It was hard to choose between 2012 and Serendipity.
― resonate with awesomeness (jel --), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 09:58 (twelve years ago) link
thin red line, bullets over broadway or eight men out for best movie cusack's been in, grosse pointe blank for best cusack movie
― balls, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 11:09 (twelve years ago) link
I gotta vote for Grosse Pointe Blank. The rapid-fire funny dialogue is everything I love about the guy.
^^^^
I'd rank'em:
Say AnythingGrosse Pointe BlankHigh FidelityBeing John Malkovich
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 11:18 (twelve years ago) link
I have a colleague who lauds Better Off Dead. I bought it on DVD. I can see why Cusack has all but disowned it.
― Trudi Styler, the Creator (ithappens), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 11:25 (twelve years ago) link
man i've seen a lot of this dude's movies
top ten: Say Anything, Bullets Over Broadway, Better Off Dead, Grosse Pointe Blank, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, The Sure Thing, America's Sweethearts, Cradle Will Rock, One Crazy Zummer
bottom ten: Identity, 1408, Serendipity, Con Air, 2012, War Inc, Pushing Tin, Hot Tub Time Machine, Max, Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil (not so much a bad movie as a terrible Cusack performance)
― cr?m margera (some dude), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:05 (twelve years ago) link
Gosh, this is hard. I'd be sad so see no votes for 'The Road to Welville', in which he is so funny and so on the ball all the time. Cusack up to his best screwball shenanigans (like Bullest over Broadway).
― ...wow! (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:10 (twelve years ago) link
I vote for Tapeheads even though it's not very good. All sorts of personal connections to what is, in all honesty, mediocre at best.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:52 (twelve years ago) link
There are better films on the list but The Sure Thing is essence of Cusack for me.
― Strictly vote-splitting (DL), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:05 (twelve years ago) link
Until Owen Wilson he was the best Woody surrogate too.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:10 (twelve years ago) link
DL otm, so i'm going with Malkovich
― Ste, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:12 (twelve years ago) link
omg thank you for reminding me this is on here. Almost voted for high fidelity, but Sure Thing all the way.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:12 (twelve years ago) link
big-ups for grifters, Say Anything, High Fidelity, Hot Tub Time Machine, Being John Malkovich and Grace Is Gone (if you can handle schmaltz) too. I know I liked grosse pointe blank the one time I saw it when it came out, but all i can remember now is shitty stuff involving minnie driver.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:18 (twelve years ago) link
voted grifters just so it gets a vote
― goole, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:18 (twelve years ago) link
yeah the speech where he jumps into the pool is perhaps his single finest performance (xpost)
― cr?m margera (some dude), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:19 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uCXOKxfjU
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:20 (twelve years ago) link
he really is on a short list of people who can talk directly to the camera that i don't then want to shoot
― da croupier, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:21 (twelve years ago) link
"I know where you live."
"Aw, see, that wasn't a nice thing to say. That wasn't designed to make me feel good."
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:22 (twelve years ago) link
i know it's a cameo, but i just gotta acknowledge the scene in bob roberts where he's pissed that bob is the musical guest on Not SNL instead of the promised krs-1. I believe that would piss him off.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:23 (twelve years ago) link
I liked Grosse Pointe Blank when I saw it - it reminded me of Demme's Something Wild.
― Marco Damiani, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:33 (twelve years ago) link
Say Anything is his quintessential film; even if Being John Malkovich is better, it's not really "his"
but GPB and HF are fitting spiritual sequels to SA.
Aside from The Ice HArvest, his career has really sucked for a decade.
― already president FYI (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 14:07 (twelve years ago) link
so you like GPB, Morbs?
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 14:17 (twelve years ago) link
yes (for one thing, it was the last time Dan Aykroyd was funny)
― already president FYI (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 14:18 (twelve years ago) link
HF
― Cindy Mancini can ride my lawnmower anytime (thebingo), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 14:41 (twelve years ago) link
High fidelity for me, followed by Better Off Dead.
"WHAT FUCKING 'IAN GUY'?"
― aguirre, the wrath of frogbs (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
nothing in the world could keep me from voting for grosse pointe blank, it has everything you'd want from a movie - ive seen it 20+ times, my favorite movie in the world when i was 13
― little dieter wants to FUCK (Princess TamTam), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
it was also the last time he really 'brought something to the table' in a movie - now he just sleepwalks through everything - i couldnt get through 2012 because of him
― little dieter wants to FUCK (Princess TamTam), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:11 (twelve years ago) link
"No meetings!" BLAM
― aguirre, the wrath of frogbs (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
Joan Cusack is terrific. "It was as if everyone had swelled."
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:14 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, The Sure Thing is the essence of romantic/angst/comic Cusack.
Con Air was kind of interesting because his character didn't have any personal storyline (that I remember), for a guy whose essence is personal storyline.
― Let me tell you something about that song. (Eazy), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:15 (twelve years ago) link
Grosse wa great, yea.
I hated Identity, but not because of him...mostly because of the insidious plot and the cheap copout ending.
Also hated Con/Air.
Bullets Over Broadway was fun.
