Being John Malkovich (1999) User Reviews

Wildly Imaginative Surreal Masterwork That Pushes The Limits Of Storytelling

[gogoschka-1 · 9/10 · 11 February 2018]

Charlie Kaufman (script) and Spike Jonze (director) burst on the scene together with their collaboration on this crazy masterpiece. 'Being John Malkovich' pushes the limits of storytelling; this wildly imaginative film shows that even the most surreal storyline can still be made entertaining if a filmmaker doesn't care about conventions and knows just what the medium is capable of. Perhaps the most original release in a year that had several very original releases ('Fight Club' and 'The Matrix' were both also released in '99), the film's playful creative energy had an effect on screenwriters, directors, actors and producers that can hardly be overstated. There had simply never been anything like it - and one only has to look at a contemporary TV show like 'Legion' to see what a mark this film left. Groundbreaking and simply inspired. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

strange and compelling

[SnoopyStyle · 9/10 · 4 May 2015]

Unemployed puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) and animal lover Lotte Schwartz (Cameron Diaz) are in a loveless marriage. Craig gets a job on the low ceiling 7½ floor of a Manhattan office building. He falls for alluring fellow worker Maxine Lund (Catherine Keener) who doesn't return the feelings. He finds a doorway in his office that leads into the mind of John Malkovich. After 15 minutes, the person is ejected into a ditch on the New Jersey Turnpike. Maxine decides to sell tickets at $200 a pop. Lotte is completely changed by the experience and thinks she's a transsexual. Craig's boss Dr. Lester is obsessed with Malkovich.

This is one of the strangest and most compelling ideas ever put on the screen written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. It is exciting that everything and everyone is a little off in this movie. Cameron Diaz is ugly. John Cusack is disheveled. Catherine Keener is a sex goddess. The whole movie is off its axis and so much the better for it. It's so weird that it's a lot of fun.

'Consciousness is a terrible curse'...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 15 September 2020]

... but without it you'd be unconscious or you wouldn't be you, or are you, you? Exploring identity, appearance, choice and fame in the most original and entertaining of ways, this esoterically amusing vision of what makes us who we are manages to keep you engaged and amused while encouraging a little self reflection upon completion - that is if it is you doing the reflecting, pulling your own strings, grinding your own organ, dancing to your own tune.

I want to be John Malkovich.

[pikachu · 10/10 · 23 November 1999]

This film was absolutely incredible. Attempting to explain the plot in any way that would do it justice would be an excercise in futility, but let it be said that I see many, many movies, and in my lifetime, I have never seen a movie such as Being John Malkovitch.

The acting is completely brilliant .. Cameron Diaz is nearly unrecognizable, both in behavior and appearance, as is John Cusack. John Malkovich was presented with an interesting opportunity in playing himself, and he seems to have seized the opportunity with relish. He is most definitely not being himself in front of the camera, but instead creates this wonderful character of John Malkovich the vessel.

I've admired Spike Jonez's work for a good long time, and I'm pleased to say that in his first full length feature as a director, he succeeds with flying colors in creating an original, beautiful, humorous, and good natured picture.

See Being John Malkovich, because come Oscar time, you're going to want to know why its winning!

"Meet you in Malkovich in one hour"

[Galina_movie_fan · 10/10 · 19 April 2007]

Being John Malkovich (1999), the Spike Jonze's directorial debut, is an amazing film - hip, inventive, delightfully weird, incredibly funny and disturbingly serious with the gleefully absurd plot twists. Let's face it, that was a stroke of genius - to throw together the tragic medieval lovers, Abelard and Heloise in the street show created by a talented puppeteer Craig Scwartzh (John Cusack) with the nimble fingers but out of work in "today's wintry economic climate", Elijah the Chimp with the mental problems that go back to his childhood, the surreal office that is located on the 7 1/2 store of a New York City office building and a floor is four feet high. Add Cameron Diaz (Craig's animals loving wife Lotte), completely unrecognizable, aging and balding Charlie Sheen, cynical and practical Maxine (Catherine Keener), who had an unique experience of having two people looked at her "with complete lust and devotion, through the same pair of eyes", and send them all to the wild ride inside the famous and respectable actor John Malkovich's brain to see what he sees and to feel what he feels, to the trip that would last 15 minutes and end up in a ditch on the side of New Jersey Turnpike.

