Being John Malkovich

Director: Spike Jonze

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean

Genre: Comedy
Year: 1999

Run Time: 112 Minutes

How: DVD/Netflix

Notable Awards

• Academy Award For Best Director - Spike Jonze - Nominated
• Academy Award For Best Original Screen Play - Charlie Kaufman - Nominated
• Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener - Nominated

New York City - A struggling, unemployed puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (Cusack) is putting on a rather saucy sidewalk marionette show. Schwartz is a rather disheveled, long haired man, whose unique skill set make him ill equipped for most lines of work. Schwartz's wife Lotte, portrayed by an equally frumpy Cameron Diaz, spends her time doting on the couple's numerous pets, specifically a chimp with childhood issues named Elijah. 

Desperate for  work, Craig answers a job posting for Lestercorp, simply looking for someone with "skilled fingers." Lestercorp is wonderfully eccentric on every level. From the man, Dr. Lester (Bean), to the office located on the 7 1/2th floor of the Mertin-Flemmer Building ("For the low overhead"), to the mysterious doorway. During his orientation video Craig meets and immediately becomes infatuated by Maxine (Keener), who makes it quite obvious that she has no interest in the often awkward Schwartz. 

While filing in cramped offices of Lestercorp, Craig stumbles across a small door hidden behind a filing cabinet  Naturally he decides to crawl into the tunnel only to get sucked all the way in. Once inside Craig realizes he in inside John Malkovich's  head, seeing what Malkovich sees, feeling what Malkovich feels. After a little while Craig is ejected unceremoniously on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.  

Craig immediately tells Maxine, who is understandable skeptical, watching Craig assert the meta-physical significance of the door. How being able to be Malkovich allows him to actually be someone else, something Craig gets out of being a puppeteer. Maxine proposes that they create a business out of it, allowing people to be Malkovich for $200. 

Craig also shares his discovery with Lotte, who's experience inside Malkovich is transformative. She becomes obsessed with being him and a man, to the point she declares herself a transexual. She too falls in love with Maxine, though only as Malkovich. 

The film really picks up as Craig begins to learn to control Malkvich and the love triangle (square?) complicates itself further, classic Charlie Sheen makes a cameo, and the age old question: What happens when John Malkovich becomes John Malkovich? is answered. Malkovich plays himself brilliantly and has a great to see he has a sense of humor about himself. Spike Jonze's vision is wildly original and has plenty of rewatchability. Only Sesame street has had as much success with puppets.  

Rating: 8.5/10 Malkoviches

Fun Fact: This film was produced by Michael Stipe from R.E.M