‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ Is Peak John Cusack

Chances are when you picture John Cusack you conjure up an image of young Lloyd Dobler declaring his undying love via boombox to Diane Court, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Say Anything is a fine film and the boombox serenade is an iconic scene. It represents the buoyancy of youth and the unrelenting pang of adolescent love in one wonderful music moment, but it’s not exactly realistic. If you genuinely like the person outside your window, it’s an adorable act of romance. If you dislike the person, it’s a ludicrous gesture of foolishness. The optimism of Say Anything is wonderful in theory but questionable in reality.

More often than not, if you give someone your heart they’ll give you a pen.

That’s why I prefer Cusack in the 1997 action-comedy Grosse Pointe Blank, which is currently streaming on Netflix. Cusack portrays Martin Blank, a troubled assassin who returns home to attend his ten-year high school reunion, rekindle a relationship with his ex-girlfriend (Minnie Driver), and carry out a professional hit. It’s a romantic comedy for the slightly off-center, and it features John Cusack at his absolute best.

What about High Fidelity? Being John Malkovich? Serendipity? Love & Mercy? For the love of all things holy, what about Con Air!? Hey, I get it. There’s no wrong way to Cusack. But Grosse Pointe Blank tops them all. It’s cool. It’s punk rock. It exudes a self-assured, devil-may-care confidence that most movies only aspire to reach. While the film’s immaculate storytelling, clever dialogue, and ’80s-inspired jukebox worthy soundtrack all contribute to the movie’s eminence, what makes it such an enjoyable viewing experience is the crackling chemistry and stellar performances from Cusack and Minnie Driver.

Also, Jeremy Piven is in his movie. Oh yeah!

Driver’s accessibly quirky Debi — left stranded by Martin on prom night ten years earlier — is the perfect foil for Cusack’s brand of nonchalant detachment. The two radiate a type of smoldering chemistry that can only exist between two people when one or both have committed an indefensible act of emotional vandalism. Their relationship isn’t your typical big screen trifle bookended by meet-cutes and sunsets, it’s the authentic, maddening depiction of the imperfection of love.

“In your eyes. The light the heat. In your eyes.”

When Cusack’s Martin Blank attends his high school reunion with Debi he receives more than just a name tag and an offer to snort some blow with the school bully; he gets a glimpse into the familial coziness of the path he eschewed. In most films, the international assassin plot would trump the romantic relationship, but in GPB murder and contract killings are treated with irreverence compared to the personal growth of Martin Blank, which Cusack masterfully emits both subtly and overtly. During the film’s climactic shootout scene, brutal killings are brilliantly juxtaposed with a declaration of love and it absolutely works because that type of irrational, all-consuming mania can only be triggered by a love lost at a formative age.

When you finish watching the movie you feel invigorated, jubilant even — like you just downed a strong cup of coffee or spotted Jeremy Piven buying a Roku at a Best Buy. The film possesses a unique brand of tenderness brought to life by Cusack’s raw nerve, visceral portrayal of Martin Blank.

“I don’t think you’re broken. I think you’re mildly sprained. Nothing that can’t be mended,” Debi tells Martin during their high school reunion while Peter Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door (E. Cola Mix)” plays.

Listen, I get it. It’s not Shakespeare. It’s not “You jump; I jump.” But it’s real. For a man who believes he’s beyond redemption, “I don’t think you’re broken” is equivalent to “You complete me.” It’s two screwed-up people attempting to make a screwed-up connection in a screwed-up world. This type of faulty, cracked romance appeals to me way more than Lloyd Dobler holding a boom box over his head ever could.

If Say Anything is the expectation of love, Grosse Pointe Black is the reality of romance. That’s what makes it refreshingly honest and immensely entertaining.

[Watch Grosse Pointe Blank on Netflix]