Glen Powell is single-handedly trying to bring back screwball comedies. This talented matinee idol whose good looks remind me of Robert Redford, has talent and versatility. He can play both serious and comic roles. He played the lead in the comedy-horror tv series, “Screen Queens”. Recently he was a roguish fly boy in Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick”. He starred with Sydney Sweeney in a screwball romantic comedy, “Anyone but You” in 2023.
For a light romantic comedy, “Anyone but You” had staying power. The two leads are talented good-looking actors, but the film was successful due to the screwball comedy elements. The couple had good faux-animosity and pratfalls aplenty–falling in the ocean or winding up wearing almost nothing on a hike. The goofiness and wit elevated the simple romantic comedy into a fun crowd-pleaser. The film had a limited theatrical run that was boosted by a re-release for Valentine’s Day this year.
Riding the success of his latest films, Powell is creating work he wants to see in the cinemas. He stars in “Hit Man”, a film he co-wrote and produced with director Richard Linklater. The plot is loosely based on a 2001 magazine article in Texas Monthly (Skip Hollandsworth). An outlandish tale of a philosophy professor who becomes an undercover hit man for the police and begins to disappear into his roles. “Hit Man” premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival. Despite its intriguing story and the crackling chemistry between the leads, the film wasn’t an easy sell.
Netflix has given “Hit Man” a limited theatrical release and will stream the film starting on June 7, 2024. It’s really a shame. We had a lackluster box office weekend for Memorial Day. There was the loud, gruesome “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” with an origin story for Furiosa that no one was clamoring for–even the brilliant Anya Taylor-Joy couldn’t save the day. A new “Garfield” movie premiered that some families enjoyed but it seemed to have the wrong voice cast for the lead character, Garfield. Chris Pratt is a loveable goofball but an odd fit for a lazy, hungry cat.
Audiences should be flocking to watch “Hit Man” instead. Sadly, it’s not playing outside a handful of arthouse cinemas. A rollicking action comedy–it’s the perfect date film. Like “Anyone but You”, the stars are good-looking and have great chemistry. This film is also very sexy and funny. Powell gets to embody various personas, some with comically bad hair, teeth or tattoos. His character, Gary Johnson, researches who he thinks the client will trust as their hired killer. Then he becomes that person. There’s a clever montage of his various characters in the trailer for the film.
Gary, our nerdy professor with awkwardly parted hair, removes his glasses and changes out of his cargo pants. Suddenly, he’s full of confidence and swagger; he becomes a self-assured lady’s man. For the beautiful Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona), he becomes the suave Ron. It’s like Clark Kent and Superman. It’s actually more of a stretch to see Powell as the uncool teacher. And as time goes on, there becomes more “Ron” in Gary’s life.
The film feels as if it’s set in an earlier era. There’s the police procedural part of the story with the run-down stakeout van and sarcastic police buddies (Rhetta and Sanjay Rao). There’s a flavor of New Orleans with the rides on the trolley and talk of bayous. Then there are the colorful characters who hire Gary as their hitman. The film retains a sense of playfulness with allusions to other spy films and even a nod to “Twin Peaks” with the coffee and pie.
What elevates the film is the exploration of human nature. Do we really become the characters we pretend to be? Can we change our nature by embodying traits that propel us toward a better, richer life? Gary discusses these issues with his classes and seems to use his new hobby as a tool for self-actualization. The film begins with college kids clearly bored, with Gary at the chalk board and ends with an outdoor philosophy discussion with engaged students and a few girls even crushing on their professor.
It’s refreshing to have a film that’s crafted for an intelligent audience. Yes, it’s silly and sexy but there’s a few lessons to go with the outlandish wigs. “Hit Man” is a great showcase for Glen Powell and the screwball comedy is a perfect fit for his talents. I hope he continues to find collaborators like Richard Linklater. Instead of pandering to audiences, let’s have more films that combine action and romance with a little light philosophy.
Watch “Hit Man” when it steams on Netflix starting June 7th, 2024.
Drinks With Films rating:
3 ½ cups of diner coffee while discussing the imminent demise of your loved one (out of 5)
Drinks with films 