Being John Malkovich (1999)

Absolute, esoteric entertainment

What a gem of a movie. Imaginative writing that was so hilarious, I couldn't wait for the next scene, to see if it was going to be funnier that the previous one. Orson Bean (Doctor Lester) was an unbelievable filthy, dirty, sex-starved old coot - "Insane, old lech" is how John Cusak's character; Craig Schwartz put it. The interplay between Cusak and Kathryn Keener (Maxine) was "way out there." Excellent direction from Spike Jonze.

I don't know what else to add but that this was the weirdest, most enjoyable movie I've seen in years. We should all be so lucky as to be in John Malkovich's eyes and then spit out 15 minutes later.

"I was John fu**ing Malkovich!" - exclaimed Cameron Diaz (Lotte Schwartz). A total crackup. "Malkovich!" "Malkovich!" "Malkovich!" "Malkovich!" You'll love "Craig's Dance Of Despair And Disillusionment" January 1, 2009

Mind-bending fun

This is one of the coolest, most bizarrely funny movies I have ever seen. It stayed with me long after I left the movie theater, and I just wanted to view it again and again. Charlie Kaufman wrote a brilliant screenplay and all the actors do a wonderful job as characters who develop such an anguish over their own existence. I love that it is a totally original tale. I recently added this DVD to my collection because it is one of my favorite movies of all time! December 26, 2008

2.5 stars out of 4

The Bottom Line:

Praised by critics, who (rightfully, to a degree) salute anything different--and boy is this movie different--Being John Malkovich is largely different for its own sake, eschewing any factors that would make the movie likable in favor of being off the wall. December 21, 2008

Being JM :)

Great PQ and good AQ for the type of movie (mostly dialog). Very good over-all, and of course a great story. October 13, 2008

Masterfully ingenuous and utterly incomparable...

Charlie Kaufman may be the greatest screenwriter of our generation. He's written three of the greatest screenplays in recent memory (`Being John Malkovich', `Adaptation' and `Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind') and those are just the three I've seen (to be honest, I was not entirely impressed with `Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' and I never saw `Human Nature'). He has a knack for creating scenarios that are entirely improbable yet tap into the very soul of a human. His films are not merely comedic entertainment but are important and philosophical in their relation to human nature and innate desire.

`Being John Malkovich' is not your typical comedy.

The film tells the story of puppeteer Craig Schwartz who is growing tired of not having an audience for his work. After he is persuaded by his wife to get a job he finds that his new working environment is opening portals (quite literally) to an entirely new existence. Hidden away in his very workroom is a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, the actor. Yes, by crawling through a long cramped tunnel one can be John Malkovich for fifteen minutes before being spit out over the Jersey turnpike. Craig, having fallen for his intriguing coworker Maxine, devises a plan with her to charge admission into the mind of Malkovich, but entering that portal changes their lives in many other ways.

There are so many ways to interpret this movie that I feel as if touching upon them all would be too difficult a task at this point. I will admit that watching this film, and even more so just contemplating its meanings afterward, changed me in a way.

To be completely honest, I woke up wanting to be John Malkovich.

The film exposes some very human truths, in regards to the desire to be someone we're not and the desire to see ourselves through someone else's eyes. It also, in a somewhat humorous way, exposes the worthlessness of celebrity in itself, the almost faux notion that making a name for ones self really makes a difference. First we have Craig who just wants to practice his work, but he hasn't the name to do so. In Malkovich he finds a way to expound upon his love of puppeteering. Then you have his wife Lotte who is unsatisfied with her existence in finds in Malkovich something that feels right. Then you have Maxine who desires to be desired, and while she is desired by many she is not desired for the right reasons, until she stares into Malkovich's eyes and sees Lotte starring back at her.

And then we have Malkovich. What I thought was so great about the script was that it in a humorous and sub-plotted kind of way approached that fact that celebrity is not as glamorous as one expects. Malkovich is regarded as a respected and loved actor yet no one that talks to him really knows what movies he has made or what roles have made him so `respected'.

"Who's John Malkovich?"

The films brilliant prose is bolstered by the fantastic, and I mean FANTASTIC, performances by the entire cast. John Cusack is awkward, goofy and tired, which masterfully captures his characters unhappiness with his lot in life. Cameron Diaz is brilliantly sporadic with her actions and feelings, adding layers to her characters inborn struggle to be herself. Catherine Keener is flawless as Maxine. She demands our attention with her marvelous manipulation of our emotions. We want her to get what she wants even if it destroys us. This movie though, is called `Being John Malkovich', and honestly, it is John Malkovich himself that drives it all home. His brilliant portrayal of himself is utterly flawless. I have liked him in the past and found him stale in the past, but this performance is astonishing in every sense of the word; especially as it draws to a climax and he starts to unravel.

`Being John Malkovich' is funny, sure, but like Kaufman's other work, `Being John Malkovich' is so much more than a typical comedy. It answers questions (or at least asks very many) about life, human interaction and the very root of who we are and who we want to be.

Have you ever wanted to be someone else? Of course you have. September 10, 2008

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