‘Hit Man’ Movie Review: Glen Powell Charms His Way Through An Amusing Rom-Com
Photo from Brian Roedel/Netflix
From Jeff Nelson
Hit Man is a breed of crowd-pleasing comfort viewing guaranteed to win over an audience. Richard Linklater and Glen Powell co-wrote a screenplay that embraces its rom-com tropes, while simultaneously presenting them with a small twist. It’s a sweet, all-around entertaining affair that works as well as it does thanks to an endlessly charming Powell, even if the film rests beneath the delightful style hinges too much on conventional storytelling.
Professor Gary Johnson (Powell) works a day job in a university classroom lecturing on psychology and philosophy, while he takes on a side hustle working for the city police. A sudden workplace emergency requires him to go undercover as a fake hitman to collect the necessary evidence against alleged suspects searching to arrange assassinations. His priorities shift when he’s hired by the gorgeous Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona), with whom he soon develops a romantic relationship.
Identity has a big part to play in Hit Man, both in and out of the classroom. Gary’s psychology lessons mirror his transformative journey in identity that becomes incredibly literal. His real life is perfectly average, lacking the ability to grow, as put by his ex-wife. Gary breaks these assumptions when he takes on multiple personalities as stereotypical hitmen to match a client’s perception of what a hired assassin should look, speak, and act like. Maddy swoons over his suave alter ego named Ron, causing this new persona to bleed into all other aspects of his life. The lines between Gary and these other identities begin to blur.
Hit Man feels like it would burst into an action film as Gary makes one morally corrupt enemy after another, but it never does. Linklater never steers from the rom-com lane, although he plays with common tropes that come with femme fatales and mysterious assassins. The humor doesn’t swing for laugh-out-loud jokes, but its sense of humor lands its fair share of chuckles. Most of these land thanks to Powell’s commitment to the various hitmen he takes on, unafraid to shed the sexy movie star image for silliness when it’s called for. However, his chemistry with Arjona is admittedly lukewarm.
Similar to the comedy, the storytelling remains rather minor. Its commitment to an overly light tone holds it back from making a greater impression dramatically, romantically, and comedically. Most characters along his path never reappear, including an ex-wife turned best friend who feels notable in his journey.
Hit Man plays it safe along formulaic beats, but Linklater’s easy-going tone and Powell’s jaunty movie star charm make for a delectable pairing. There’s an innately effortless quality to it that makes it breezy, although it also begs for more vigor to its storytelling. The intended fiery romance is merely a flickering flame that never bursts in a way that makes us care about their plight. Even so, Linklater has an enjoyable rom-com on his hands that is worth taking the shot on.
Rating: 3/5
Hit Man hits theaters on May 24th, 2024, before it streams on Netflix on June 7th, 2024.