This is just the beginning...Oh, and what John Horatio Malkovich feels with all the travelers in his head and what he sees when he enters the portal to his own brain, you have to find out for yourself! What drug were Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze on?! Not even two hours long, the movie never ceases to surprise and entertain. "Being John Malkovich" is a fascinating and truly original film which I love and always enjoy watching even if there were never a connection with any of its characters (with the exception of Abelard and Heloise and Elijah the Chimp).

Three who deserved one another

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 7 July 2019]

I give my nine points for originality and the quality of production though, not the likeability of the characters. John Cusack and Cameron Diaz play Craig and Lotte Schwartz, a married couple that are going through the motions and don't seem to realize it. Cameron Diaz is made up to be so dowdy looking that she is initially not even recognizable. They live in a basement apartment crowded with animals (Lotte is an animal lover who works at a pet shop). Craig is a puppeteer who cannot find work in his chosen field and even gets beat up on the street for staging what one beefy dad thinks is a sacrilegious puppet show.

At the suggestion of his wife, Craig goes looking for a regular job, and due to his fast hands he gets a job as a file clerk at LesterCorp. There he meets Maxine, a pretty but sociopathic young woman who, fortunately for society, seems to have no violent impulses, because if she did believe me she would follow them. Craig falls for her. Lotte falls for her. And they both make a play for her simultaneously when she comes over for dinner one night. She rejects them both.

Maxine made it clear from the beginning she considered Craig a pathetic loser, but she needs him to exploit something that Craig discovered - a door that leads to a portal in which anybody who enters gets to "become" John Malkovich for fifteen minutes. At the end of the fifteen minutes the person is spit out on the side of the road at the entry to the New Jersey Turnpike. As a team they reopen Lestercorp at night and charge people 200 dollars apiece to "become John Malkovich". Neither of them knows what this portal is doing there behind a file cabinet and why it leads to Malkovich, but they initially don't care past its monetary value.

It is part drama, part comedy, and even part horror and completely weird. And what the portal is doing there is all wrapped up in Dr. Lester, owner of Lestercorp, who is the only likeable character in the film, and even he has more than a bit of a Dr. Frankenstein/God complex.

Also featuring Mary Kay Place as the object of Dr. Lester's lust who has convinced him he has a terrible speech impediment - he does not, John Malkovich as himself, and Charlie Sheen as himself and Malkovich's friend. It is great seeing Charlie Sheen when he was still healthy.

Very highly recommended. But the plot is so weird you just have to let go of your reason and go with it.

One of the most unique, imaginative movies ever made. **** out of ****

[Movie-12 · 9/10 · 28 November 1999]

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) ****

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Orson Bean, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, and Charlie Sheen Director: Spike Jonze Running Time: 113 minutes Rated R (for sexuality and language)

By Blake French:

It is not every day that I use words in my movie reviews such as unique, creative, inventive, imaginative, original, fresh, mesmerizing, and unmatched. Under the circumstances of "Being John Malkovich," a wonderfully hilarious presentation of an incomprehensible idea, I find myself using every one of those phrases and then some more being deserved. Everything about it is labyrinthine, intriguing, and very funny. It is one of the years best films, and should be well presented come Academy Award time.

"Being John Malkovich" details the relationship between Craig and Lotte Schwartz. They basically live an old fashioned life in a small apartment with a miniature zoo of pets and a puppet factory inside. Lotte is a typical, unattractive homemaker while Craig holds that unusual occupation of being a professional puppeteer. Desperately searching for employment, Craig soon visits a business for an interview as a filer when he discovers for some odd reason the construction of the office floor is all but several feet tall, forcing all employees to bend over backwards just to walk around.

One of those employees is named Maxine, a highly seductive co-worker of Craig's. When he asks her out for a beer one night, Craig experiences lustful thoughts about her, and nearly begins an affair as his seemingly loving wife wonders around her happy little apartment all by herself.

As you can see, the household isn't exactly a joyful situation. All things change, from blossoming sexual confusion to inner self-esteem, when Craig uncovers a small door behind a filing cabinet in his office. It is tucked away, hidden acutely well in a dark corner, which is found mysteriously by accident when Craig droops a paper behind the cabinet. After Craig explores this deep miniature, seemingly endless hallway, he discovers this secret door leads to the brain of actor John Malkovich for fifteen minutes, then spits you out along the roadside afterwards.

