Filmmaker reacts to Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) for the FIRST TIME
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2024
- Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to Grosse Pointe Blank. :D
Full length reactions & Patreon only polls: / jamesvscinema
Original Movie: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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I think you hit the nail on the head about what makes this movie so special and charming: most of the "jokes" aren't really jokes, they're just human comedy arising out of the honest situation. And then the hitman element catapults everything to the next level. :)
Nailed it brother
Thats most of Cusack’s movies, even One Crazy Summer and Better Off Dead. Normal teenage drama just taken to the next level with absurdity of the normal
Can we just appreciate how good a friend Paul is. Hasn't seen Martin in a literal decade, yet is instantly down to hide the body.
This is such a good movie. The acting and music is so great that it's easy to forget that the actions scenes are awesome too.
I've said it for years; a friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move a body.
Paul is mega bro!
YES! One of my top 30 movies of all time. John Cusack has never given a better performance than this underrated masterpiece. The plot is even as great as it sounds on paper.
Right!? Everything was so well paced!
My Top 1 movie of all time.
And James your analysis is spot on.
One of my favourite movies. High Fidelity is another great one with John Cusack.
1408!!!
He was great there too, r u kidding?!
@@im_not_a_slut_im_just_french he was good in that as well, but it’s actually harder to do comedy than it is to do drama. Grosse Pointe Blank, he doesn’t lose me once.
They didn't need comedy writers to write the lines that made you laugh, they just needed intelligent writers to see the humor in what was occurring and let it happen. One of my favorite all time movies and I've watched it at least a dozen times through the years. Excellent insight on your part James to realize what makes this film work and what a true gem it is. "I killed the President of Paraguay with a fork, how have you been?" Classic, lol!
Appreciate that Steven!! This film had a lot going on at the core resolving identity and what that means, to how to quit your hit man job. Lmfao!
The assassin who attacked during the reunion was Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, one of the greatest American kickboxers of all time. He did a couple of other movies, and fought Jackie Chan. The reason why his fight with Cusack was so slick here is because Cusack himself has legit kickboxing chops. He played a young kickboxer in one of his earliest hits in the 80's, and continued to train ever since, so by the time this film came around he had a solid decade of martial arts experience under his belt.
I am SO glad you reacted to this, it's one of my all time favorite films.
Danny Trejo, San Quentin Prison Fighting champ turned actor, said the scariest man he ever worked with was John Cusack, because you knew if he wanted to, he could F*** you up.
Not to mention kickboxing, you heard of it? Sport of the future (according to Lloyd Dobler).
Benny is also Cusack's friend and coach.
@@paulhewes7333 you beat me to it 😀
Urquidez was the go-to trainer for action stars in the 80's and choreographed many of the era's most iconic hits, most notably Patrick Swayze in Road House.
He fought Jackie Chan on screen twice in "Meals on Wheels" and "Dragons Forever"
"Who was in the writing room?"
John Cusack and Steve Pink almost entirely reworked all the dialogue in the movie. Cusack considers it one of his first real forays into "filmmaking" as opposed to just acting.
Steve Pink is the rent-a-cop
That's what makes their scenes together so luminous - just crazy easy banter!
They re-shot so many scenes with different lines and approaches based on the actors suggestions and directors intuition. Editing this must have been both a nightmare and a joy!
They could probably release at least three different directors cuts that would be completely different, while telling the same story, and just as good!
“You’re a psychopath!”
“No! A psychopath kills people for no reason! I kill people for MONEY…no, that didn’t come out right.”
LMFAO. Dude the writing is off the charts.
@@JamesVSCinema And a kick ass soundtrack, to boot.
People with a sort of... moral.. flexibility...
@@matthewjaco847 Agreed. I love me some Faith No More. And the body-hiding scene set for 99 Luftballons is just perfect. And the fight scene set to Mirror in the Bathroom. Awesome.
So as a GenX'er this movie resonated like a "16 Candles" for grownups. The soundtrack practically demanded its own starring intro -- so much of the film's vibe moved forward through 80s mixtape gems.
