Being John Malkovich | | Cast : | John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich | | Director : | Spike Jonze | | Studio : | Universal Studios Ho | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 1999 | | DVD Released Date : | April 01, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 29, 2005 | | Summary | Ever want to be someone else? Now you can! But at a price... | Content
 | Being John Malkovich explores true human despair. It doesn't waste time criticizing commercialism or politics solely because they exist. It doesn't pile the blame of a man's misery on education of bad parenting. It understands that misery is part of human nature. People are gifted and burdened with consciousness, as Craig Swartz confides in his wife's pet chimp. Despair doesn't stem from society or any social institution, but from the mind of the individual. I see someone else laugh, I think, "Why aren't I that happy?" Someone else has money, "How come I'm not rich?"
Human nature is to look toward the future to something grander than we can really achieve. People are dreamers. We can't be happy with ourselves so we strive to be someone else.
Being John Malcovich explores this dilemma with hilarity, grace, and intelligence. I provides miserable people the possibility to be someone else, if only for a short while. But the cost is great.
To truly become someone elseone has to give up who he is, and no matter how burdensome consciousness is, we value it more than anything. Plus it's a $200 service charge.
This combination of the practical and the metaphysical sets Malkovich apart from other Theater of the Absurd works, placing it among the greatest films of all time. It's a true masterpiece of not only the human condition, but of human behavior.
When a husband and wife fall for the same woman, they engage in horrific conflict. Not because the other has been unfaithful, but because the other is a threat to the extramarital relationship. Maxine is the perfect seductress to bring out this situation not because she has the erotic charm of the femme fatale, but because she's attractive and enjoys it. Despite her beauty, she remains down to Earth. She might mislead, but she is never entirely dishonest.
John Malkovich gives the greatest performance of his carreer as a man fighting for his very soul. You might be thinking, "Big deal, he's playing himself." Wrong! Not only is his character a fictional charicature held in the public's mind, he also plays Craig and Lester. And he captures them perfectly. Name me one other actor who can shout, "Shut up!!!You overrated sack of sh*t," at himself and pull it off with grace and realism. Thought not. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 27, 2005 | | Summary | The Death of Art | Content
| Watching a film written by Charlie Kaufman is to understand what it's like to be a cinephile. I mean, for somebody to dedicate so much of their life to the observation of others (if only for a couple of hours), there has to be a certain sense of self loathing, a desire to be somebody else, to get outside one's own head. I certainly know that this is the case with me, and probably the reason why I've spent more time watching, reading, writing and now making films about the lives of others, rather than just living my own.
But what happens when life and art begin to merge, so much so that they become indecipherable from one another? That's the subject of the first film collaboration between Kaufman and director Spike Jonze (whose real name is Adam Spiegel). If you haven't seen the movie yet, this all must sound terribly pretentious. Trust me, it isn't. It's actually a hilarious film, and one that's not nearly as "arty" as it's reputation would have you believe.
The protagonist of the movie is Craig Schwartz (John Cusack in his best performance to date), thou I use the term protagonist very loosely. He's actually quite creepy, in the mold of a Rupert Pubkin, but seems oblivious of this fact, which is what makes him such a tragic figure in the end. Struggling to secure work as a puppeteer, he eventually relents to his wife's gentle suggestion that he look for work outside the field of puppetry. In one particularly funny scene, he goes to her for comfort after being slugged by a man who took offense at his sexual suggestive puppet show (a forerunner to Team America: World Police), and she says to him, "Oh, Craig. Not again." Anybody who's ever experience professional rejection will immediately understand where his character is coming from.
Eventually, he settles on a job as a filing clerk and develops a crush on his verbally abusive co-worker, Maxine. And though she shows little or no interest in him and is hardly the cultural beauty you'd expect to find in such a role, we understand his attraction immediately. Much of this can be attributed to Catherine Keener, who emotes such a casual coolness that it becomes difficult to separate her from the character, a fact which has dogged her to this day (at least in my mind). In fact, she's so desirable that even Craig's sexually-confused wife, Lotte, joins in on the Maxine obsession. This after Craig shows her a portal into the mind of John Malkovich. The two begin to date, but only when Lotte's inside the Malkovich vessel. Craig, watching his wife carry on an illicit affair with the object of his affection, stews, and after a couple of encounters, which last only fifteen minutes (an obvious homage to Andy Warhols' theory on fame), he intercedes, tying up his wife and taking her place inside Malkovich's head.
