Amazon.com

Hit man Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack) is in an awkward situation. Several of them, actually. He's attending his high school reunion on an assignment; he's got a rival hit man (Dan Aykroyd) on his tail; and he's going to have to explain to his old girlfriend (Minnie Driver) why he stood her up on prom night. This amiable black comedy, cowritten by Cusack and directed by Jonathan Demme protégé George Armitage (Miami Blues), has the feel of Demme's Something Wild and Married to the Mob--which is to say its humor is dark and brightly colored at the same time. Cusack and Driver are utterly charming--as is the leading man's sister, Joan, who plays his secretary. (Ms. Cusack received an Oscar nomination for her next role, in In & Out.) Alan Arkin is also very funny as Martin's psychiatrist. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Great Movie, terrible DVD
Grosse Pointe Blank is an unusual movie. A professional hitman returns to his hometown to "do a job" and, while he's there, attend his 10 year highschool reunion. John Cusack plays the role well, charming and remarkably likeable, despite his profession. This "dark comedy" is very clever, and I rate it as one my favorite 90's films.

Too bad the DVD isn't up to par. It has next to zero extras. But even that could be passable if the picture was good. First of all, the movie is non-anamorphic. That doesn't make a difference unless you have a 16x9 television, it'll look the same on a regular tv, it's just a pet peeve of mine. But, the transfer we did get is just pathetic; it looks like a (bad) laser disc transfer. The picture is grainy, and there are some definite compression artifacts to been seen.

Bottom line: this DVD is worth buying for the movie, no doubt... and since this is the only version available, it's this or nothing. Just don't expect a really terrific picture.

Pure genius starring John Cusack
Martin Q. Blank is a hitman about to attend his 10-year high school reunion and face the prom date he ditched a decade ago. He has people out to kill him as he returns to Grosse Point, MI to attend these festivities and revisit his past.

His childhood home is now a quickie-mart, where there is a massive shoot-out (I love that the bullets hit a cut-out of the stars of "Pulp Fiction", a movie rife with shoot-outs.) When Martin asks the store clerk is all right, he yells "NO! I'm scared, I'm hurt and I have to find a new job!"

Minnie Driver is excellent as Debi, the jilted date and current radio DJ, who gets back at him on-air. The soundtrack is great, with Bowie's "Under Pressure", the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun", and great 1980s songs for their big reunion.

Reunion phobiacs unite, utterly hilarious!
Cusack shines yet again in the dark comedy set around Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Martin Blank (Cusack) is a contract killer having a bout of emptiness. His secretary (played superbly by sister Joan Cusack) corralls him into heading home just in time for his 10-year high school reunion. Who is he afraid to see there, another killer or fellow cronie? No, it's his high school prom date Minnie Driver! (Speaking of cronies, though, Dan Aykroid plays one of his best roles ever as Grocer, the competing hitman trying to form a 'union' of sorts).

From the reminiscing with old friends, to the rekindling of a relationship, to the way the town has changed, and to the current contract in Grosse Pointe, this truly dark comedy deliver big time with dry one-liners, clever and witty banter, odd and embarassing situations, and a visit back to high school days and faces once forgotten. Anyone who has even run into an old classmate from school will definitely find this movie hilarious and poignant. The soundtrack is also outstanding featuring many of the hits from the mid-80s and worked in cleverly into the plot and scenes. (Keep an ear/eye open for Queen's "Under Pressure" and the way the lyrics and the movie itself seem to marry perfectly).

(Disclaimer: for those of you who might be concerned, there is a good deal of foul language, some violent scenes, and minor sexual situations. Otherwise, if that doesn't bother you much, definitely one to add to your collection).

Overall, a tremendous movie with great action, universal themes of reunion along with the related phobias and hijinx, hilarious wit, and excellent acting all around. Truly one of the funniest movies that Cusack has made and quite possibly his most amusing role to date. Enjoy!

It's a BIG HIT
Grosse Pointe Blank is probably ranked in my list as one of the best dark comedies of all time. If you haven't seen it, just think, "Pulp Fiction" meets "satire," with a little bit of typical "John Cusack-ness" sprinkled in here and there. (Still, Minnie Driver's character is no match for Mia Wallace in my humble opinion.)