Wow, sounds like "Alice in Wonderland," doesn't it...well, sort of. Craig first tells his co-worker about his discovery, who continues to think he's nuts. Then, after explaining and showing this portal to his wife, who is hysterical, Maxine begins to believe Craig, and concoct a devilish idea. To sell tickets allowing a pedestrian to enter the mind of a famous celebrity. The tagline: Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can.

It is very intriguing how the narrative point of view is juggled between Craig and then Lotte after the problem is introduced and then solved: the couples dead-end lives are lifted in glory. This creates a second conflict moving us smoothly into the second act. Perfect internal problems are created with the two female leads; Lotte and Maxine find themselves physically attracted to each other in unbelievable character twists. The two end up having a femininity sexual relationship while one is entrapped in the mind of Malkovich, and the other experiences the actual Malkovich. It is a beautifully crafted structure, with act breaks so clear and complications so faultless it is no wonder while this is such an effective picture.

Also first rate here are the performances. Although the film offers strange types of roles for these actors to indulge themselves in, they do a wonderfully energetic job. Cameron Diaz is flawlessly cast as Craig's sexually and mentally uncoordinated wife, and delivers us a comically riotous character. John Cusack as Craig himself is superior and believable as a down on his luck puppeteer, and possesses a perfect blend of humor and unpredictable qualities with his character. Also quite good here, John Malkovich, who has much more of a difficult role than one would think. He has some hard scenes where Craig controls him while inside his mind, which requires great skill to perform.

However, better than any performance, and more amazing then any flawless characters or plot, is the concept of a human being thinking up such an absurd idea as the imagination behind the beauty of "Being John Malkovich." With such a penetrating, magical atmosphere to it, it is kind of a shame that the filmmakers created this film in the form of a black comedy instead of something more harrowing. Although comedy is simply the most logical choice to categorize this type of film, wouldn't it have been interesting to see this movie as a drama, or perhaps as a spiritual awakening picture.

Regardless, the film still has an oddly powerful message to it, which I will not, nor do I ever directly reveal in any of my reviews. You see, since different individuals come from different backgrounds, and thus see things differently. It is because of this that I do not allow my personal take on a message persuade another filmgoer whose idea of a moral may be much different than my own. But I will say that "Being John Malkovich" might not overtake the box office, but for appreciative movie patrons, this one is sure to be treasured for a long time to come.

Brought to you by Gramercy Pictures.

Weird and original does not make for a great film

[baumer · 6/10 · 14 November 1999]

This is one film that has me completely torn. On the one hand there is so much to admire about Being John Malkovich. The film is rich with great performances, it is directed very well by a new comer, it is a wonderfully original idea and seeing John Malcovich have the guts to portray himself, or to parody himself is quite amazing. But on the other hand there is much to critisize about this movie. It is slow, it doesn't really have a point and the only metaphors that I can get from the film are not clear or really that mind blowing, and the last half an hour of the film is plain and simply-----bad. I really think that this is the type of film that cannot fail critically, critics are too afraid to tell it like it is when it comes to an "arty" film like this one. It is safe and obvious to critisize a film like Armageddon or Bone Collector but admitting that you didn't really enjoy a film such as this is tricky as a critic because you may look foolish to your cronies so naturally all of them come out and tell you how wonderful and amazing and great and ya da ya da ya da this film is. But the one thing that I noticed when I read all of the reviews before I saw the film is that not one review really told me why this film is all that they say it is, and that is because it isn't. As I said, there is much to "admire" about Being John Malkovich, just not a lot to like. But I will tell you what is good before I tell you what isn't.

The performances are incredible. John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Katherine Keener and John Malkovich turn in stellar portrayals of who they are. Cusack is the eccentric puppeteer that can't seem to get a break in life, Diaz is his repressed wife that perhaps only a few years ago would have been not just smart but down right gorgeous. Now she doesn't care about herself, only her animals that she cares for which includes a repressed monkey. She goes through one of the biggest awakenings. Keener plays Maxine, a sexy bitch that Cusack falls in lust for and then love. She is a bit of an enigma yet she is very self assured. And of course Malkovich plays a version of himself, perhaps a version that we, the public think he is. All four of these performances are rich and deeply layered. The story is also good in the sense that it is different than anything I have seen. It is fresh and nice at times to see a movie that is different than anything you have seen before. This is one of those movies, and I enjoyed it for that reason. But that is where my praise ends. That is all that I can really say is good about the film. While the film has it's moments of comedy and of interesting observations about life ( the big one being not to live vicariously through someone else or you may lose your identity ) it just didn't keep me interested or entertained for the majority of the film and especially for the last half hour. And for me to really enjoy a film and to think it is worth recommending to others, there has to be something to keep my interest. This film just moves along and seems to go nowhere. It doesn't have anything really great to say and it doesn't really take you anywhere. As I said, sure it is different, but that does not make it good. I do have a feeling that this film is going to get a rediculous amount of mention at Oscar time, but that is not fair. There are at least five films that I think are worthy of Oscar mention before this one, and other bound to be great films haven't even come out yet ( The Green Mile just to name one ).

