History Film / GrossePointeBlank

* DeadpanSnarker: Martin, Dr. Oatman, Debbi and Marcella.

* SignedUpForTheDental: When Martin tells Debbie that he's a professional killer, she asks if he gets dental with that, but he tells her no.

* CreatorCameo: D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink, two of the co-writers of the movie, each play former classmates of Martin and Debi's.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Debi mentions in passing that her apartment burned down on Devil's Night. The night before Halloween, which is known by the people of Detroit as "Devil's Night" was originally intended as a night of mischief, but starting in The '70s, it was a night where a lot of arson went down, with its peak reached in the mid to late 1980s, which saw no fewer than eight hundred fires being set in one single night. Things have gotten better in the 21st century, thanks in large part to community groups that formed specifically to prevent the arsons, in an effort known as "Angel's Night."

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Whichever automobile corporation wants [[spoiler:Mr. Newberry (Debi's father)]] assassinated because they have deemed it better than [[spoiler:fix the leaky sunroof of their most recent car model]]. PlayedForLaughs ([[BlackComedy dark ones, of course]]).

* SympatheticPOV: When the protagonist is an assassin, it makes it easier for the NSA agents antagonistic to him to seem like ThoseTwoBadGuys. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they are [[DirtyCop dirty agents]] looking for a scapegoat rather than a real terrorist.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Played with in the conversations between Martin and Grocer; also, the two NSA agents.

** The game the gas station clerk is playing is an arcade version of VideoGame/{{Doom}}. Double shout out, as a similar machine appeared on Series/{{Seinfeld}}.

* SignedUpForTheDental: Averted; when Martin tells Debbie that he's a professional killer, she asks if he gets dental with that, but he tells her no.

Martin Blank is a government-trained freelance hitman living under a decade-long existential crisis. When his latest job takes him to his old home town on Grosse Point, Michigan, on the very weekend of his high school reunion, his worlds collide and he's forced to confront some dangling threads of his past life. Complicating matters is the unwanted attention he's receiving from his professional rival Grocer, who's given him an [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse offer Blank can't refuse]] to join his new WeirdTradeUnion of [[MurderInc assassins]]. Blank has to dodge hitmen, elude the NSA, find his target, and (most alarmingly) reconnect with the girl he abandoned on graduation day.

* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse; The death of little Boudreaux, the retriever. Made even worse by the fact that Boudreaux's death was not only an honest-to-God accident, it was also an accident Martin was not even tangentially involved in. It didn't stop him from being "the guy who blew up a dog".

* {{Expy}}: The film ''Film/WarInc'' which also stars both Cusack siblings is a SpiritualSuccessor to this one, and they play basically the same characters with different names (although [[DarkerAndEdgier more sociopathic]] in both cases).

* NeverLiveItDown: The death of little Boudreaux, the retriever. Made even worse by the fact that Boudreaux's death was not only an honest-to-God accident, it was also an accident Martin was not even tangentially involved in. It didn't stop him from being "the guy who blew up a dog".

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Grocer is anxious to recruit Blank into his Hitman Guild, so there won't be any more "embarrassing overlaps."

* IronicEcho: Grocer's "Popcorn!", [[spoiler:later used when Martin kills him with a TV.]]

* ArcWords:
** ''You're a psycho!''
** "It's not me."

* DeadlyEuphemism: Used a good deal by all of the assassin characters (e.g. after botching a hit, Martin complains to his psychiatrist about problems with "concept execution"), and is {{lampshaded}} by one of the NSA agents after referring to "waxing" Martin. He complains about the other using weasel words like that, wondering why the other can't simply say "kill".
* DiegeticSwitch: In this case, "Film/LiveAndLetDie"-getic. Switches from the Music/GunsNRoses cover to an easy-listening instrumental when Martin walks into the convenience store.

-->'''Martin:''' No, no. Psychopaths kill for no reason. I kill for ''money''. It's a ''job''...That didn't sound right.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Shown somewhat when [[spoiler:Debi) accepts Martin's profession and nature in the end (with her father even proudly approving)]]. Though to be fair, there's not really a smoother option, given the film's premise...

** Grocer comes off this way. Marty too, to an extent, although he tends to be more "affably amoral."

-->'''Martin''': (mutters) No meetings. (''keeps firing'').

* HeelRealization: Martin realizes how hollow his life is before the movie plays out, but it isn't until the reunion that propels him to do something about it.

* ImprovisedWeaponUser: "I killed the [[BananaRepublic President of Paraguay]] with a fork". During the film, Martin also kills with a fountain pen, a frying pan and a TV Set.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Grocer plays with it. He is not faking being affable but he has absolutely zero remorse in killing the guy he was being friendly to a second ago and treating like like [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor some sort of prank or game.]]

** Marcella, Martin's secretary/assistant/facilitator, is incredibly chipper and friendly for someone who helps her boss in committing murder