And imo best scene: that slow track to John Cusack taking a moment during the reunion to talk to the young mother and marvel at life, so small and fragile while Freddy and David Bowie soar in the background.
Pure magic.
And yea John Cusack was born to wear black and white. (Fun Fact=John Cusack's agent/admin asst. was played by his real sister Joan)
and they were both in 16 candles
@@Dashoost "You know black and white would just capture the moment, so well..."
GUYS! Take those ridiculous things off!
Yes everything you said
And the woman Amy who drinks with Debi early in the movie and is then giving out the name tags at the reunion is their real life sister Ann Cusack
This film came out in '97. I graduated high school in '86. This film hit me right in the feels. Great sound track, too.
Joe Strummer of The Clash put the soundtrack together.
Such an underrated movie. This movie is hilarious, and it's probably one of the most quotable movies ever. Such a huge fan of this film - glad you loved it and thanks for sharing your reaction, James! EDIT: OH MY GOD how could I forget the soundtrack. Incredible.
very underrated and snappy dialogue. love this movie
One of my favorites was Joan Cusack saying, "It's a Greenpeace boat! C'mon, it'd be so easy!"
"you don't know if your cat's a boy or girl.... I respect it's privacy" 🤣🤣
I love John and Joan in this together. They play so well off each other. Everytime I hear Jessie the Yoddlin' Cowgirl from Toy Story I picture her flying off the handle in this film. Well, and her weird character in Toys.
And seeing Joan in the show Shameless is crazy with what she's into in that show.
I tell everyone about this movie eventually. Along with High Fidelity, it’s one of my most rewatched flicks ever. John was on fire as a leading man for a while there.
So underrated. Favorite Cusack film. I also think him telling everybody the honest truth about what he does for a living and nobody reacting honestly about his answer is one of the best running jokes ever in film.
Have you seen him in 'The Sure Thing (1986?). It is my favorite of his. Bonus points for John at a youngish age with Daphne Zunga (Spaceballs) and Directed by Rob Reiner (Princess Bride, Stand by Me. American President, When Harry Met Sally, Spinal Tap...)
Fantastic selection, wish more reactors would choose this little gem, but that's what makes you, you, James ;) ...probably the first one checking it out. NICE one.
Glad to have a few rare commentaries on videos no one else has done yet!
@@JamesVSCinema technically, Shanelle Ricio did one on it 6 months ago, and I forgot it was in my watch later until just now. Oops.
Shanelle is great, but she watched this in the middle of Tarantino run and kinda missed out on the feel of it.
James, you made my day, seeing how much you enjoyed this often overlooked gem, put a smile on my face, it's been one of my favorites ever since I first saw it in theatres back in 97! The cast, the performances and soundtrack to this movie are all spot on. I love how throughout the entire movie he straight tells everyone he's a professional killer, but no one believes him and think it's a joke, asking if he gets dental etc.
Two other John Cusack movies you're sure to love and appreciate, "High Fidelity" and "Identity"
Lets go! This is a great one, and one of the first "not for kids" movies my dad watched with me when I was old enough
Hahaha that’s badass!
I’ve been watching this since childhood because of my dad too 😂 love it and so underrated i usually forget to suggest it! Greatest soundtracks that bump regularly too!
One of the reasons the fight scenes are executed so well is Benny the Jet was John Cusack’s kickboxing trainer for years😁
Immediate 'Like' ! The bit where Martin goes to see his Dad and dumps a bottle of whiskey out on to his grave is phonominal story telling; It tells you everything you need to know about him and their relationship in a few seconds without a word said.
This is another movie that was way out of my age range back in 00-01 when I saw it around age 15. I came into the living room when my older brother and his friends were watching it, at the last "popcorn" moment, and shrieked with laughter, and his friends were like "dude, we have to rewind it, she's gonna love this." They were right. It's absurdly funny for such a violent movie.
One of my favorites. It’s about truly becoming an adult, I believe. “You can’t go home, but you can still shop there,” is such a great line. You can’t live at home once you’ve grown out of it, but you do often go “borrow” things from mom and dad. It’s about growing up and going back too. I love it.