Got it? No? Good. Now you'll just have to see the movie. Because trust me, there's no review that could do proper justice to the genius that is Being John Malkovich. It's a film that reflects our ever-growing fascination with celebrity, even one as arbitrary as Malkovich himself. That's not to say he isn't a fascinating character, he is, just that he's one I have a hard time imagining the readers of People magazine or Us Weekly identifying with. Or as Bob Shaye, the head of New Line Cinema, put it, "Being John Malkovich? Why can't it be Tom Cruise?" But to those of us living in the fly-over states, out of the glare of New York and L.A., we understand that it doesn't really matter, we'll attach ourselves to any celebrity, no matter how small. This is a point proven by the fact that my local newspaper recently ran a cover story on a former resident (who lived two counties over, no less!) simply because he had a brief cameo in the recent Michael Bay picture, The Island. For better or worse, this is what our country has become, and this film is a near-flawess comment on that. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 19, 2005 | | Summary | Invasion of the Body Snatcher(s) | Content
| Stop laughing and step back a minute---"Being John Malkovich" isn't funny, it's a horror movie. Alright---it's funny, *and* it's a horror movie.
Somewhere, somehow, sometime, someplace (possibly Providence, Rhode Island) Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft got together. Genes were spliced. The warped and twisted biological result was Spike Jonze, one of modern cinema's most insidious, surreptious, diabolically gifted and wickedly talented filmmakers and the most Terrible of the Enfants Terribles stalking the American academy of Arts and Letters today.
Having helmed the infamous Beastie Boys "Sabotage" video, Jonze and partner-in-crime Charlie Kaufman were ready to cobble together a Trojan Horse and aim it at the dark heart of Fortress Hollywood.
They succeeded massively with the darkly subversive "Being John Malkovich", the story of a disaffected puppeteer (played by John Cusack) who discovers a secret aperture into the mind of actor John Malkovich.
Some wrong-headedly think this is a surreal comedy. Poor, naive, childish innocents, I say! I'm here to contend that for all its comedic trappings, "Being John Malkovich" is a horror movie that H.P. Lovecraft himself would appreciate.
Yes, I know, the title itself is risible, the notion of a portal into John Malkovich's consciousness makes one giddy, and you can't possibly have a proper cosmos-ripping horror movie with Cameron Diaz, John Cusack, John Malkovich, and Charlie Sheen. I know all the standard objections.
But first: if you haven't seen "Being John Malkovich", stop reading this silly review and go buy the thing. You'll be utterly delighted and glad you listened to my advice.
Alright, for those of you who have seen this wicked little gem of sheer cinematic subversion---listen up: "Being John Malkovich" is a horror movie, not a comedy, a long-toothed snarling wolf dolled up in comedic sheep's clothing. Think not? Fine: let's leave the idea of John Malkovich having his body snatched out of it. If the idea of a blameless, innocent, blithe little girl being invaded by a small platoon of slobbering geriatrics isn't horror, then nothing is horrible.
Still skeptical? That's fine, but be warned: everything in in Jonze and Kaufman's little tour de force here is expertly stage-managed and distilled to a single purpose, and that is fooling the innocent, naive viewer to the movie's singularly malign purpose: body-snatching is front and center here. If you think this is a comedy, dear friend, then you're being duped with fine food and good wine, just the tools the wicked immortal Dr. Lester (a fine turn by the great Orson Bean, with nods to Lovecraft's "Terrible Old Man") used, as the evil Captain Merten had used before him.
Think about it this way: what happened to Malkovich once Craig and Maxine's little entrepreneurial scheme took on a life of its own? Still feel like a good horse laugh? I'm thinking a stiff Scotch is more in order.
The direction and cinematography here are spot on, and every scene tells. The acting is also superb, from Cusack's dangerously desperate puppeteer, to veteran actors Bean and the late Byrne Piven (Captain Merten, who pities dwarves), to Catherine Keener, who plays the wicked, devious, Machiavellian shrew Maxine. I despised her every second she was on screen---good job, Miss Keener!
