USA Films, Rated R
Directed by Spike Jonze
Written by Charlie Kaufman
You will not see a more inventive film this year than Being John Malkovich. The movie is hilarious, mind-boggling, witty and different from anything you've ever seen. The closest you can come to is Tim Burton but even he isn't this out there. It's a breath of fresh air at the end of a decade fillled with formula movies. This movie breaks every formula you can think of. It has rightfully been nominated for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) by the Golden Globes and should also get an Oscar nod if there is any justice.
John Cusack leads up an extraordinary cast as Craig Schwartz, a struggling puppeteer who can't begin to pay his bills with his current occupation. His wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz in a revelatory, Golden Globe-nominated performance) is a pet store owner who keeps strange pets all around the house, including a chimp with psychological problems. After being slugged by a man for his risque' puppet show, Lotte encourages Craig to seek a higher-paying job. He finds a job as a file clerk (what with his "nimble and dextrous fingers") on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building. That's right - he actually has to pry open the elevator with a crowbar to get to a floor that is half the size of the others. Every scene in the office (and there are lots of them) takes place with the actors hunched over. It's one of many utterly brilliant touches in this film. Eventually, Craig finds a small door a la Alice in Wonderland and walks in. Soon he is sucked into the brain movie actor John Malkovich (played by himself). He can think and feel exactly what Malkovich does for 15 minutes but is then spit out on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Seeing this for the "metaphysical can-of-worms" it is (Kaufman's dialogue is as rich as the plot), Craig immediately tells his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener, also nominated for a Globe coming in a close second to Diaz in my opinion), for whom he has unrequited feelings for. Maxine defines the term "ice queen" and is constantly rejecting Craig's affections. She eventually sees the opportunities on this and they begin J.M. Inc., selling tickets to one and all to "be John Malkovich" at $200 a pop. Lotte also discovers the portal and is soon an addict, at one point convinced she should have sexual reassignment surgery.
That's just about enough to give away in this review, but there is plenty more to this film, each moment bringing new surprises and bigger laughs. It's one of the very few movies nowadays wherein you honestly have no idea where it's heading. Jonze expertly directs it with handheld cameras, contributing to the reality of this bizarre universe created by himself and Kaufman. Malkovich does a superb job playing a carichature of himself and should receive awards recognition for it as well. It certainly took some guts even to play this role. Being John Malkovich is sure to be a cult classic and revered as one of the most revolutionary films ever made for years to come. ****
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