So glad you liked this. One of my favourite films ever. I can’t believe how many people haven’t seen it! And that soundtrack 🔥
I saw this film in 97 my first year at uni. I loved it when I was 18, I love it 25 years later... 25 years man! 25 years!
I’m so excited you’re watching this! I love this movie. It is an underrated gem.
Super under the radar.
I agree with everyone that has great things to say about this movie, but no one has mentioned the killer soundtrack. The fight scene in the high school hallway, set to "Mirror in the Bathroom" was pure art.
It honestly is one of the best no BS fight scene. No CG, no superhuman resilience to getting hit, just down and dirty. The kill with the pen is still pretty gruesome even now.
This is SUCH a great movie! I graduated highschool in 99, and this movie made so much sense! Being his ten year reunion, he's the tail end GenX dealing with existential crisis, and I'm early early Millennial, who felt the same angst before I was out of college!
One of my favorite John Cusack films. One of my best friends I'd say 9 years ago looked just like him along with the personality charm. Died unfortunately. Glad to enjoy your reaction with you. Happy to have you around and thank you once again and again for your reactions. The humor is very natural in this film and I love it.
AHHH! Grosse Pointe Blank! Best 80s soundtrack out there. And don't let people tell you it's a Pulp Fiction clone, the script was written a year before Pulp Fiction and it was shopped around Hollywood for a few years.
Also, the movie is nothing like Pulp Fiction. ;) Completely different vibes.
Pulp Fiction? Other than a a hitman dressed in black, can't think of any other similarities
I love that you've made it through a big portion of the huge pop culture icons and now you're getting into these pulp favorites that aren't as popular but are really enjoyable little hidden gems. You've got a lot of big films to see still of course but stuff like this are the movies you watch any time they're on TV for decades because they're just so damn fun.
AN ABSOLUTE FAV.
You're on fire recently, James!
Appreciate ya!!
I liked the way the script repeated or rephrased certain lines:
"How's your life?" "In progress."
"My whole life!" "Hopefully not."
"You're a handsome devil! What's your name?" (First by his unrecognizing mother, then to himself in the mirror, then to his target's dossier)
Just an unbelievably great movie. It juggles so many genres and tones and never drops a single one. Timeless soundtrack. Great performances. And it'll always be relevant because that period of time in your life in your late 20s when you're reflecting on your youth while still struggling to find your future is something everyone goes through.
I love this movie sooo much! I hope it’ll make you want to catch some other great John Cusack movies like High Fidelity or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
I second that! Cusack is beautiful in Garden, and a phenomenal cast all around.
I love Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
High Fidelity is one of my faves of all time, Jack Black’s finest performance, in my opinion.
The HS fight scene was so accurate because Cusak was fighting his real-life teacher, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Cusak is an instructor in kickboxing under Benny; a multi time world champion.
Second favourite Cusack film behind High Fidelity. And Joan Cusack is great too! Aaand this cemented my forever crush on Minnie Driver. I watched this a loooot on VHS.
I bet this was a nightmare to edit for RUclips. It has a great soundtrack!
My favorite running gag in this movie is he tells everyone he is a hit man and everyone thinks he is being sarcastic.
I love this movie for so many reasons. Since I graduated from High School in 86, it was super relatable, the sound track is perfect. And it's so layered. John Cusack had some great 90's movies.
The character dynamics are 100% what makes this such a damn good movie, and that just wouldn't come across if the writing, directing, and acting weren't all on pointe, so to speak.
One of the reasons that you enjoyed that fight scene because the guy fighting was former world kick boxing champion Benny the Jett Urquidez, and John had been a student of his for almost a decade. He got into kickboxing when his character Lloyd Dobler was an amateur kickboxer in the movie Say Anything released in 1989. Cusack began training a year earlier to prepare. This was a real fight with real contact. It was choreographed, but they really hit each other to make it realistic. John is a 6th holds a level six (6th degree) black belt in Urquidez's Ukidokan kickboxing system.
I've always ties this movie and High Fidelity together in my mind. High Fidelity isn't an actual sequel but definitely a spiritual one.