The real plaudits go to Cameron Diaz. I had never really considered Diaz an actress of substance, but her wildly schizophrenic romp as the crazed animal-lover Lotte showed the woman has some finely honed acting chops. Charlie Sheen sinks his fangs into his tiny but tasty role, and Malkovich purrs through the movie like a kitten.
Surreal, quirky, brilliantly paced, constantly resourceful, occasionally creepy, with a haunting, pining score by Carter Burwell and Bjork that calls to mind Philip Glass's composition for "Mishimia", "Being John Malkovich" is a clever, wicked, blackly funny work of genius, but it is very much a horror film. Having returned from a jaunt through his own tortured subconscious, Malkovich roars "I have seen things no man should have to see." Truer words couldn't have frothed from the lips of one of Lovecraft's tentacle-tormented heroes.
Still not convinced? Look at "Malkovich's" ample horror trappings: a skewed, twisted crawlspace of an office, forcing its denizens to walk in a crouch and situated between the floors of the building; a Terrible Old Man, confounded by an illusory speech impediment, who has chronicled the life of his unwitting host in a back-room; Dwarf Love;---and of course, bodysnatching.
To say nothing of this prospect: imagine the sensation of a horde of hungry, greedy, ancient eyes crawling across your body, a mulifaceted invasion force perched just behind the two innocuous irises of your dinner-mate.
Does that give you the giggles? It gives me the crawls.
Still laughing?
JSG |
| Rating | | | Date | June 27, 2005 | | Summary | A very good movie | Content
| I cannot begin to decipher this movie. It involved so many different plots, took so many different twists and turns, and managed to transform itself from comedy to serious drama without catching the attention of the audience in the transfer. Nay, it was a seamless movement this film committed on my brain, and I have been left breathless by it. How ingenious a writer Charlie Kaufman must be to simply pull the floor out from under the audience, and drop us into a labyrinth of confusion, without us even noticing the development. Is this a comedy? Yes, but it is also a dark, twisted, trippy film experience that must be seen to be believed.
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an out-of-work puppeteer who spends his time performing erotic drama with his clever puppets out on the street, an act that often gathers him a buck or two from careless passerby who don't even watch the show, and occasionally verbal abuse or worse. He lives in a small apartment with his wife Lotte Schwartz (Cameron Diaz), a homely looking woman who keeps a large variety of animals, including a chimp and a talking bird that consistently irritates both Craig and his neighbors. She encourages him into looking for work,
which he happens to find after reading a help-wanted ad in the paper. The job calls for someone with quick fingers, which Craig certainely has, so he goes to try out for the job, and inspect the company.
He boards the elevator of the towering building, then discovers that the number that the ad specified, 7 1/2, is not listed. A woman kindly helps him out by sticking a large metal rod through the elevator door, stopping the elevator inbetween the seventh and eighth floor, in other words, floor 7 1/2. Craig crawls through the open elevator, barely managing to fit through, and discovers that the entire floor's roof is too small for him to fully stand, so he must hunch through the work place, as do his fellow soon-to-be co-workers. He meets with the boss, an eccentric old man named Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) who seems to think he has a speech impediment, although he actually does not. The two hit it off, or at least Lester takes a shine to Charlie, and he is hired to work for the company.
The floor alone is enough to inspire laughs out of any
audience, but it is the insanity of his co-workers, as well as Craig, that is sure to get the most laughs. He meets a fellow co-worker named Maxine (Catherine Keener), who I think must be the most narcissistic character in film history. She is completely self-absorbed, confusing, and tormenting, but Craig falls in love with her on first sight. He confesses this, and she could care less whether he is in love with her or not. She is not in love with him, nor even attracted to him in the slightest. The routine, however, continues with Craig being unhappy and trying, Maxine always ignoring and cynical, until something happens. Craig accidentally drops a file behind a cabinet, requiring him to move it out of the way, and discover a door. When he opens the door, a long and small tunnel is seen within.