― aguirre, the wrath of frogbs (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:17 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ScNLt2zNc
benny the freakin jet! mirror in the bathroom! doesnt get any better than this
― little dieter wants to FUCK (Princess TamTam), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:19 (twelve years ago) link
i ended up with a blanket dislike of all 90's 'indie crime movies' and haven't really gotten over it
― goole, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:24 (twelve years ago) link
fav movie: Malkovichfav Cusack being Cusack: GPB
but hating on Con Air is like hatin on a retarded child
― je suis marxiste - tendence Groucho (will), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:24 (twelve years ago) link
Jeez there's a lot of love for GPB here, huh? I've never seen it. Guess I should change that.
I love him. There's something so adorable and likeable about him. Idk. He's all time. Haven't decided what to vote for yet though.
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link
Probably Malkovich or Say Anything I think.
gpb or better off dead
i want my two dollars
― remy bean, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:27 (twelve years ago) link
Wasn't mad about GPB. Too pleased with itself.
― Trudi Styler, the Creator (ithappens), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link
GPB is not a crime movie. The assassin shit is a metaphor for the garbage jobs 90% of us have.
― already president FYI (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 15:51 (twelve years ago) link
dr. morbs i still can't believe you like say anything. it's enough to make me want to give it another chance.
― horseshoe, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:04 (twelve years ago) link
The original title was "Grocer Point Blank"
― Mark G, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:05 (twelve years ago) link
HS what?! I can't believe YOU DON'T. >:(
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
This is, quite frankly, shocking and upsetting.
love the convenience store shootout scene in GPB
― Heady Snobbin (Pillbox), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
aw i'm sorry E! it creeps me out tbh.
― horseshoe, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
by the criteria outlined in the op 'identity' best movie on the list 'the thin red line' or maybe 'being john malkovich'
gotta admit tho that:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and EvilCon AirGrosse Pointe Blank
is a p impressive single year run
― "what a great post" - some (Lamp), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:08 (twelve years ago) link
― horseshoe, Wednesday, June 22, 2011 12:07 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark
Creeps you out? How?!
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:08 (twelve years ago) link
Midnight in The Garden is surprisingly good.
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
i don't really even like john cusack anymore but he is super-good in high fidelity.
xp i think it's that cameron crowe yay codependency thing that gets me
― horseshoe, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
Eastwood took a giant crap on the book. The drag queen was the best thing in it. Also: it's when I started to hate Kevin Spacey.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
like when john mahoney asks him what he wants to do with his life and he's like, "i want to BE with your DAUGHTER" is that supposed to be cute?
― horseshoe, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
The ending of GPB is a disappointment. The only way it could have ended satisfactorily was if he'd murdered Driver's dad and she'd said "YAY!" and fucked him on Dan Ackroyd's corpse.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:02 (twelve years ago) link
lol
― john valjean bon jovi (Neanderthal), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
"wait, you go down a tunnel and become john malkovich for 15 minutes? just conceptually this makes no sense to me."
― where ilxor ends and markers begins (history mayne), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
John Malkovich was a very unconvincing John Malkovich
― john valjean bon jovi (Neanderthal), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:05 (twelve years ago) link
all this discussion of GPB is centered on cusack's sad sack assassin character. i think one of the reasons that it's so easy to accept both martin's sociopathic amorality AND the happily ever after ending he's granted is that cusack is basically just playing "john cusack in a weird role." we're accustomed to seeing him play the loserish but basically decent suitor, and that's pretty much what he gives us here, washed down with a bunch of "insane psycho killer" joeks.
another way to look at the movie, though, is to think of it as a romance, as something that occurs between two characters, male and female. i liked and related to minnie driver's debi a good deal more than cusack's martin (a joke of a character that quickly becomes repellent if taken seriously). she deserved better than this emotionally impoverished crazyman who's almost certainly going to get her hurt or killed in short order.
the fact that the movie shrugs all this off at the end bugged me. didn't make me hate it, i still count it one of my favorite cusack movies, maybe one of my favorite 90s pop comedies. i remember having reservations, that's all. should probably see it again...
― And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore (contenderizer), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:23 (twelve years ago) link
The key phrase right there is "pop comedy". it really isnt worth being taken to task for not being "convincing" or "silly ENOUGH" or whatever.
― Bloompsday (Trayce), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:33 (twelve years ago) link
well, all art works for us or it doesn't, this way or that. pop comedies shouldn't be exempt from critical analysis just cuz they're, you know, just pop comedies.
― And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore (contenderizer), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
2 votes for 2012... really?
thought it was a Rush poll sry
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 1 July 2011 05:23 (twelve years ago) link
wow I actually thought SA was a shoo-in for first. wow @ grifters love.
― buffandmaxsgaydad (Pillbox), Friday, 1 July 2011 05:38 (twelve years ago) link
So did I, but the rules were to vote for best use of Cusackness, perhaps that skewed it.
