Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) is rather masterful.

This film is pretty much unique in its mastery of tone, a sense that you really don’t know whether it’s a drama or a comedy or where it’s going – it’s almost two or three genres in one and it’s informative to read the director’s quote about how they managed to achieve this no small feat: ‘With Grosse Pointe Blank I shot three movies simultaneously. We shot the script as written, we shot a mildly understated version, and we shot a completely over-the-top version, which usually was what was used.’

There’s a sweeping theme here of trying to recapture something that was never really there in the first place, the most thoughtful treatment of nostalgia ever to feature in what is ostensibly a comedy with gunfights. Only a peak John Cusack – the only ’80s geek to graduate to the postmodern – could carry it off. And as High School reunions go, ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ should accompany each event:

A flawless movie. Even Dan Aykroyd is great in it and I generally cannot stand the lad.

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2 thoughts on “Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) is rather masterful.

  1. Porkbelly Cavite's avatar Porkbelly Cavite says:

    Have this this movie many times. Didn’t get much love at the time of release. I am hoping to see it on Netflix in the near future.

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