Nothing But Hits
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997): 8 out of 10: This movie is full of minor miracles. For one thing, Dan Ackroyd is funny. Let that sink in a bit. When was the last time Dan Aykroyd made you laugh? Now I confess I am the perfect target market for this movie. I am in the age range where I think the soundtrack is cool, and the eighties were a pretty good time. Nowadays, many people look back on the eighties with rose-colored glasses. Back when teens could be teens without ending up on MSNBC. Back before cell phones let parents track our movements and school security comprised a bald vice principal with an attitude problem.
The movie is well cast with John Cusack as a professional hit man going to his 10-year high school reunion and Minnie Driver as the girl he left behind. A great supporting cast includes Alan Arkin as a psychiatrist unhappy with a killer for a client (Years before The Sopranos or Analyze This). The aforementioned Dan Aykroyd as a competing hit man and Joan Cusack as the secretary that both cares and is insane.
The story is silly and over the top, yet Grosse Pointe Blank somehow keeps the tone just right throughout the proceedings. Existential silliness adds to the fun rather than distracts. Did I mention a fantastic soundtrack?
[…] In Conclusion: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is somewhere between the horrible eighties nostalgia of 13 Going on 30 and the superior eighties nostalgia of Grosse Pointe Blank. […]