It kind of makes you wonder what really goes through the minds of these so-called real-life "assassins" that exist in the world. Although I'm sure that it's certainly not quite a comedic vocation as portrayed in the film. Nonetheless, it's fascinating and it keeps the viewer sitting on the edge of their seat wanting more. I think that's why this movie worked. Who would of ever thought of making a farce out of something so mundane as a hitman going through a midlife crisis? John Cusack's quirky persona really makes Grosse Pointe Blank, well, Grosse Pointe Blank. On top of that, the ten year high school reunion adds yet another intricate twist in the storyline. I felt as though I had stepped into a time portal that took me back to the era of materialims, The Clash/punk rock, Sixteen Candles, side ponny tails and leg warmers, as with other fashion mishaps.

The dailogue, as funny as it is, really makes you think -which isn't always the easiest thing to do in a film. For example, one of my favorie lines is when Debi questions: "Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?" Let's just say, I ask myself the same thing...

Probably Cusack's Best Film
This is, for me anyway, the best film Cusack has done. It's filled with a certain realism that you don't find in many films. This is odd because the film is primarily a comedy. Black comedy, mind you, but comedy nonetheless.

Background - Martin Blank (Cusack) is a contract hit-man ten years after his high school graduation. He's lost his taste for 'the business' and wants out. He received an invite to his high school reunion but doesn't initially want to attend. Almost simultaneously, he gets a contract to take out someone in his home town. He decides to kill two birds with one stone and do both. Little does he know that a contract has been put out on him as well.

Story - Blank freaked out at the end of high school and joined the army where he learned to kill. He was loaned out to the CIA where he served as a hit-man before going solo. After ten years of the stuff, he's had his fill and wants out. A fellow hit-man (Dan Aykroyd) Grosser, wants to form a 'Hit-man union' of sorts. Blank declines, so Grosser puts a contract out on him. The film follows Blank as he seeks out his high school sweetheart, avoids assassination attempts, and tries to complete his last hit, which has an interesting twist.

Why I like this film - The conversations Cusack has with the other characters, as well as with himself, are priceless. The dialog is disjointed, much like a real conversation you might have.

Another thing that I liked was the realism of the fight scenes. I'm tired of watching movie fights where the hero and villains trade punches to the face, and neither of them have any blood on them. In one scene in particular, the fight lasts all of a minute (pretty real for a streetfight) and both characters as bloodies and sweating profusely. Very realistic, indeed.

This film is not for people who don't like action, as it's filled with it. Younger children probably shouldn't watch it either because of the excessive violence. Fans of Cusack should like it, as it's filled with intelligent humor. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Entertaining... and NOT because you're laughing at it.
With all the things I've read about this movie, I fully expected that the only genuine entertainment "Bats" could offer would be belly laughs from watching the cheesy effects and bad acting. But-- surprise, surprise-- this was amazingly not the case. The bat effects are plentiful and effective, the cinematography and direction are competent, and the acting isn't bad (I especially liked Dina Meyer, whose natural performance actually made you believe she was an expert on bats). Let's be clear, however. Don't expect characterizations of particular depth or clever plot twists, 'cause you ain't getting that stuff. This is basically a 90-minute movie about bats attacking people, but on that score it delivers. Oh, yes- the movie DEFINITELY gained points for giving us ONE twist, a subversive variation of the old "last shot of the movie showing us that one of the menaces has SURVIVED" cliche; just when you think you're going to see that same old scene again, something else happens, and it's a riot. The DVD has loads of extras, including a hilarious commentary track by the director and Lou Diamond Phillips. Definitely recommended as a rental, and if you're a big fan of schlocky but effective horror movies like "Tremors" and "Lake Placid", don't hesitate to buy "Bats". Okay, okay-- if you DO buy it, try to get it cheap. But do give it a look.