― Bloompsday (Trayce), Friday, 1 July 2011 05:40 (twelve years ago) link
Cusacker Blues
― you've got great robot conflict (Eazy), Friday, 1 July 2011 05:48 (twelve years ago) link
wow, i'd better watch 'grosse point blank' again. i remember it being pretty funny but i can't remember much about it other than wishing it had someone other than minnie driver -- most unwatchable actress ever.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Friday, 1 July 2011 09:32 (twelve years ago) link
he doesn't want to go to his reunion! he's only in town because he's supposed to whack somebody in town the same week!
Maybe obvious, but I always figured this happened on purpose - Joan C's character deliberately messed with his jobs to force him to Grosse Pointe and thus have to go to the reunion as well. This bears out when you see Grocer getting pissed cos the job's been pulled out from under him (when he spits out his pen and goes "alternate vendor? WHAT fucking alternate vendor?" I lol).
― Bloompsday (Trayce), Friday, 1 July 2011 09:49 (twelve years ago) link
Thus, Grocer is pissed at him stealing his job so he goes after him... the CIA guys are after him for stealing their "we don't assasinate people, we do our jobs" angle, and hilarity of crossed purposes ensue.
Speaking of which, Hank Azaria's role in this film is totes underrated. I love that guy.
― Bloompsday (Trayce), Friday, 1 July 2011 09:50 (twelve years ago) link
speaking of which, america's sweethearts is great
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Friday, 1 July 2011 10:03 (twelve years ago) link
minnie driver is an absolute delight, idk what happened to her career
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Friday, 1 July 2011 10:31 (twelve years ago) link
*cautiously waves sarcasm meter around*
― Bloompsday (Trayce), Friday, 1 July 2011 10:32 (twelve years ago) link
I feel sorry for Grace Is Gone.
― Trudi Styler, the Creator (ithappens), Friday, 1 July 2011 10:33 (twelve years ago) link
_dying_ at shakey in this thread
― ☂ (max), Friday, 1 July 2011 12:53 (twelve years ago) link
i know right! i've been speechless
― some dude, Friday, 1 July 2011 12:54 (twelve years ago) link
"its like the premise of Cars. does not compute"
― ☂ (max), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:00 (twelve years ago) link
theyre cars... who are alive.
*shakes head* nahhhhh. no way!
but american psycho... that's some convincing depiction of a psychopath right there (and it's funny too)
― where ilxor ends and markers begins (history mayne), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:04 (twelve years ago) link
hahahahaha max
― some dude, Friday, 1 July 2011 13:05 (twelve years ago) link
a psychopath who is superficially charming...? couldn't be!
― jackie tretorn (elmo argonaut), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:35 (twelve years ago) link
so youre telling me these guys... dress up as women... to escape from the mob?
does. not. compute.
― ☂ (max), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:47 (twelve years ago) link
nuns on the run?
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:56 (twelve years ago) link
agree with contenderizer tho about the end, which is the whole reason why the
~let my love open the door~*holds baby*this changes everything epiphany
scene just derails the movie for me
― jackie tretorn (elmo argonaut), Friday, 1 July 2011 13:57 (twelve years ago) link
good morning!
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 1 July 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link
well, I guess it could be a thing for ppl who want to have babies
― joyless shithead (Dr Morbius), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:12 (twelve years ago) link
who says "good morning" 17 minutes before noon? completely unconvincing, I don't buy it.
― some dude, Friday, 1 July 2011 16:13 (twelve years ago) link
time travel
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:15 (twelve years ago) link
babies solve nothing.
― jackie tretorn (elmo argonaut), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:15 (twelve years ago) link
unless you need a cheap source of baby meat
― joyless shithead (Dr Morbius), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
"cheap"
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:34 (twelve years ago) link
$60k/lb
and that's for a fresh, white baby!
man swift really didnt factor in inflation
Babies, fyi, solve pension crises iirc
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Friday, 1 July 2011 17:36 (twelve years ago) link
still GPB.
"are you alright?"
"No, I'm NOT all right! I'm hurt, I'm pissed... I gotta find a new job!"
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 01:48 (two years ago) link
"You must have done some naughty shit there, Bart! There's a contract out on your life. I should know, I was hired to kill you. But I'm not going to do it. It's either because I'm in love with your daughter, or I have a newfound respect for life."
"That punk is either in love with that guy's daughter, or he has a newfound respect for life!"
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 01:50 (two years ago) link
I used to have such a thing for John Cusack. But in my opinion GPB is where he started coasting. I'd have said High Fidelity, but upon looking at his filmography, there's not a lot of there there.
― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 01:55 (two years ago) link
Love & Mercy is probably my favorite of his since Grosse Point Blank it’s not for everyone but i just love his portrayal of wilson, i like how he stops short of doing an impression but somehow still physically carrying and/or suggesting all of the turmoil
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 02:29 (two years ago) link
that was a good'un, yes, and I saw it during the throes of my BB obsession
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 02:36 (two years ago) link
Yeah he was good in that movie.
Anyone seen Grand Piano? I found it in a list of underrated thrillers and saw it had Cusack and Elijah Wood and was written by Damien Chazelle - surprised I'd never heard of it, with those names. It's a decent enough high-concept thriller but Cusack doesn't make much of an impression. Elijah commits much better to the ridiculous concept
― Vinnie, Tuesday, 30 November 2021 03:09 (two years ago) link