john cusack

I don't remember why (I was drinking Fiesta del Mar margaritas), but at some point during tonight’s Guys Night Out the conversation turned to early John Cusack films.

Cusack is a very talented actor who began his career playing an uber-geek in the seminal Sixteen Candles. From there he starred in a number of well-written romantic comedies like Say Anything and One Crazy Summer where he mastered the portrayal teen angst before progressing to excellent art house films (Being John Malcovich) and big Hollywood features (Runaway Jury). Cusack is a GNO favorite and here are our top 5 John Cusack films:

5. The Grifters (1991) Cusack is a confidence man in this slick Scorsese-produced film. Annette Bening, Angelica Huston and John’s older sister Joan Cusack all turn in excellent performances

4. Grosse Point Blank (1997) Cusack plays a hitman returning to Michigan for his 10 year high school reunion in this black comedy. The highlight is the phenomenal soundtrack with cuts from the Violent Femmes, the Clash, Queen and the Jam

3. High Fidelity (2000) Cusack is a record store owner with an encyclopedic knowledge of music in this dark movie about relationships and breakups. Its soundtrack plays a prominent role, but the highlights are the discussions about album organization systems

2. The Sure Thing (1985) A classic coming of age film directed by Rob Reiner. It popularized shot-gunning beers and immortalized the roadtrip. A disappointing ending keeps it out of the top spot but it is still up there with the all-time greats. Look for appearances by Tim Robbins, Anthony Edwards and Daphne Zuniga

1. Better Off Dead (1985) Unquestionably Cusack's finest work and the best movie in this list. It has the paperboy (“I want my $2"), the hot foreign exchange student and the Japanese race-car drivers who speak just like Howard Cosell