I think perhaps this is a film that should be seen once because maybe what I get or didn't get out of it is completely different than what someone else will. After all there are many positive reviews in this very forum and perhaps that is saying something, but I personally don't like the film all that much and I think there are many films at the theater that are worth your time more than this one is. If you see it, don't say you haven't been warned. This is one film that I think the general public is wrong about and the longer it stays out, the more people will have a chance to see it and then people will realize that weird and original does make it great. It deserves kudos for being like that but not praise. There is a difference.

A gem resulting of an unexpected mix of Twilight zone and The Monty Python

[FrenchEddieFelson · 8/10 · 2 May 2019]

This film is excellently made and based on an imaginative, intelligent and wacky script: a depressive puppeteer discovers by chance a mysterious portal in his five-foot tall office located on the 7,5th floor of a Manhattan office building, leading within the head of the movie star John Malkovich. The cast is excellent and the actors co-exist in perfect symbiosis, literally as well as figuratively. The quintet John Cusack + Cameron Diaz + Orson Bean + Catherine Keener + John Malkovich is awesome.

A not exhaustive list of my favorite quotes: Meet you in Malkovich in one hour. The truth is for suckers, Johnny boy. Let's have sex on his table and then make him eat an omelette off of it. I comes before U. You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey, because consciousness is a terrible curse. There is truth, and there are lies, and art always tells the truth, even when it's lying. She's got her doctorate in speech impedimentology from Case Western. It's the idea of being inside someone else's skin and seeing what they see and feeling what they feel.

Undeniably creative, though thematically dense and jumbled

[andrewroy-04316 · 6/10 · 23 August 2020]

Being John Malkovich certainly deserves its reputation as one of the more bizarre, ambitious, and original premises out there, and I appreciate that Jonze and Kaufman fully committed to it. This is a film that is really difficult for me to collect my thoughts on, as it's difficult for me to parse what does and does not make sense among the absurdity. I like all of the performances, and I love the premise. Kaufman's screenplay is solid, with several very funny moments that highlight character quirks nicely in the first act. I actually didn't love Jonze's direction - thematically, I found it very jumbled and thought some editing of scenes did not flow smoothly. There were also small touches that felt like a lack of attention to detail or cutting corners, such as it being night outside when the characters say it's 4 PM, or the bizarre acceptance of everyone that such a portal is not only plausible but that the word gets out so quickly as to have customers all day (and who knows how they figured out how to get to floor 7.5 on their own). The true heart of the film, however, rests on the idea of inhabiting someone else's body, and how that changes a person. The notion of an increase in empathy and self-understanding after such an experience is touched on early by Lotte, and only caring about someone for their external appearance is one of the most important themes I took away from the film. I love the idea of immortality through vessels, though both the explanation of how it came about and the way it works for those old people should have been clearer (also, you're telling me someone wrote a book on this top secret vessel process?). While I appreciate that the characters are well defined and unique, they were also by far my biggest problem with Kaufman's screenplay. Craig's absolute obsession with Maxine from the moment he saw her, despite being married and her treating him terribly, was ridiculous. Maxine's disinterest in Craig and Lotte in themselves but loving them within Malkovich is a very interesting idea, but they should've explored the root of that, which unfortunately never happened. Lotte and Craig's relationship is very strange and doesn't seem to make any sense for either of them. There's a lot to appreciate about the film, and I do think you could make a wide range of arguments for different thematic points the film could be making in the third act. That can be good as I do like some ambiguity, but also am frustrated by the lack of clarity in what the vessel process truly represents, and the other small inconsistencies in the characters and direction leave me barely choosing the former between a 6 and a 7.

It's Out And There's Nothing Like It

[unscathedicarus · 10/10 · 1 December 1999]

Being John Malkovich leaves you astounded. What happened in that dark theater? Twist and turn, one thing more fantastical than the next, this movie is 100 % UNIQUE. Even the introduction and the setting of the film are outlandish to say the least. The movie develops quickly, plummetting viewers into the warped world it creates; while the surroundings are strange, they are presented without leaving the audience convinced and I found that my questions about Malkovich's mysterious portal, such as "What happens if John Malkovich goes into his own portal?", were answered.

