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Being John Malkovich [2000]
from Uca
starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Ned Bellamy
directed by Spike Jonze

Features:

• Anamorphic
• Dubbed
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

While too many films suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.

The puppeteer takes a job working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious co-worker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognisable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalise on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, playing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich is a wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• The worst film I've been unfortunate enough to see
  I've heard lots of good reviews about this movie and decided to watch it. Of course, this is all a matter of opinion but this movie is seriously wierd (a characteristic I usually welcome) but it's greatest 'no-no' was lack of direction. After finishing the movie I was like 'what the hell was this'. It seriously felt like the creators of it were mocking you after having waisted over an hour of your precious time.
  On a more objective note, the acting and direction were very good, it's the story that... more info

• Slightly too gross to be perfect
  The film is deeply funny because of the grossness of the concrete realization of the argument of the plot. It is muddy, dirty, crawling in a corridor, perverting in the most grotesque way Alice in Wonderland looking through the looking glass and sharing an apartment with an ill-mouthed parrot and a chimpanzee. The hole in the hedge is a rat hole in the wall and the only attractive thing in it is the glass doorknob. Then the plot is absolutely funny. It is based on one person being able to crawl inside... more info

• A slight film with a novel idea and some good characters, but no real aim
  There are very few stars this idea would have worked well with, and I think they chose the right one. He is a compelling character in his own right, and I did like the scenes inside his head. So, they got half way there and just sort of thought 'Well that's enough, we'll fill the rest of the film with charming oddness and arty abstract visuals.' In a way it was almost impossible that this film was going to go anywhere conventional after it had set out its store with its trendy, arty premise. Really not... more info

• Sorry, I've never been able to get this.
  I've just given Napoleon Dynamite a five star review; like this it's a film people seem to either love or hate. I really looked forward to this when it came out. I read the five star reviews in the press and it sounded just my sort of film. However I've tried to watch it four or five times, and each time I've had to give up part way through, because I can't bring myself to like it. As previous reviewers have said, the 7 1/2th floor is about the funniest idea in the film. Otherwise the characters are just... more info

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