Hit Man movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Hit Man

This romantic comedy/crime thriller is now playing on Netflix, as well as in some theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 53 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

SPONSOR:

Because pie plays a role in the story, I thought this would be a perfect product to feature. Pecan pie is one of my all-time favorites!

Marie Callender’s Pie: https://amzn.to/4ch8lrs

Amazon now offers food products delivered by Whole Foods!

IN A NUTSHELL:

Before the movie begins, we see these words written on the screen: “This is based on a true story…unfortunately.” The real man the story is about passed away early on in the movie’s production, so he never got to see the film. The director only got to talk to him on the phone.

It’s about a strait-laced professor, Gary Johnson, who gets a side hustle working on data for the police department. When their “fake” hitman needs to be replaced, they call on Gary Johnson. It turns out that Gary has a talent for disguises and acting, as he engages with people who want a hitman to kill someone. He gets romantically involved with one of his “clients”, which propels him into morally dubious territory.

The dark comedy was directed by Academy Award winner Richard Linklater who also co-wrote the screenplay with Glen Powell and Skip Hollandsworth. Linklater and Powell also helped produce the movie.

THINGS I LIKED:

Glen Powell is THE guy nowadays, showing up in serious dramas, action flicks, and romantic comedies. I always just thought he was just eye candy, but I was truly impressed with his ability to create completely different characters in his role as Gary Johnson in this movie. Well done! Already, he has been nominated for “Best Actor” by the New Mexico Film Critics. We’ll get to see him again next month when his next movie, Twisters, hits the Big Screen. I’m super excited about that movie!
Glen’s leading lady is the beautiful Adria Arjona. Together, they have sizzling chemistry.
The rest of the cast does a great job of bringing us quirky, entertaining characters, and includes Retta, Austin Amelio, Sanjay Rao, and all of the people who wanted someone killed.
This is not a laugh out loud comedy. Instead, there is a lot of subtle humor in amusing conversations and crazy situations.
Because you’re worried about various people getting caught, the tension is fairly high throughout the entire movie.
We see lots of examples of people making choices and then having to live with the consequences.
There are two twists I didn’t see coming.
At its core, this movie is a steamy rom-com.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some will find the ending to be unsatisfying or even unfair. I don’t want to say too much because I try to create spoiler-free reviews, but the ending is a bit of a mismatch with other parts of the story.
In Act 2, I worried that the movie was just going to be an ongoing series of scenes showing Glen Powell make out. Luckily, we get back to the fun hit man story.
As a university teacher myself, I wanted to see more scenes where Glen Powell has fascinating lectures and conversations with his students.
One of the “lessons” of the movie which is preached by Gary Johnson to his students is that there are no absolutes in life. Some people will absolutely disagree with that philosophy.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including a lot of F-bombs
We see an unmarried couple in intimate moments (some skin, facial expressions, and noises). We see a shirtless man and a women in only her underwear. We see them in bed, in a bathtub, and doing a sexy role play.
There is a lot of talk of murder, as people pay Glen Powell’s character to kill their target.
We see a bloodless murder take place.

THEMES:

Murder
Crime
Dishonesty
Identity
Relationships
Choices and consequences

FUNNY LINES:

“Congrats, Gary. You just got promoted to contract killer.” – Claudette (Retta)
“Breathe. Think hitman thoughts.” – Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)
“You know, I’m forever fascinated and amazed by the folks who actually think that some guy they just met ten minutes ago, for not that much money, would risk the death penalty to help them with some crazy, murderous scheme. I almost envy their naivete and passion.” – Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)

INTERESTING LINES:

“You have to put yourself out there. You have to take risks and get out of your comfort zone because life is short. You have to live passionately and on your own terms.” – Sylvia “Well, I have a three-word response to that: Ab-so-lutely.” – Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)
“Oh man, you would not believe the side of humanity I’m hanging out with. And a lot of it is seeing how love has just curdled into hate, and murder is just the best way out.” – Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)
“You enjoying your pie?” – Madison (Adria Arjona) “All pie is good pie.” – Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)