Grosse Pointe Blank | Rotten Tomatoes

Grosse Pointe Blank

R

Released Apr 11, 1997

1 hr. 47 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

82%

73 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) has trouble focusing on his work, resulting in a failed assignment, he returns to his hometown, Grosse Point, Mich., for his 10-year high school reunion. There he meets Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), an old girlfriend that he stood up for the prom. Martin's secretary (Joan Cusack) sets up a hit for him while he is in town, but Martin starts to reconsider his life. Meanwhile, he is hounded by an unstable rival hit man, Grocer (Dan Aykroyd).

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Critics Consensus

A high-concept high school reunion movie with an adroitly cast John Cusack and armed with a script of incisive wit.

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Jason R

a good film to watch, a hitman returns to his birthplace and attends his high school reunion 9/10

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

Full Review

David I

Even after all these years I still love this movie 😊

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Cole N

Witty, funny, and smooth dialogue, moments of calm absurdity, perfectly gratuitous action scenes, all intertwined with a love story between two likeable characters. An impeccable 80s soundtrack to boot made this a very enjoyable watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

M R

This movie is just as good as I remember. Did not get to see it in theatres but remember my uncle let me pick it out on our trip to 'West Coast Video' in Somerville. We often went there. The soundtrack is amazing as well. Really creative story. Rating: 9/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Pat W

As you can clearly see, unless, of course, you're some pathetic visually impaired loser, I gave this movie five stars. Five! I gave this movie more stars than I have fingers. That high-powered smoothy mixer is a doozy. Sometimes a man gets his fingers cut off before he can enjoy a smoothy. Okay fine, you got me, I lied. It was a vodka distillation machine, not a smoothy mixer. And because of how distilling (aka purifying) stuff works, my fingers were heated and vaporized, not cut off, so at least the wounds were cauterized and boiled to the point where all the germs were killed. Hey, a man has to distill his vodka after the fermentation process is complete. Then he can slurp down a few bottles. Where was I? Oh right, I was unconscious on the side of the road. Wait, no. I was reviewing Grosse Pointe Blank. That's it. So basically this movie is about an assassin who goes to his high school reunion. Just like me when I'm talking to the ladies at the bar, this movie is packed with fast dialogue, humor, and impressive scenes full of action and violence. The characters are interesting and full of personality. The movie explores the morality of being a professional killer while still skillfully leaving the exact moral boundaries of its protagonist a little vague and open to some interpretation. This depth complements the film's other qualities and makes it a candidate for multiple viewings. As of this writing I have only seen it once, but I would certainly like to watch it again before I die, which means I'll have to fit it in sometime between now and Thursday evening. I would highly recommend this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/23

Full Review

bigmekboy175

A dark comedy gem that was ignored at the box office but has slowly developed a cult following. It is among my top three comedies of all time and it is my favorite romantic comedy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

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George Armitage

Director

John Cusack

Martin Q. Blank

Minnie Driver

Debi Newberry

Dan Aykroyd

Grocer

Alan Arkin

Dr. Oatman

Joan Cusack

Marcella

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David Ansen

Newsweek

As a satire, Grosse Pointe Blank doesn't completely add up-the parts are greater than the whole-but it's very much alive and kicking.

Feb 28, 2018

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

High school reunions should only be this satisfying — and hitmen this open-minded about the value of psychotherapy.

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Miami Herald

Rated: 3/4

Sep 2, 2011

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Of the many violence-inflected black comedies that Pulp Fiction spawned, Grosse Pointe Blank ranks among the best [...] It never feels derivative [and] finds its own identity as a quirky romcom.

Sep 16, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Director George Armitage gets the mix of wry humor and edgy violence dead on, and [John] Cusack’s cocked-grin charm and earnest determination tells us not to take it all too seriously without sinking his character into farce.

Sep 8, 2023

Full Review

Travis Johnson

Blunt Magazine

Starring 80s poster boy John Cusack and featuring a blistering soundtrack curated by Joe Strummer, ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ is like John Hughes directed The Killer.

Jul 4, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

After assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) has trouble focusing on his work, resulting in a failed assignment, he returns to his hometown, Grosse Point, Mich., for his 10-year high school reunion. There he meets Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), an old girlfriend that he stood up for the prom. Martin's secretary (Joan Cusack) sets up a hit for him while he is in town, but Martin starts to reconsider his life. Meanwhile, he is hounded by an unstable rival hit man, Grocer (Dan Aykroyd).

Director: George Armitage
Executive Producer: Jonathan Glickman, Lata Ryan
Screenwriter: Tom Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack
Distributor: Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Hollywood Pictures, New Crime Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 4, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.1M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

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