyds role as Grocer and Hank Azaria as Steven Lardner,because I've always been a big fan of the two of them,Dan Aykroyd for great comedy films he wrote and starred in such as Ghostbusters and The Blues Brothers,and Hank Azaria because of his many voice roles on The Simpsons.They could have gotten a much more attractive female lead for this movie,no offense on her,but Minnie Driver is not good looking,someone like Cameron Diaz would have been much better for the role of Debi Newberry.

An assassin is sent on a mission to a place called Grosse Pointe,and by an amazing coincidence,it is where his ten year high school reunion is taking place at the same time.