The directoral work in John Malkovich is quite interested at times as well. Seeing the world through John Malkovich's eyes is not an easy feat to accomplish, but is done tactfully.

However, it is the interactions between the characters that fortifies this film. Cuscack, completely smitten by Catherine Keener's character, finds that his love is unrequited. There are more twists in this story, but that's for you to find out, now isn't it? So be John Malkovich!

Surrealistic Truman Show with absurd humor

[VolkerShmuley · 7/10 · 27 January 2021]

People either rate it as a masterpiece or a garbage. So I'll give you a more useful review that's not tainted with too much emotion.

This movie is an absurd comedy. And absurd comedy is like grapefruit - if you're expecting the taste of orange, you will be disappointed. But if you come with an open mind and no expectations then you'll have a chance to enjoy this odd flavor. Just like that office on the 7 1/2th floor that has absurdly low ceiling where staff go on about their daily work all hunched, not betting an eye about the absurdity of it all.

The characters in the movie are odd and bizarre. They feel like they lack depth and they are hard to empathize or relate to. At first I blamed it on acting but then I realized this was deliberate. They are part of that bizarre, surreal world. And John Malcovic is the only normal person who finds himself in this bizarre world surrounded by twisted characters that act without morals and common sense. And this is when you're reminded of Truman Show.

It's worth watching but it's not for everyone. It won't become my next favorite movie but I've enjoyed being taken on a different, non-conventional, twisted journey where I found myself laughing many times.

Falls apart rather quickly

[Gabriel_Kuntze · 5/10 · 25 March 2021]

Well, well... this was some hell of a ride. I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie, but certainly not this drug fueled trip. I really wanted to like this film, but sadly it has so many flaws that, at least for me, ended with a sour taste in my mouth.

First of all, the good things: I liked the concept, the acting (I recognized Cameron Diaz but I had to check it out to make sure), John Cusack is great as the loser hopelessly in love, and the puppet work is amazing - probably the best part of the movie. I loved all the comedy that had nothing to do with the main plot: the silly office, the deaf secretary, the crazy boss, Charlie Sheen cameo... basically, during the first half of the movie, it had its moments of laughs. Sadly, it went downhill from there.

Now, the bad: the plot went nowhere. I was hoping for some kind of conclusion or idea behind the ego or something like that, but it never came. It basically dwelled 100% in the sexual side of the characters, and never moved away from there.

For example, when Craig takes full control of John and he performs in front of Maxine, I was really hoping for him to discover that his skills with the puppets were gone, since he was using another body and his fingers weren't the same, but sadly that didn't happened. That would've been amazing to show us that, regardless of how bad our lives are, everything that makes us "us" is unique and personal. Yet, here it seems that if you're very strong and transport to a skinny guy, your strength goes with you... in your mind, I guess?

The whole old-people-trying-to-live-forever thing made no sense. Who took control of John's body after all? Just the main guy? The rest of the people were just prisoners in his mind? What kind of eternal life is that?

While I think the actors were good, the characters sucked. Maxine is really cruel and mean, then suddenly she's nice, she hates Craig's puppets, then she asks him to perform for no reason, she doesn't like Lotte physically, then she spends her life with her. Craig only wants to perform with puppets, then he completely forgets about them because he "fell in love". Lotte is simply bizarre. At the end, I didn't cared about any of them, because they didn't cared about themselves.

The ending is just bitter, at least for me. Basically, nobody learned anything, except that the chicks liked each other. No one seemed to care about John like, at all. Why not a single one of the hundreds of people going into his mind managed to take hold over it, by the way?

So, whatever. I'm pretty sure this movie doesn't get bad reviews because it's "psychological, original, and deep", therefore if you say anything bad about it it's because "you didn't get it". I'm sorry, I think it's just a mess. Great idea, but poorly executed and went nowhere. It does have its moments though, but they're short and crammed in the beginning.

Being John Malkovich is a Wild Ride

[paul-nemecek · 9/10 · 3 July 2018]

This has been a great year for alternate realities at the movies. Films like The Matrix, Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project, Thirteenth Floor, and Run, Lola, Run have all, in different ways, played with the line that separates past from present, reality from simulation, and truth from fiction. Being John Malkovich can be added to this list of innovative films that a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly described as the first films of the 21st century.