Craig cautiously enters the tunnel after making sure to close the door to the part of the office he is in. After maybe one minute of crawling, he hits what is either human waste or mud, but nevertheless continues on, until something amazing happens. The door behind him closes, and Craig is then suddenly sucked into the tube, and into the head of John Malkovich. He sees everything the actor sees, which isn't much, or anything of interest, but after 15 minutes inside of Malkovich's head, he is suddenly spit out and dropped beside an interstate highway. The experience was invigorating for him, and he immediately goes to Maxine to tell her all about it. She is obviously skeptical, but comes to believe him, and devises a scheme so as to make money from this shocking finding.
People get to become John Malkovich for 15 minutes at $200 a pop. Whatever he is doing is seen by them, and whether or not it is interesting or not, they could care less. The scam works well for awhile, until Craig's wife wants to try out being Malkovich. She reappears from the experience changed, and completely sure that she is meant to be a man. Craig is baffled by this, but allows her to enter Malkovich two more time. Unluckily, Malkovich is out on a date with Maxine, who called him up and invited him to dinner, to which he agreed at the inner urging of Lotte (she was on her second try as John Malkovich when this interesting development happened. She becomes immediately attracted to Maxine, and Maxine becomes attracted to her, but only as John Malkovich. They begin setting up meetings, where Lotte becomes Malkovich, and has sex with Maxine. This arrangement proves enjoyable to both of them, leaving Craig out in the cold.
I've already revealed some, but not all of the plot twists in Being John Malkovich, a darkly humorous good-time at the movies, at first, anyway. It later becomes something totally different, but I wouldn't dare reveal what happens, as it would detract from the experience of seeing the film. Charlie Kaufman must have devised this during a period of mixed emotions, because the characters within the film endure and go on past so many different flings and cares, the audience barely has time to catch up to them. Each scene, however, manages to fit perfectly with the other, creating an overall enjoyable mix, with superb acting and excellent direction. I don't know who to credit this film's success to first, so i'll start with the actors.
John Cusack manages to go from both being funny to being dead serious, while wearing the same guise of long, raggedy hair and holding on to both the wants and needs of his character. He truly is the straight man in this movie, although even his character is mentally crooked. Excellent work, however, John's best next to High Fidelity. Cameron Diaz was perfect as the homely wife of Craig, though she normally takes up roles that exhibit her beauty more. This role was a daring move for her to make, as she plays a character that isn't even remotely attractive, although a gatherer of sympathy, and succeeds in
capturing every emotion without slipping into melodrama.
Catherine Keener's character left me despising her every minute, a sure sign that this actress performed marvelously. Let's not forget John Malkovich, who manages to come across as surprised as his character is at discovering a portal into his mind, nay a movie, actually exists, and performs as a puppet with grace. Excellent performances all around.
Spike Jonze does magnificent work with the camera, as his
direction in Adaptation and work in music videos proves. He manages to take a bunch of mostly unconnected scenes and make them work. He did a great job with Cage in Adapation, and does superb work with Cusack in Being John Malkovich. What he has done, not once but twice, is create a awe-inspiring film experience that manages to work as both comedy and drama. He never strikes out with his films, instead he throws curve balls that are grand in flight, baffling once missed, and sure to leave more than a few members of the audience confused. If one has a quick mind, however, they will surely derive from his films truly enjoyable times at the movies.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 06, 2005 | | Summary | Metaphor for Our Age | Content
| Spike Jonze has directed a film about people who want to get lost inside a portal of a celebrity John Malkovich and as such has made a film that is an allegory of our age: a society of tormented souls, who loathing their perceived mundane existence, seek transcendence by living vicariously through a celebrity. In our tabloid-soaked culture where we want our celebs dished out to us for our feasting, we now take our worship a step further: live inside and takeover a celebrity; get inside his brain and try to render our sense of being invisible by being John Malkovich.
Great idea but how does the film work in terms of pacing, plotline, and coherence? Amazingly, the narrative is tight and follows easily enough. The satire is always two steps ahead of us. There are too many laugh-outloud surprises in here to mention. But beneath the satire is a brooding, tormented meditation on a society that, without the razzle-dazzle of celebrity, is overcome by a sense of worthlessness and ennui. |
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