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Editor’s note: Ten-Year Itch is a weekly column which sometimes finds itself online or in these pages. It focuses on a film or album that is at least 10 years old and deserving of a second look.
I wonder if John Cusack is happy in real life.
The man is perpetually playing depressed, sad sack characters in his films, taking them to humorous heights. I assume the zeros in his bank account keep him from getting too down, but one has to wonder if the actor is so great at playing this type of character because he has lived through similar bummer times.
Cusack’s Martin Q. Blank in the 1997 film “Grosse Pointe Blank” is one of his best embodiments of the lovable loser.
Blank is an assassin for hire who after a botched job heads to his high school reunion upon the advice of his therapist (the awesome Alan Arkin) and his assistant (Joan Cusack).
Like most of the projects he chooses this film is full up of dark humor. Upon the return to his hometown of Grosse Pointe, Martin finds his childhood home has been torn down and replaced by a convenience store.
Also, his homecoming finds two National Security Agency agents (including the always reliable Hank Azaria) on his tail. As if this were not enough, Dan Akroyd plays a fellow assassin who has followed Blank because of his reluctance to join Akroyd’s union of assassins. Minnie Driver shows up as the love interest who spins hip tunes from the ‘80s on the local radio station.
The soundtrack to the film is one of the biggest draws to making this film a memorable one. Joe Strummer (frontman of The Clash) put the score together and the soundtrack includes tracks by his seminal punk band as well as a smattering of classic ska, punk and new wave hits of the ‘80s.
The film’s supporting cast is superbly dry and funny from Akroyd all the way down to Jeremy Piven’s portrayal of one of Blank’s high school buddies.
However, this is Cusack’s show and he turns out another great role as an addition to his already strong career highlights. His portrayal of Blank’s transformation from heartless contract killer to head over heels in love is as touching as it is hilarious.
“Grosse Pointe Blank” received strong critical love upon its release and has since been voted the 21st greatest comedy of all time in “Total Film” magazine, but it seems to have been kind of forgotten since its release 12 years ago.
This is a big shame, because the film is a near perfect exercise in dark humor and romantic comedy. I think it still gets some burn at 3 a.m. on TBS sometimes, if it pops up anytime soon I strongly recommend putting off bedtime for a couple of hours.
Luke McCormick can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275