I love that you found this jewel. Its my fave Cusack movie. And the Secretary is Johns sister Joan. She is an incredible actor in her own right. You may recall her role as Debbie in addams family values.
A trippy bit of trivia-The actress who plays Martin’s (John Cusak) secretary is in fact his real life sister, Joan Cusak.
There were 3 movies that I discovered in my early teens that really made an impact on me at the time, Natural Born Killers, Doom Generation (starring James Duval and Rose McGowen in what was possibly her first movie) and Grosse Point Blank and they've stuck with me right in to my early 30's, but I have to say Grosse Point Blank has a special place for me, as does High Fidelity, another great Cusack film. There's just something about his characters, or maybe it's the man himself, that I have heavily related to throughout my young adult and adult life.
Same! All very different movies but I’d say I saw them in my formative years and they made me think in a different way each time. Now seeing them as a full adult I love them in a different way. I love John Cusack in everything he’s done but some of his movies just get you in the soul, heart, or head and he’s brilliant.
I would agree than John Cusack is definitely an actor that sticks with you. The first movie I saw him in was "One Crazy Summer".
So glad you're watching this!!! This is such an underrated classic to me, and I love that convo between John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd in the diner!
ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF THE 90S! Such an underrated gem. A TRUE cult classic. I'm really happy you reacted to this movie. I hope it helps more people check it out.
This film was almost considered an Indy flick. Secretary girl who lit the office on fire is John Cusack's sister in real life. You should watch "The Long Kiss Goodnight" it's another sleeper BANGER from the mid 90's
Also, the drunk girl who interrupted their dinner date was another Cusack sister, Ann.
I ADORE this movie. One of my all time favorites, and watching you discover it was just delightful for me. Fantastic!
I meant Gen X, instead of Z.
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First time watching Primal Fear Friday! Enjoy the day!
This movie really captured the Gen X experience at the time (10-year high school reunions all coming up in the late 90s).
You definitely wanted to go hang out with those characters at their reunion, right?
If i remember correctly the reason the fight scene in the school is so good is that the guy is John Cusack’s kickboxing instructor.
One of my favourite movies of the 90's, great choice. Now let's play some Violent Femmes, really loud!
@@professoryaffle Benny The Jet. Kick boxing champion with a 49-1-1 record. He a tough tough guy. Great guy too. He, and Chuck Norris, were famous for taking the world records away from the the countries that invented their fighting style, and holding those records for a long time
I was exploding with joy when this won the patreon poll. A true underappreciated classic, I knew you'd have a great time with it and I wasn't disappointed!
Such an innovative script and one the oft forgotten gems on the 90s. A rewatchable classic.
1408 would also be a good movie to check out with John Cusack, when you get a chance. It's a psychological thriller, so there's a lot of commentary to be had with it. He plays an author who writes about paranormal phenomenons.
I love 1408. But it has to be the theatrical cut which, unfortunately, is really hard to get a hold of. The director's cut has a lot of unnecessary stuff and a completely different ending.
This and Identity
@@FluxNomad678 yeah came here to mention Identity. Severely underrated
@@Wrencher_86 The Theatrical Cut is still the main cut and is easy to find.
Thank you for giving some love to this gem of a sleeper hit! I hope more people check out, I think it's survived this long purely on word of mouth.
The fight from this movie was so good. It's amazing how great it's choreographed for a freaking comedy!
This is such a fun film indeed! It's been a long time since I've last seen it and never expected a reaction video on it, but glad to see you enjoy it so much. And John Cusack is so perfect for roles like these. He might not be the most versatile actor to the point that I feel he's basically always playing a version of himself, but he makes that work so good it's always a joy to watch, even in some not so great movies. Certainly check out High Fidelity too!
With this film, I am revising my high school years... James is now an honorary member of my crew. We loved this film so much!!!
This movie has the best soundtrack! Like, seriously it’s amazing and I listen to it all the time.
I know this is an old reaction, but you nailed this movie. I love it and always feel like the people who relate to Cusack in this movie turn out to be the kind of people who think about things like time moving fast, life and death. It's an action movie for the thoughtful man.