BATBUSTERS
A young couple are having a small disagreement; they are parked in his car on the outskirts of town. He gets out to grab a brew, and when he comes back, they are attacked by something horrible and they are horribly mutilated. Suddenly the CDC is called in, and determine that the killers were bats, giant predatory bats. Enter Dina Meyer and Leon as bat researchers, who are asked to aid in the investigation. Joining in is the local sheriff (Lou Diamond Phillips), and the two doctors who reveal their connection with the bats...genetic experimentation of course. Now the rush is on to find and capture the two leaders, but of course they carry a virus which has affected the other bats, and now we have millions of bats on the loose.
BATS is one of those guilty pleasures, but credit the movie for its frenetic pacing, laudable special effects, even with the puppet bats in close ups. They still manage to frighten. The bats attack Gallup in an extended scene that packs a punch.
This felt like going to a drive in on a Friday night in the fifties or sixties. A good fright flick and no guilt in the morning.

Cheesy, B-Grade Action and Fun
I'd have to say that more than 50% of the movies in my collection are considered cheesy horror, and they too on their release were heralded by much higher paid critics than you'll find here as trash. With the passing of time, they've become...you bet, "Cheesy Movie Classics". When I went to see this movie at the theater, I was expecting exactly what I got, a B-Grade horror film with a high budget. I wanted something that felt and tasted like the popcorn munchers from the 70's and 80's; movies like "Food of the Gods" and "Grizzly", and that's exactly what I got. You have a top of the line cast playing at fun in a fast-paced bats rule the earth horror film.

I for one think Lou Diamond Phillips make a very capable, strong male lead, and that's saying a lot, because I was never particularly fond of him. But having lost track of him over the past several years, I've seen him popping up more and more, and I've noticed he's developed into a very capable actor.

As for Dina Meyers, she plays her part with gusto, and not only is she beautiful and sexy, but comes off as a very strong and confident scientist trying to do a serious job of killing Bats. Lots of flesh hungry, disease ridden Bats!

So if you're looking for a fun, cheesy, midnight movie-style, Drive-In type film, with a taste and feel of all those old monster movies (and believe me, one day this will be on the "Cheesy Movie Classic" list) this is it. All others, apply elsewhere.

It ain't Gone With the Wind, but . . .
Is this movie great? No. Is it watchable? Extremely.

I enjoyed the movie. There is some cheesy dialogue, sure, but I don't get the extremely harsh 1 star reviews. This is a fun, fast paced movie that kept my attention the whole way through.

I especially liked the commentary track with Lou Diamond Phillips. It is one of the most relaxed, enjoyable commentaries I have heard, and I have listened to just about every commentary track of every DVD I own (1000+).

it will drive you bats
damnit people...a movie about killer bats...wow, I mean this one is on the BOMB list for sure...Dian Meyer is the batgirl(wink wink) and Leon is batman(dont have to wink on that one) and they go to a small town after a murder happens and they meet the sheriff Lou Diamond Phillips(this man right here shouldnt of done this movie, he shouldnt of done Supernova) and another guy played by Carlos Jacott(shouldnt of been in here also) and the batty guy who controls the bats, Bob Gunton(Gunton is always in a crappy movie, once in a great while)......maybe I just dont get it..I mean whats there to get....people said they were terrified of this movie and putting this up with JAWS....people this does not compare to JAWS, JAWS is way better then this pile of bat guano.............get a life and a brain and for the people who didnt like this movie..your my best friends ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Cusack at his best
Both "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "High Fidelity" are great pieces of work. They use wonderfully entertaining dialogue with Cusack performing seamlessly with the rest of the cast. The dark comedy in "Blank" will bounce off the painstaking soul searching in "Fidelity." See them now if you never have, and enjoy two intelligent films.

One is great, one is awful
Grosse Pointe Blank is one of the funniest movies of the decade. It is well acted, written and directed.

High Fidelity is a mistake. I think it should have been cast differently (and saved John Cusack the pain of being in this embarassing movie!). I literally got a headache from watching High Fidelity. [....] UGH!

