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VIDEO: "Grosse Pointe Blank" featuring "Falling Down (The Prodigy Remix)" by Oasis
So, it's been like half a month since my last John Cusack update? I guess that means it's time to check another Cusack classic off the list, and there may not be any more perfect of a choice than Lloyd Dobler's first foray in to the crime/black comedy hybrid genre, Grosse Pointe Blank.
With the advent of his 10 Year High School Reunion on the horizon, time is catching up to hitman Martin Q. Blank (Johnny Cu!). His biggest rival Grocer (Dan Akroyd) on Blank's case to join his "union" or have the heat turned up, his therapist (Alan Arkin) is too afraid of his line of work to be of any assistance, and his assistant (Joan Cusack) thinks that the stars are aligning (almost too perfectly) for him to turn down Grosse Pointe's reunion. On the advice of his shrink our favorite hitman takes the bait, returning to his former home trying to make ammends with his high school sweetheart whom he abandoned on prom night a decade earlier (whom now returns the favors haunting his dreams). Now, with Martin on what could be his last mission, and with Grocer's hired goons (including Hank Azaria from the Simpsons, Godzilla, Along Came Polly, and Night at the Museum 2) watching his every move, will his life's work catch up too close?
Grosse Pointe Blank was the first of three shots of John Cusack tackling this particularly tricky genre of film, followed years later by the just-as-good The Ice Harvest and the misses-the-mark War Inc. (Cusack was a producer on all but the middle), but nothing is quite like that first time through. While black comedies based around a body count tend to find the most difficult of times breaking through to the main stream, this was one that made a quiet-yet-impressive debut upon it's release from Buena Vista (the PG-13 & up title for Disney) with a positive reputation that has only grown with time.
But really, is that a surprise? This movie is almost like a "best of" mix of John Cusack films, featuring the razor-edge wit dialogue that would crop up in High Fidelity & pre-requisite supporting role from his sister that she knocks out of the park (as always) mixed with some realistic action that we've only gotten to glimpse in Con Air (which was really only Cusack reacting to the action he wasn't even apart of) and in 2012 (same deal as Con Air, though if you want to, you can count the kick boxing training from Say Anything in there, too).
And while that just scratches the surface on the otherwise unacknowledged interconnection of films that is the Cusackverse, like the fact that Cusack's co-producer on this flick & High Fidelity, Steve Pink, helped co-write both and contributed in producing Entourage and directing the films Accepted and Hot Tub Time Machine, they certainly had some help. Featuring comedic legends, like pre-Oscar winner Alan Arkin and pre-Vodka producing Dan Akroyd, is always a good start, but nothing has helped the relevancy of this flick as much as the appearance of a pre-Ari Gold Jeremy Piven getting one last favor out of Cusack in a supporting role before his star took off (and his hairline moved forward). You can almost see the pieces of the Ari character coming together in Piven's portrayal of Paul Spericki, who seems to have everything that Ari does accept for the "successful" streak.
I can't wrap this up without at least mentioning Minnie Driver, who most people seem to not be able to stand this decade but I've never had a problem with. I don't understand why she can get such a negative reaction in this movie, as she serves her purpose as the main female character without ever feeling like a damsal in distress until the walls have begun to crumble, rounding out the cast in positive way. I'll give her props for the acting job, even if this was the start of her slut phase. (John Cusack during this, Matt Damon during Good Will Hunting, and Josh Brolin cuz he's a Goonie.)
While I'd normally cover exactly why the song choice fits the highlights, this is one track choice that matches up so well from the get-go that you just have to see it for yourself. So with that, Dizzle presents to you highlights for Grosse Pointe Blank featuring "Falling Down (The Prodigy Mix)" by Oasis. --Tommy Dizzlemits
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