Grosse Pointe Blank: Critic Reviews

Directed jauntily by George Armitage, it has the jokey, winsome tone of his earlier Miami Blues and enough wild-card energy to keep it bright and surprising.

With a breezy unpredictability that belies a darker underside, Grosse Pointe Blank, directed by George Armitage, is the kind of quirky, character-driven comedy they don't make much anymore.

Cusack's talents are delicate and appealing, but not propulsive enough to lead the movie to triumph.

What makes us laugh at this dark comedy is the insolence its creators hold for the very bones of their narrative.

The film takes the form but not the feel of a comic thriller. It's quirkier than that.

Despite some early indications from the two Cusacks and Arkin that it's going to be funny, it winds up an unholy mess that becomes steadily more incoherent -- morally, dramatically, and conceptually.

Cusack is charming and assured in the film.

An entertaining oddity, an amiably black comedy whose bared teeth double as an engaging smile: It takes a satiric bite and leaves you laughing through the pain. For that, we can thank the writers.

It's a sad day when an actor who's totally, beautifully in touch with his dark side finds himself stuck in a movie that's scared of its own shadow.

The film offers sufficient small pleasures to make it worth enduring the less effective elements. As a result, while Grosse Pointe Blank fails to deliver a fullisade, at least the chamber's not empty, either.

A bright burst of action and comedy with a cast that makes for rousing good company.

Clever enough to make jokes about Greco-Roman wrestling and make them funny, Grosse Pointe Blank's greatest success is the way it maintains its comic attitude.

Quirky mix of laughs, extreme violence. No payoff.

A slick, mannered and frequently clever comedy.

One of the true delights of 1990s American cinema.

L'une des comedies americaines les plus honnetes et efficaces des annees 90

One of 1997's best films, and certainly the funniest and freshest.

The action is fast and furious, and so are the punchlines.

An incredibly hip look at growing up.

Armitage encourages [Gen-Xers] to keep the skeptical attitude, but to also negoitate some sort of confusing middle ground between maintaining the image without "selling out".

For what is essentially a one-joke movie, this has an awful lot going for it.

It's the best date film I've seen in a long time: at least 12 people die.

Calling this blend of comedy and violence Tarantino lite may sound like a bash, but it isn't.

Great pace, strong dialogue, and a fun fresh angle on the life of a hit man.

Except for a few near-miss scenes, director George Armitage's romantic comedy hits the target.