There is little in this film that is formula. John Cusack plays a gifted puppeteer who aspires to be one of the world's great puppeteers. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of job openings for puppeteers so he is reduced to street theater where he is clearly underappreciated. An almost unrecognizable Cameron Diaz plays Cusack's wife, a pet lover who is just a little quirky. When Cusack decides to take a job as a file clerk on floor 7.5 of an office building, life becomes even weirder. Cusack discovers an opening behind a file cabinet, a little door that leads into a tunnel. Like the characters in C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (or Alice Through the Looking Glass), Cusack jumps in and finds himself in an alternative universe. Instead of Narnia or Wonderland, Cusack finds himself on a 15-minute ride inside actor John Malkovich (played quite capably by . . . John Malkovich).

Cusack joins forces with a co-worker to create a business. For $200 people can spend 15 minutes inside of John Malkovich's head, seeing the world through his eyes. Since this is even better than Real World or a WebCam show, people come in droves. Eventually, Malkovich himself discovers what's going on and jumps the line to go inside of his own mind. This leads to what has to be one of the more unique scenes in the history of film. The story takes on an even more interesting twist when Cusack finds a unique way to fulfill his lifelong dream of being the world's greatest puppeteer.

This is one weird film--and I've left out some of the weird. This is also one of the most creative films I have seen, and the film raises interesting questions about consciousness, identity, love and meaning. There are great performances here by Cusack, Diaz, Malkovich, and Catherine Keener (Cusack's co-worker and eventual love interest). The real star of the show, however, is the story itself. First-time screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has crafted an interesting and innovative story. First-time director Spike Jonze handles the material extremely well. This is clearly not a film for all tastes, and the language and sexual scenes may well offend. This is, however, something that is very rare, in Hollywood--innovative, creative, and thought provoking. Watch for this film during the Oscar nominations. If this doesn't get nominated for screenplay--at least--I will hang up my trophy.

Insanely brilliant and brilliantly insane.

[James Birtwhistle · 10/10 · 29 June 2001]

All hail Spike Jonze for he is a genius. Not content with being the undisputed king of music videos, he's set his sights on full-length-feature-films. One might imagine that the often surreal, always innovative humour of his short music promos might not transfer across to a much longer production – like hell. ‘Being John Malkovich' is a fresh exciting stroke of genius.

John Cusack is Craig Schwartz, an unemployed puppeteer looser guy. In order to earn a living he is forced to find himself a regular job, only it soon becomes apparent that regular it is not. Working as a filing clerk on floor seven and a half, Craig stumbles across a portal into John Malkovich's head. No, really, that's what happens. Anyway, he turns this into a business venture with help from the beautiful Maxine (Catherine Keener), whom he lusts after. Maxine is more interested, however, in his wife, Lotte (Diaz, like you've never seen her before) but only when she's being John Malkovich.

Don't worry if this all sounds a little strange to you, it should do, it's probably the most surreal film ever made. I obviously can't give all the credit for this to director Spike Jonze; Charlie Kaufman is the genius that wrote this insanity. He's the most acutely imaginative and ingenious man of our time.

With such a fantastic cast the acting is of course superb; everyone's brilliant, especially Malkovich himself. Well obviously, you say, he's playing himself – yes, but he's also playing himself being played by an increasingly psychotic puppeteer.

Monkey flash backs and a restaurant full of Malkoviches are highlights of the insanely brilliant and brilliantly insane movie. If you thought that Spike Jonez could never top the Daft Punk talking dog video, you have never been so wrong in your life.

10/10

Brilliant, Unique Film

[jhclues · 10/10 · 4 July 2000]

What does it feel like to be inside someone else's skin? Some people find out in the highly imaginative `Being John Malkovich,' directed with style by Spike Jonze, and starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener and John Malkovich. When out of work puppeteer Craig Schwartz (Cusack) gets a job as a file clerk on the `7 1/2' floor of an office building, it's the beginning of a bizarre interlude that will ultimately take him, and a few others as well, into a realm beyond the known. One day he discovers a small doorway hidden behind a filing cabinet; curious, he ventures into the dark beyond and is suddenly sucked into the mind of actor John Malkovich. After fifteen minutes of seeing through Malkovich's eyes, and experiencing what the actor is experiencing, Craig is just as suddenly and inexplicably dropped into a ditch beside the New Jersey Turnpike. Unable to contain himself, he confides what has happened to him to Maxine (Catherine Keener), a woman who also works on 7 1/2. Immediately, she sees money in the prospect of having a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, and she convinces Craig that they should start a business: `J.M. Inc.' For two hundred dollars a pop, people can have the experience of a lifetime.

