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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/

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.

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.

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!

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).

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.

... 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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

This is definitely one of the more bizarre films I've seen. You probably know the story by now. A bland, unimportant man with a passion for puppets (Craig) finds himself lusting for a selfish cynical female coworker(Maxine), who pays him no mind until he finds something she thinks can be of use to her: a door which takes people into the mind of John Malkovich. For fifteen minutes, someone can see, hear, smell, taste, and most importantly feel everything the actor experiences. Problems arise, however, when Craig's wife (Lotte) becomes addicted to the experience, and the way it allows her to actualize her desire to have the same woman her husband wants, even if only while being John Malkovich.

The atmosphere is bleak, but befitting what ends up being such a bleak tale. The movie presents the surreal and supernatural as existing rather matter of factly and characters never seem to question the existence or plausibility of the portal. But, this isn't a movie trying to pass itself off as reality anyway. It becomes a somewhat intense character study early on, and the director chose (wisely I think) not to waste time trying to validate the existence of the door into Malkovich's head. The characters all give excellent and convincing portrayals of highly dysfunctional people. John Malkovich, while he spends very little time onscreen as himself, is fascinating to watch being controlled and manipulated by others. In the end, he is someone nobody ultimately is concerned with. Everyone simply wants to take what it is they desire for themselves through the use of him regardless of his own feelings. And, in that way, everyone displays a strange obliviousness to being John Malkovich.

My biggest complaint with the film is that rather than making some obvious philosophical statements on the nature of being and consciousness which could have easily been put forth by the existence of the portal, it instead seems to concentrate on merely relating the tale of the most bizarre love triangle you'll ever witness. That it does very well and in an engaging manner, but the possibilities of the portal still seem strangely unexplored in the end. Perhaps, however, whatever message is trying to be conveyed is wrapped up in the story itself. I am certain the movie is full of symbolic imagery and actions that will take some time to digest.

If you want to experience an almost surreal movie that will stick with you for some time, this is probably a good pick. If you don't like movies where the implausible and fantastic is accepted without question, however, it's probably not going to appeal to you.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Being John Malkovich" is a **bizarre and thought-provoking** film that defies conventional storytelling. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, its unique premise and existential themes make it a memorable cinematic experience.

**Plot Summary:** The movie follows Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), a struggling puppeteer who stumbles upon a mysterious portal hidden behind a filing cabinet. This portal allows people to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich (played by himself) for a limited time. As Craig becomes obsessed with this strange phenomenon, he grapples with questions of identity, desire, and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy.

**What Works:**

• **Surreal Creativity**: Director Spike Jonze crafts a world where the absurd becomes commonplace. The idea of inhabiting someone else's mind is both fascinating and unsettling.

• **John Malkovich's Meta Role**: Malkovich's portrayal of himself adds layers of complexity. Is he the actor or the character? The film blurs these distinctions brilliantly.

• **Existential Musings**: The movie invites viewers to ponder existential questions: Who are we? Can we escape our own lives? What defines our identity?

• **Maxine's Complexity**: Catherine Keener's Maxine is both alluring and manipulative. Her character embodies desire and curiosity.

**What Doesn't Work:**

• **Weirdness Overload**: The film's quirkiness can be overwhelming. Some viewers may find it too offbeat to fully engage with.

• **Craig's Fate**: Craig's decision to live inside Malkovich permanently is both tragic and perplexing. It leaves us with more questions than answers.

• **Maxine's Ambiguity**: Maxine's motivations remain elusive. Is she heartless or merely pragmatic?

**Final Thoughts:** "Being John Malkovich" is an acquired taste. If you appreciate unconventional cinema and enjoy pondering the mysteries of existence, it's worth a watch. While Maxine's character may not resonate with everyone, her presence adds to the film's enigmatic allure. Ultimately, the movie's main theme-that we all yearn for escape and transformation-is what lingers long after the credits roll.

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

BJM, for some reason, is rated on IMDB in the top 100 films of all time. This is an almost unimaginable turn of events for a hastily scrawled cartoon of a film. An interesting, but small premise, sketchy character development, rough, never beautiful filming.... the end result should be a footnote at the bottom of 1999, not one of the all time greats.