Being John Malkovich
Directed by Spike Jonze
1999/USA
Gramercy Pictures/Propaganda Films/Single Cell Pictures
First viewing
#961 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.8/10; I say 7.0/10
[box] Craig Schwartz (in John Malkovich): You see, Maxine, it isn’t just playing with dolls.
Maxine: You’re right, my darling, it’s so much more. It’s playing with people![/box]
This was a well made picture but it just wasn’t for me. Puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusak) lives a vaguely eccentric but unexciting life with his wife Lotte (an unrecognizable Cameron Diaz) and a menagerie of animals. Craig starts work at a strange company owned by Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) and located on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building where the ceilings are about four feet high.
While working there, Craig becomes infatuated with Maxine (Catherine Keener), who is definitely not interested. Then Craig discovers a portal that will take anyone into the mind of actor John Malkovich for 15 minutes. Craig and Maxine parlay this into a paying business but the enterprise doesn’t last long after Lotte discovers she can’t get enough of being inside the actor, especially when he is inside of Maxine. Craig finds a way to win Maxine and fulfill his ambitions, while Lotte bides her time.
I must start out by saying that I would pay money not to spend any time in another person’s head, so the concept of the film was not too intriguing to me. I have to admit the story was very inventive, with oddball characters and situations at every turn, but I kept having the feeling that it was a big joke on the audience. I hate movies that laugh at me. After watching the supplements on the Blu-Ray, I feel I may have a better handle on what the film makers were possibly trying to communicate about celebrity and escapism. The most reassuring point was in the interview with Malkovich in which he said that Generation Xers tend to respond to the movie while baby boomers (me) do not.
I was very impressed by the acting in this film, especially that of John Malkovich, who was required to play several different parts while also playing himself. Everybody else was also very good. I like John Cusak in almost everything he is in. The music was nice.
Trailer