Jonze has taken a unique screenplay that is clever, witty, humorous and totally engrossing, and turned it into one of the most ingenious films to come our way in a long, long time. In fact, there's never been anything quite like it. It is distinct and filled with nuance and subtle shades of humor, sometimes dark, sometimes hilarious, but riveting throughout. And the performances are absolutely first rate all around. Keener deservedly got the Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress, but Cusack, Diaz and Bean are also exemplary here. Cusack comes through with one of the best characters he's ever done; there's an edgy, quiet intelligence to Craig, a Bohemian at heart, with a wife, Lotte (Diaz), and an apartment full of pets (snakes, birds and a chimp). He's reserved, generally takes things as they come, and exudes a certain boyish charm when he becomes smitten with Maxine. Diaz, taking on a decidedly unglamorous role, is terrific as Lotte, the somewhat unremarkable pet shop clerk who comes alive after experiencing the `portal.' It's a great character part, and Diaz plays it for all it's worth, connecting with the audience while ably conveying Lotte's sense of confusion and repressed yearnings. And Orson Bean nearly steals the show as Dr. Lester, Craig's boss, the hundred-and-five year old man with a secret that holds the key to the portal. It's a memorable performance filled with nuance and subtle humor; the scene in which he interviews job-applicant Craig is classic. Malkovich (as himself) is the icing on the cake; he plays it straight, with a finesse and distinction that makes the unbelievable somehow credible, while lending an easy, natural flow to the innate humor of the story. The `Malkovich, Malkovich,' sequence, and his rendition of the puppet's dance are unforgettable scenes.

The supporting cast includes Mary Kay Place (Floris), Charlie Sheen (Charlie), Carlos Jacott (Larry), Willie Garson (Guy in restaurant) and Byrne Piven (Captain Mertin). Written by Charlie kaufman, `Being John Malkovich' is a movie that is an experience in itself. And Jonze and his entire cast should be given a standing ovation for bringing this one to life, for making it breathe. It's the kind of film you wait for to come along, but rarely does, and it demands to be seen more than once. Like Lotte, once you've been through the portal, you have to do it again; once you've tasted the nectar, there's no turning back. 10/10.

Surreal exploration of flawed people

[nl-15518 · 9/10 · 28 June 2022]

This is not a happy movie - but it is an interesting one. It takes an incredibly wild premise and runs with it. The result is a surreal exploration of flawed people.

There are no particularly likable characters in this movie, but each character is fully fleshed out and it is incredible to each them change over the course of the movie.

Original, but not rewarding expericence

[Stooovie · 6/10 · 19 November 2002]

This films has a big wow factor to it, but very little other than that. Movie starts with a promising premise, but starts to drag after first 40 minutes and is just plain boring towards the end. Characters have no actual depth and so does the script. I must say that i was delighted by the reptile attitude of Catherine Keener (Maxine) and John Malkovich´s subtle, self-aware acting. It´s an original and strange movie, but that´s not enough to make it either a good movie, nor a pleasant experience. 6/10

Absolutely sublime modern classic

[The_Void · 8/10 · 5 July 2005]

Originality is one thing that I very much admire in cinema, and it's also the reason I rate Being John Malkovich so highly. Charlie Kaufman has taken an amazingly weird premise and twisted round a suitably offbeat story to create a movie that is as bizarre as it is as it is compelling, and it's definitely a major highlight of American cinema in the 1990's. Charlie Kaufman may have scripted his most acclaimed film in 2004 with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but if you want to see his best work - you need look no further than his first feature. Quite how anyone could have thought of this premise remains a mystery, but I'm certainly glad that Kaufman did. The story revolves around a portal that leads directly into the head of the actor, John Malkovich. After discovering this portal, puppeteer Craig Schwartz shares it with his colleague and crush, the beautiful Maxine Lund. Things start to get complicated when Craig's wife, Lottie, becomes involved and it turns out that Craig's not the only one with a crush on Maxine.