One High! One Low!
An explosion of a film! John Cusack,Joan Cusack, Minnie Driver, & Dan Akroyd give all they got in this movie. YOu have a hitman who gets an invitation to his ten year high school reunion and at the same time has to do a hit there, and then bumps into Minnie Driver and has to explain to her as to why he stood her up. While trailing behing him is Dan akroyd trying to knock him off as well. A Funny dark comedy that keeps your attention from beginning to end. This Dvd has High Great sound and the picture quality is awesome on my 5.1 Sony SS-TS300 Outstanding Sound! Get this version.P.S John Cusack's role in high fidelity was a mistake.A Long boring movie (Not Good)! If you want a laugh keep your eyes on Jack Black, also in saving silverman. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

What's up homebrew? ------ "..Everybody Felix!..."
What's up homebrew?
Hilarious dialogue! "..Everybody Felix!..."
It's a movie of conversations and very little action.. It's hilarious. I can't describe it.. Everyone is just so goofy! It's subtle....FELIX steals the show...And as a fan of Galaxie 500 and Luna, It is cool to see Dean Wareham in a movie and doing the music for it.. He does a cool version of "Frankie And Johnny". It's a real low-budget film shot in just 6 days! I don't know about the DVD, I only have the VHS version but it's a good movie for the people with a weird sense of humor! "How did my birthday boy spend his birthday?".... "NOTHING." this is for the people who like irreverent comedies. Support indie films. It's goofy, it's New York, it's indie, it's Rae Dawn Chong, Ally Sheedy, Justine Batemen and more! Same apartment...3 parties.. a birthday party, a halloween party and a New Year's party. "Everybody Felix! It's Felix's birthday! Everybody Felix! He's old in the best way!"

Bizarre, but quite funny
I'm a big NB fan. THis movie, with it's awful edits, still manages to be entertaining. It isn't nearly as good as his other two films, but still kept me glued to the TV for 75 minutes. The guest shots are fantastic, particularly the Ally Sheedy ones. Christopher Eigeman, my favorite actor, deserved a better part, but Carlos Jacott is terrific. Baumbach himself gives an enjoyable performance. THe movie is all about dialogue and much of it is inspired. If you are new to Noah Baumbach's work, go get Kicking and Screamin and then Mr. Jealousy. This film is really best for fans, and curious viewers. I'm awaiting Noah's next film with great hopes.

subpar versus Kicking & Screaming and Mr. Jealousy
Perhaps predictably, this movie suffers from not having the same kind of time and money invested in its production compared to Kicking & Screaming and Mr. Jealousy. Those two films had a uniquely beautiful combination of literate dialogue and humorous ensemble interaction. While Highball had many of the same actors from the first two movies, the overall dialogue and themes were totally different. The first two movies had irreverence mixed with the sympathy of nostalgia and the difficult emotional transition to adulthood. Highball had no direction at all.

While I no longer remember all the details of Highball, I felt that the characters were poorly defined and the plot less meaningful than Mr. Jealousy and Kicking & Screaming. The movie seemed incomplete and hastily put together.

If you like literate, witty ensemble comedies, you should definitely see Kicking and Screaming, then Mr. Jealousy, then the Whit Stillman trilogy (which also features Chris Eigeman): Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. All 5 of those being among my favorites.

Quirky, crazy comedy
Interesting comedy told through the course of three parties in one apartment: a birthday party, a Halloween party, and a New Year's Eve party. Basically centered around the couple who's apartment it is who first are together (birthday), break-up (Halloween), and then are married (New Year's) and all their weird and strange friends they join together for each occasion. For anyone who can remember times like these or are going through times like these, there are plenty of moments to laugh at. Like the boring awkward birthday party magician?! Or the hideously costumed drunk hostess at Halloween?! Or a friend coming out on New Years Eve?! It's all there.....strangely and sadly so. You will recognize so man actors in this I don't know how the director got them all for this nothing of a movie but he did, from Stolz to Sheedy to Bogdanovich and more. You'll have fun guessing who's who, but there's plenty of who's not in the film too. Quirky, strange, but enjoyable.

