Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack) is in crisis. He’s getting sloppy at work and his friendly rivalry with colleague Grocer (Dan Ackroyd) is getting less friendly by the minute. His therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr Oatman (Alan Arkin) are not giving him the catharsis he needs, and his perky personal assistant, Marcella (Joan Cusack), is getting on his nerves. Worse, an invitation to his ten year high school reunion in his affluent home town of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, has him considering the arc of his life and, worse, his relationship with Debi (Minnie Driver), the girl he abandoned on prom night.
Oh, and he’s a professional assassin. That’s worth noting.
Conceived by first time screen writer Tom Jankiewicz when he received an invitation to his own school reunion; polished by John Cusack and his regular sparring partners, Steve Pink and D. V. DeVincentis; and deftly directed by journeyman George Armitage, Grosse Point Blank draws on a lot of different influences but is defiantly its own thing: a kind of ‘80s nostalgia action romcom.
Leave a Reply