The usually presentable John Cusack and Cameron Diaz are completely unrecognisable as this film's leading couple and both give career highlight performances. Catherine Keener fleshes out a threesome of leads. She is seductively sexy, and delivers a performance that reflects the quality of this film on the whole. And, of course, John Malkovich stars also. The fact that it's John Malkovich who is the title actor is what really makes this film. Had the film have been, say, 'Being Tom Cruise'; it wouldn't have had nearly the same impact. Malkovich is a big actor, but he's not THAT big and the fact that it's him takes the film away from the mainstream and allows it's offbeat indie roots to stay intact. Kaufman ensures that the story works by constantly adding new and weird events into the plot, and this in turn ensures that we never know what's coming next. Of course, this is exactly what you want from any film. The elements of the story aren't bound tightly enough to really make a lasting impression where substance is concerned; but it hardly matters, as there's enough offbeat invention in this film to more than adequately mask that fact It's easy to call this movie pretentious or silly; but it's also pointless. Being John Malkovich is a modern classic.

Entertaining and hilarious

[cbentrott · 7/10 · 22 July 2022]

This movie is pretty gripping right from the get go, making the 2 hour feature film feel like 2 minutes. Wholly unpredictable, laugh out loud funny, and wild, Charlie Kaufman hits again with this original whacky, sci-fi dram com.

Watch the first 15 min and you will know if it's for you

[chervenkov · 10/10 · 16 March 2021]

This thing is twisted, funny, mind-bending and a hundred other things I cannot express. My thoughts after it ended were something similar to: "Wait another human thought of this plot", "Wait.... studio executives read the script and decided to fund it??", This film is like from different dimension compared to anything that comes in movie format these days.

There are certain themes being explored that make it more coherent than it might appear initially - Identity, seeing the world through the eyes of another person, the lengths to which people go to be loved (Cusack's character literally tries to have different body) etc.

There is one particular scene which imprinted on my brain: Malkovich operating a puppet in a live show while being the "literal puppet" of Cusack's character who himself is professional puppeteer. (Who writes this???) There is something sort of demented in the fact Cusack's character literally cannot find a job in the real world as puppeteer. Contrast that with Malkovich taking the world by storm after deciding (while controlled by Cusack) to transition from actor to puppeteer. I mean it is messed up, the performances are equally skillful in both scenarios (how could they not be?) but with wildly different outcomes. I think the writing in certain parts is mind blowingly good.

The only negative I i can think of is the weird ending that felt rushed, although it had me rolling as well. Still giving it max score, because if this is not a 10 for me, then nothing will ever be. Forgot to mention there is a random scene with Charlie Sheen being bold. 😃

Weird

[anh-93010 · 27 December 2021]

-One of the strangest movies I've ever seen. It's also one of my favorite movies.

-I'm always looking for weirdness in movies. This movie blew my mind.

-The film is entertaining but raises many questions about the human personality.

-If you like strange stories, enjoy them.

Quite fun for a long time, but a bit unsatisfying of an ending

[benjyboom · 6/10 · 9 September 2020]

The characters and their world were set up very well in the first half of the film, and the actual portal and what it does to Malkovich are great fun and lead to some good scenes. The actual plot with the cult, however, was a bit uninteresting and not nearly as fun as Malkovich and the other three leads. I also believe the ending was a bit off. Why exactly does Maxine get a happy ending? While not quite as awful as Craig, I don't think she was very good, but I suppose she just has a rapid change of heart we didn't get to see? And why does Craig lose the ability to puppeteer the person's body? A bit confusing and unsatisfying, but not enough to take away from the movie's stronger aspects.

What has hummanity come to?

[Kdosda_Hegen · 4/10 · 27 October 2020]

I did not like this film. The idea is so unique and brilliant, but execution is very comedic and I find it lame. The characters in this film are pathetic, it's difficult to watch this film because of their stupidity and selfishness. It's disgusting pervertion of a film.

It's my head!!!!

[SKG-2 · 10/10 · 1 December 1999]

Though I had liked the few Spike Jonze music videos I've seen(Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and the Beastie Boys one), I was hesitant about whether he could make the jump to movies, for, as we know, for every good MTV raised director(David Fincher), there are several bad ones(Michael Bay). And this is truly a concept which could have gone either way. But this is one of the most original, funny, and enjoyable movie experiences I've had this year. Every idea pays off in ways you don't expect, all four main actors do well cast against type, and it's awfully hard to pick who's the best(though I suspect John Malkovich will be remembered at Oscar time), the dialogue is great("Don't stand in the way of my actualization as a man!" may be the best line of the year), and I can't think of another way to describe this except go see it now.