One of the most clever scripts written!
It came upon accident i even saw this ridiculously funny movie. The editing sucks, the plot goes absolutely nowhere, but the undertones of great humor fullfill this movie even through the closing credits. If one is looking for a movie with flat out jokes please don't waste your time. To those with a sense of humor, on the other hand, this is one of my all time favorite movies. I've recommended this movie to most of my friends and have never had a negative comment. I have since purchased Mr. Jealousy and Kicking and Screaming by the same director, Noah Baumbach, god lets hope they are remotely compared to this outstanding work of art. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

What's up homebrew? ------ "..Everybody Felix!..."
What's up homebrew?
Hilarious dialogue! "..Everybody Felix!..."
It's a movie of conversations and very little action.. It's hilarious. I can't describe it.. Everyone is just so goofy! It's subtle....FELIX steals the show...And as a fan of Galaxie 500 and Luna, It is cool to see Dean Wareham in a movie and doing the music for it.. He does a cool version of "Frankie And Johnny". It's a real low-budget film shot in just 6 days! I don't know about the DVD, I only have the VHS version but it's a good movie for the people with a weird sense of humor! "How did my birthday boy spend his birthday?".... "NOTHING." this is for the people who like irreverent comedies. Support indie films. It's goofy, it's New York, it's indie, it's Rae Dawn Chong, Ally Sheedy, Justine Batemen and more! Same apartment...3 parties.. a birthday party, a halloween party and a New Year's party. "Everybody Felix! It's Felix's birthday! Everybody Felix! He's old in the best way!"

Bizarre, but quite funny
I'm a big NB fan. THis movie, with it's awful edits, still manages to be entertaining. It isn't nearly as good as his other two films, but still kept me glued to the TV for 75 minutes. The guest shots are fantastic, particularly the Ally Sheedy ones. Christopher Eigeman, my favorite actor, deserved a better part, but Carlos Jacott is terrific. Baumbach himself gives an enjoyable performance. THe movie is all about dialogue and much of it is inspired. If you are new to Noah Baumbach's work, go get Kicking and Screamin and then Mr. Jealousy. This film is really best for fans, and curious viewers. I'm awaiting Noah's next film with great hopes.

subpar versus Kicking & Screaming and Mr. Jealousy
Perhaps predictably, this movie suffers from not having the same kind of time and money invested in its production compared to Kicking & Screaming and Mr. Jealousy. Those two films had a uniquely beautiful combination of literate dialogue and humorous ensemble interaction. While Highball had many of the same actors from the first two movies, the overall dialogue and themes were totally different. The first two movies had irreverence mixed with the sympathy of nostalgia and the difficult emotional transition to adulthood. Highball had no direction at all.

While I no longer remember all the details of Highball, I felt that the characters were poorly defined and the plot less meaningful than Mr. Jealousy and Kicking & Screaming. The movie seemed incomplete and hastily put together.

If you like literate, witty ensemble comedies, you should definitely see Kicking and Screaming, then Mr. Jealousy, then the Whit Stillman trilogy (which also features Chris Eigeman): Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. All 5 of those being among my favorites.

Quirky, crazy comedy
Interesting comedy told through the course of three parties in one apartment: a birthday party, a Halloween party, and a New Year's Eve party. Basically centered around the couple who's apartment it is who first are together (birthday), break-up (Halloween), and then are married (New Year's) and all their weird and strange friends they join together for each occasion. For anyone who can remember times like these or are going through times like these, there are plenty of moments to laugh at. Like the boring awkward birthday party magician?! Or the hideously costumed drunk hostess at Halloween?! Or a friend coming out on New Years Eve?! It's all there.....strangely and sadly so. You will recognize so man actors in this I don't know how the director got them all for this nothing of a movie but he did, from Stolz to Sheedy to Bogdanovich and more. You'll have fun guessing who's who, but there's plenty of who's not in the film too. Quirky, strange, but enjoyable.

One of the most clever scripts written!
It came upon accident i even saw this ridiculously funny movie. The editing sucks, the plot goes absolutely nowhere, but the undertones of great humor fullfill this movie even through the closing credits. If one is looking for a movie with flat out jokes please don't waste your time. To those with a sense of humor, on the other hand, this is one of my all time favorite movies. I've recommended this movie to most of my friends and have never had a negative comment. I have since purchased Mr. Jealousy and Kicking and Screaming by the same director, Noah Baumbach, god lets hope they are remotely compared to this outstanding work of art. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