Yo this is one of my favorites of all time. Glad you reacted to this man
Anytime homie!
LOVE this movie. SO underrated.
Hella underrated!
This movie is in my top 10 favorite underrated films of all time. I remember seeing it theatres and telling people about it but very few even heard of it. Everything all the way down to the use of soundtrack was genius and Dan Akroyd as a villain was fun to watch. This movie can get existentially deep as well, worth multiple re-watches and... for existential male dramas: It's this movie, Fight Club, and Joe versus the Volcano that if your in a mood watch all 3 back to back. Great movie, great reaction! Cheers!
Thank you for catching the subtle humor!! It’s overlooked so much!!
Dang James. You keep picking movies I own. This flick is so good, in so many ways. And, killer soundtrack. Gotta love Aykroyd in this. Another great Canadian comic. Shout out to Jeremy Piven too. For Cusak, also see High Fidelity. The 90's rule for movies. And Norm Macdonald still makes me cry. And we all James, are grateful to have you. Cheers.
I saw this in the theater and have loved it ever since. Hands down one of my favorite movies. It gave me so much joy watching you react to this. Glad you enjoyed it!
One of the best. This movie was the reason I had to break down and buy a DVD player back in the day.
this is the very definition of underrated. one of my favorite comedies back in college.
I love this movie. Clicked on the reaction quickly.
Having seen this movie as an adult when it came out, I'm not certain of the motivations that you're particularly attributing. When I first watched it, I thought it was a general air of malaise that people often get when they're in their late 20's / mid-30s, and aren't necessarily where they thought they would be by that point in life. Reminiscing on missed opportunities, and paths not taken.
...but with guns... ;-)
One of my favorites! So glad you liked it! Great reaction.
So glad you enjoyed this movie, it is one of my all-time favorites. The dialogue, the action, the casting was perfect. And can we talk about the music? To this day, whenever I hear "Mirror In The Bathroom" I immediately think of that great fight scene.
Dude, this is the one of the best yet most underrated films of the 90's. It's always been one of my favorites - and I watch it yearly like other people watch "A Christmas Story." Cusack and his sister Joan (his assistant in the movie) and Cusack's FORMER best friend (in real life) Jeremy Piven all have a chemistry on screen that is unrivaled. Cusack and his sister and Piven have done many movies together. In the 80's and 90's it was hard to find a movie that starred one that didn't have all three in the cast. Watching you enjoy this film gave me a lot of good memories and I may go home and watch it again tonight. Thanks.
I loved this when it came out. I have it on VCR. It has the nostalgia of an 80's John Hughes comedy, with the added ingredient of assassins. Just a 10/10 film, for me...
So glad I found this channel, I'm thoroughly enjoying the way you really let these films sit with you and walk us through an authentic emotional journey as the stories evolve. Quality work.
Very grateful to have people like you genuine understand why I enjoy this channel. Cheers!
Saw this movie in college and it changed my life! Also I just realized that I'm old as dirt.
Not sure if you noticed, but one of my _absolute favorite_ things in a movie, ever: When he's going home, "Live and Let Die" is playing on the radio, and when he goes inside the Ultimart, it's still playing but it's a Muzac version of it!
Seeing Alan Arkin in this reminded me of 1979's THE IN-LAWS, a comedy with a similar theme of secret lives intruding on otherwise normal situations.
And Jeremy Piven? There is SO much I'd forgotten about this one!
Yes, The In-Laws - Peter Falk and Alan Arkin
I remember going to see this at the cinema when it was first released and I was kinda blown away by how great it is.
One of my all time favorite movies. It came out around the time of my ten-year reunion. The soundtrack is killer too.
This is such a special one, you really brought to light some insight that I never got from this movie and I've loved it for years. Thank you for these uploads bro!!
When I woke up today and saw what you were reacting too I couldn't have been happier. GPB is one of my favorite movies of all time - - and it's TOTALLY underrated. SO cool to see you enjoying it! Yeah, John Cusack movies were popular when I was in high school because he was funny and had that "every-man" thing going on. But Grosse Pointe Blank is his greatest film, hands-down. When you put yourself in this character's place and imagine how he's feeling, and then imagine how you'd feel if you were in that position, it's completely relatable - - even with the hitman element. Just fantastic.
