Thoughts from the Ledge: Growing up with John Cusack
Welcome to my weekly series where I pay homage to those unsung heroes of the horror genre. This installment, I am going to discuss John Cusack.
When people think of him, they usually don’t think of scary movies but Cusack has done his fair share of dipping his toe into the genre. Plus, I have been following his career since both of us were seventeen so I guess you could say we kind of grew up together.
“Let’s Encyclopedia Brown this bitch.” – Mike Enslin
I Love the 80s
John Cusack – Courtesy of Embassy Pictures, Monument Pictures
I remember when I first “met” John Cusack. It was 1983 and I was fresh out of high school and ready to embark on the exciting world of college. My friend dragged me to the movie theater to see Class with those two hot brat packers, Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy.
John played Roscoe. After that, he was all over the place. Twenty-one years before 1408, he starred in his first Stephen King venture Stand by Me as Denny Lachance, brother to Wil Wheaton’s Gordie. However, it wasn’t until Say Anything in 1989 when John truly made his mark on the silver screen.
As the deeply devoted lover of Diane, Lloyd Dobler, his most memorable scene (besides the boombox by the car to the tune of In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel) would have to be after he tells Diane that he loves her. Standing in a phone booth, in the pouring rain, his heart broken into a million pieces, he tells his real-life sister, Joan, “I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”
To this day, that quote has serviced me well. At that moment, Cusack graduated from teen angst movies to the world of adulthood. The pathos in his eyes, digs into your soul. For me, that defined my 80s. Full of promise yet felled by reality.
Hurtling Through the 90s Toward Adulthood
John Cusack – Courtesy of Astralwerks, Gramercy Pictures (I), Propaganda Films
The 90s were a pivotal decade for John. Now, he was in the majors playing opposite such heavy hitters as Al Pacino in City Hall and starring in auteur filmmakers’ movies like Robert Altman, Woody Allen and Terrence Malick.
He also got to hang out with Clint Eastwood in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as well as star in the huge action flick, Con Air with Nic Cage. However, Grosse Pointe Blank was a revelation for him. The hitman with a heart combined dark humor with a gritty undertone to produce a truly unique film.
The scene where he is shooting up Minnie Driver’s house with Dan Aykroyd is priceless. When the two of them discuss a union for contract killers it is absurd yet supremely funny.
Being John Malkovich and his turn as puppeteer Craig Schwartz was yet another step in his evolution as an actor. Playing a man who is just sleepwalking through life and his marriage, he stumbles upon a portal in his office that propels him into the mind of actor John Malkovich.
This film is crazy but allows Cusack a wide range of emotions. It is fun watching him mature as a performer. The hint of greatness is yet to come.
Macabre Millennium
John Cusack – Courtesy of Dimension Films, The Weinstein Company, Di Bonaventura Pictures
The world feared the onset of Y2K while John continued making movies. He started the year off doing rom coms like High Fidelity which was truly excellent, America’s Sweethearts and Serendipity. Around 2003 is when his choices became more interesting.
He signed on for James Mangold’s Identity. Set in Nowhere Nevada in a torrential rainstorm, ten strangers with intertwining lives find themselves at a creepy motel where they are being killed off one by one.
Paranoia sets in and things turn upside down. As the group tries to determine who is committing the murders, the film goes full blown psychological thriller. Taut performances, a well written script and on point direction push this film into the classic category.
Cusack’s character is very integral to the storyline. He plays Ed with such conviction that when all the layers are peeled back, it makes everything that happened believable. In the hands of a lesser actor, the plot may have become a joke.
Welcome to 1408
Segue to 2007 and we come to 1408. This horror film is disturbing yet touching at the same time. Trying to come to grips with his daughter dying, Mike Enslin myth buster of the paranormal checks himself into a menacing hotel where everyone meets an unfortunate fate in room 1408.
Based on Stephen King’s short story, this movie truly delivers. As a man who may or may not be losing his mind, Cusack excels at quiet torment. When he becomes terrified at the chaos surrounding him in the God forsaken room, you find your anxiety levels going up as well.
Conversely, we also get to see his wide range of emotions. When tears fall silently down his face as he watches his daughter on the television, you understand that this man is not through grieving for his little girl. It becomes personal and that is where Cusack’s greatness resides.
He knows how to draw us in as an audience. In turn, we are captivated and feel as if we are part of the story. When things take a turn for the worse in 1408 and evil is rampant, we pray that Mike can make it out alive.
Like Identity, this film is a textbook exercise in psychological horror. I will tell you Cusack’s acting made me decide to focus on him for this installment of Thoughts from the Ledge. Since I had followed his career for over thirty years, watching 1408 left me with a feeling of satisfaction. The kind of emotion you get when a close friend has a personal success.
What Dreams May Come
Although I don’t know John Cusack, I feel as if I do. We are the same age. Both of us past that significant half century mark. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the future. His IMDB profile states that he still hasn’t reached his ultimate goal of being involved in a “great piece of art.”
Don’t worry about it, J.C. Like Sinatra sings, “the best is yet to come.” Trust me, the horizon is yours.
Next: Deep Web Terror: Come play Sad Satan, the most disturbing game ever
What is your favorite John Cusack role? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. We want to hear from you!