"Do People Still Spit in the Cream Pitcher?"
While Mr. Jealousy hinges on the darker side of relationships than did Noah Baumbach's first feature, Kicking and Screaming, it's still a smartly stylized romantic comedy you're not likely to find at the top of the box office--but that's usually a good thing. In the tradition of Woody Allen and Jean Renoir (catch the Rules of the Game reference at the beginning of the film), Baumbach has crafted a neurotic, idiosyncratic love story, that, unlike Allen especially, seems to recover from its human folly with a somewhat optimistic ending. You're liable to laugh out loud at all of Carlos Jacott's (the real Vince's) scenes, as he pretty much reprises his role from Kicking and Screaming as a vulnerable yet loveable goofball--his moments in group therapy alone are worth seeing the flick.

Literate, Funny, Touching, and Beautiful
What I liked most about Mr. Jealousy was that it was really about these two writers and their growth and development as real people. The literary jokes were, like Kicking and Screaming, refreshingly funny. The fact that Mr. Jealousy is supposed to be a romantic comedy and is totally misrepresented by the trailer and box graphics/description might mislead certain people into seeing this movie. The film is really very sad at what should be the ending. The last bit that turns the movie into a "happy ending" seemed contrived and pasted on. Kicking and Screaming did not have that problem, but the ending really does not detract much from the movie's overall beauty and humor. I would definitely recommend seeing Kicking and Screaming first to appreciate the director's development of the "becoming an adult" theme which is further developed in Mr. Jealousy.

A Rare Mediocrity
Mirabella calls it "a comic revelation." I had a different reaction. I fell asleep. This in of itself cannot be considered a pan, as I have fallen asleep during a lot of movies that were highly acclaimed, such as the first Star Wars, which I saw with my dad and bored me to tears-or would have if I could have focused on the screen for more than the first twenty minutes. (He was there with his spanking new family.) This movie, which the New York Times of Jason Blair fame, calls "a shrewd comedy" I found to be wanting. The back of the DVD calls it "the most possessive romantic comedy ever." However, Lester, played by Eric Stoltz, is only vaguely jealous, which is appropriate considering the hair styles and vapid conversation of his new love interest, Ramona (Anabella Sciorra). Sciorra, who is not bad to look at, has a richly boring erotic past of flings with some twenty-odd twenty-somethings, each one (from what the sleeping reviewer can gather) a more inane yuppie than the last. And none of her inane yuppie love interests is more aggravating than Dashiell Frank (Chris Eigeman), the New York generation X writer who receives huge contracts for his best-selling short stories of intercourse in unusual positions with his x-girlfriends, of whom Ramona is, to Lester's consternation. Well, without giving the plot away (difficult considering my sleep and its absence), let's just say that the inanely unjealous Lester (who turns down a scholarship to the Iowa writing program because "he isn't interested in school"-MTV beckons, no doubt) spots the enviable and dashingly intellectual Frank and, following him, joins his group therapy group under an alias. Why? You'd have to ask the writers (?) but my guess is that, as so often in modern "cinema," these same writers were neuronally overstimulated from MSG from all the Chinese take out that they ate during the day (or two) when the screenplay, for which they were certainly overpaid, was composed. And group therapy (arguably the exact opposite of the solitary task of writing-but not of the Hollywood group marketing that passes for writing!) must have just commended itself to them as a brilliant technical device to tell their story. Edith Wharton in the introduction to Ethan Frome tells of the necessity of having the stories of simpler people told by more intelligent or complex ones. I think something similar occurs in movies like this: the would-be complex and intelligent writers (usually paid for by oil executives that own the film conglomerates) choose (or are forced to choose) as their subject matter relatively simple and less bright "ordinary people." It is this leveling process that may be in part responsible for what Kurt Vonnegut calls the American tendency of "aspiring to mediocrity." In short, a must-have for the serious possessive romantic comedy collector.

Huge Stoltz Fan
I enjoyed this movie Ilaughed a lot and Eric seemed he liked the role he played.

This is a great film.
I loved this movie, and for some reason didn't see it when it first came out. My girlfriend made me watch it which is kind of a bad sign but I think for all the right reasons. Great acting and music, it's funny and kind of sadly weird too. I'd never heard of it, but now I'm showing it to my friends. ... Read more