I remember seeing this in the theater opening weekend. I was around 28 at the time so the character of Martin Blank & I were about the same age. When I say that I've watched this film at least 50 times I'm not kidding. It's a very underrated 90's classic that tends to fly under the radar as one of the best movies of 1997. An important character point with Blank is that he tells everyone what he actually does for a living and everyone thinks he's joking. A+ movie, thanks for reacting to it.
I loved how much you loved this movie. Some people don’t like the humor or all the small things that were genius.
This is one of those films that proves how important casting is. All the points you made (which I agree with, largely)--they were able to accomplish that "everyman" thing because of who Cusack is as an actor.
I saw this movie in theaters and it's still one of my favorite movies to this day. Thanks for the great video reaction, meow.
One of favs … so glad you reacted to it!!!
This is just a natural comedy that feels so organic is becomes very easy for people to relate to. One of my favorites.
This is definitely one of the most underrated comedies of all time.
Authenticity, is one of the best compliment I've ever had my life and you use that word a lot but that's what I think about you is there it's an authentic dude
Oh man this will be great! John cusack is my fav actor of all time. I really hope you watch high fidelity. It was made by the same production team, but so much better. In my top five for sure!
John Cusack is getting the Val Kilmer love here
I was introduced to this very charming film in a Business Ethics class in college. How many times does he say, "It's not me!"? Where is the line when it's "just a job," "just a paycheck," "what I do, not who I am..." How many excuses are made for ourselves, or others, when the work pays well, and the family is fed and protected? "Forget about forgiving, and just accept." Life's rough - but we have to leave room to enjoy what brings us happiness, and sometimes just get the hell out of town. PS James - If you like Norm Macdonald, you would absolutely enjoy Doug Stanhope!
A classic! I haven’t seen it in years, but it’s got a fond spot in my memory,
Me too! I remember loving this movie when I saw it years ago and James digging it out gave me good memories. Happy to see it brought out for a new audience.
When this came out, I was about the age you are now. And I loved it. I thought it was an unexpectedly perfect film. I guess it’s great for being that age, regardless of generation. Very good capture of Gen X. And second best John Cusack movie after “Better Off Dead” which I highly recommend.
This was my favorite film in High School. Amazing performances. Amazing Soundtrack.
Now you have to watch High Fidelity.
John Cusack has some bangers. Glad you enjoyed this. :D
Your followers have good taste bro. They have you watching some great film and with you not seeing them before it makes your reaction that much more fun.
One of the best shootouts ever! Two dudes having a shootout in a convenient store, while another dude playing DooM 2 and listening to Ace Of Spaces. Can't get more badass than that!
DUUUUDE, Gross Point Blank is in my top, all time favorite movies list.
The dialog is beautifully authentic and genuinely funny, endearing. The film includes the odd conversations that most films miss entirely. John Cusack is so good at playing a hitman. The different gears, hitman/genuine human are played perfectly, existing side by side in a mesmerizing way.
The pacing is perfect, the camera holds on fight scenes long enough that we get to fully appreciate it; it's more believable without fake it, rapid fire edits.
We're grateful to have you too.
I love Grosse Pointe Blank. A truly one-of-kind film.
I’m so glad you watched this man! Definitely in my top 10 and as always I love your reactions!
Great reaction!! The assassin following Martin around is Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, who played the main henchman in a lot of early Jackie Chan movies and was John Cusack martial arts instructor!
Saw this in the theatre, big Cusack fan, and one of the few times in my life that applause broke out when final credits rolled.
I remember when I came into this movie in a local cinema without knowing anything back in 1997. A friend and I wanted to watch another movie but it was the day when movies are updated... and the cinema was an old cinema with only one film offer. Grosse Point Blank was the new movie... we went in because we knew John Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Minnie Driver (of course) - and it was such a fun.
Especially for us because as being german we liked the song from Nena very much in that special situation. But all the other stuff was so much fun, too. Thanks for giving me nice memories :)