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Knowing that “Being John Malkovich” is a film by Spike Jonze, the man responsible for – amongst other things – Jackass, and Fatboy Slim’s famous video for “Praise You”, I knew that I should expect something a little out of the ordinary and slightly off the wall. Therefore, I was prepared ... Read review
While too many films suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy,Being John Malkovichis a ... more
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 ...
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Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a struggling street puppeteer. In order to make some ... more
money, Craig takes a job as a filing clerk. One day he accidentally discovers a door... a portal onto the brain of John Malkovich (played by John Malkovich)! For 15 mi...
While too many films suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy,Being John Malkovichis a ... more
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 ...
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Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can. While between jobs master puppeteer Craig ... more
Schwartz (John Cusack) takes a job as a filing clerk in an office building in New York City. One day he discovers a strange door behind a filing cabinet a door w...
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Adaptation:Director Spike Jonze delivers a stunningly original comedy that seamlessly ... more
blends fictional characters and situations with the lives of real people: obsessive orchid hunter John Laroche (Cooper), New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean (Streep), Hollywood screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Cage), and his twin brother Donald (also Cage). As Charlie struggles to adapt Orlean's best-selling book The Orchid Thief, he writes himself into his own movie. The various stories crash into one another exploding into a wildly imaginative film. Being John Malkovich:At last a movie for anyone who ever wanted to be someone... else. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) an unappreciative puppeteer takes a filing clerk job on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building. Bored with his ten-year marriage to Lotte (Cameron Diaz), he becomes obsessed with the beautiful Maxine (Catherine Keener), who rejects him. Dejected Craig retreats into his office. In a moment of exasperation Craig slams a filing cabinet and discovers a passageway. Sucked through a dark, wet tunnel, Craig then realises that he has just discovered an all-access pass to the unique experience that is... John Malkovich! He is being John Malkovich. And this is just the beginning.
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: Incredibly clever, original and thought-provoking Disadvantages: None whatsoever
...explores the possibility of actually being someone else – and all the questions and problems that this possibility raises.
Knowing that “Being John Malkovich” is a film by Spike Jonze, the man responsible for – amongst other things – Jackass, and Fatboy Slim’s famous video for “Praise You”, I knew that I should expect something a little out of the ordinary and slightly off the wall. Therefore, I was prepared for something unusual when ... ...access the floor – which being squashed in between the 7th and 8th floors has a very low ceiling and requires employees to stoop awkwardly whenever they want to move around the offices.
But despite the strangeness of the surroundings, nothing prepares Craig for the truly life-changing events he will experience as an employee of Lestercorp. On his first day, whilst watching a bizarre training video explaining the dubious origins of ... more
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the world through someone else’s eyes? Have you ever thought how different life would be if you had been born as a different person? And have you ever made your brain hurt by thinking about the fact that you will only ever see the world from your own point of view, and never experience the thoughts and feelings of anyone else? I know I have. Perhaps it’s just me, but I don’t think so. This film explores the possibility of actually being someone else – and all the questions and problems that this possibility raises.
Knowing that “Being John Malkovich” is a film by Spike Jonze, the man responsible for – amongst other things – Jackass, and Fatboy Slim’s famous video for “Praise You”, I knew that I should expect something a little out of the ordinary and slightly off the wall. Therefore, I was prepared for something unusual when I watched the film, but little did I know how unusual and thought provoking it would be.
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a struggling puppeteer who lives in a flat in New York with his animal obsessed wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), and their menagerie of pets, including Elijah, a chimpanzee that Lotte treats as her baby and wants to put into psychotherapy to get him over his traumatic childhood. When Craig fails to find any work using his puppeteering skills, he is drawn to an advertisement in the paper seeking a nimble fingered employee for a filing company, Lestercorp.
Lestercorp is no ordinary company. The letchy Chairman, Dr. Lester (Orson Bean), claims to be over 100 years old. And the company is based on the 7 ½ floor of an office building – necessitating an interesting manoeuvre in the lift with the emergency stop button and a crow bar just to access the floor – which being squashed in between the 7th and 8th floors has a very low ceiling and requires employees to stoop awkwardly whenever they want to move around the offices.
But despite the strangeness of the surroundings, nothing prepares Craig for the truly life-changing events he will experience as an employee of Lestercorp. On his first day, whilst watching a bizarre training video explaining the dubious origins of the 7 ½ floor, he meets Maxine (Catherine Keener), an enigmatic, smouldering seductress, also working for Lestercorp, with whom Craig becomes instantly infatuated. More importantly, an accidental discovery leads Craig to a secret portal behind one of the filing cabinets. Craig enters the portal and instantly finds himself inside the head of the actor John Malkovich (played by himself!), able to see the world through Malkovich’s eyes, to think his thoughts and feel his emotions and sensations. 15 minutes later, Craig is back in his own body, dropped unceremoniously out of the sky next to the New Jersey turnpike.
In an effort to win Maxine over after her continuous rejection of his attentions, Craig shares his amazing discovery with her and they quickly sense a money-making opportunity, running a late night business from the offices of Lestercorp, offering unhappy people the chance to be someone else for 15 minutes (that someone just happens to always be John Malkovich). But Craig is not prepared for what will happen when Lotte becomes suspicious of his involvement with Maxine and decides she wants to try the portal for herself – which, with a slightly cruel intervention from Maxine, has a shocking outcome. What develops is a frightening love triangle which brings to light the real, sinister reasons behind the portal at Lestercorp. Craig’s obsession with Maxine leads him to take a terrible risk, one which is to have devastating consequences.
It is hard to define this film. What starts off as a quirky, slightly bizarre comedy soon becomes a clever piece of science-fiction and culminates in one of the most darkly creepy endings of any film I have seen. It opens up a whole world of questions and what-ifs, and is certainly not one to watch just before you go to bed, as you will have so many questions going through your mind and will doubtless want to discuss the film with the person you watched it with! I found myself heading straight off to the Internet Movie Database to read up on the movie and learn more about the story.
The performances are excellent. John Cusack is well cast as the seemingly mild-mannered puppeteer who undergoes a change of character when he meets the hypnotic Maxine – equally well played by Catherine Keener. The role of Lotte is one of the most interesting parts I have seen Cameron Diaz play, and she is barely recognisable in the guise of the slightly frumpy character, who clearly cares more about her animals than she does her appearance. John Malkovich also delivers a fantastic performance as himself (okay, who wouldn’t?!), playing it perfectly straight, but still showing an ability to laugh at himself. The film does have some laugh out loud moments, especially when Malkovich himself decides to enter the portal to his own head.
This really is one of the cleverest and most thought provoking stories you will ever see and I found myself marvelling at the cleverness of writer Charlie Kaufman for coming up with something so completely original and off the wall. There are certainly echoes of movies like “The Truman Show” (because of the way it makes us question our very identity and existence), “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Fight Club” and “Donnie Darko” – partly because of the subject matter, and partly just because it is a clever film with an extremely thought provoking ending. The movie will definitely appeal if you have enjoyed any of the aforementioned films, but do not be put off if you find movies that differ from the norm confusing and hard to understand – I would say that of all the films in this style I have seen, this is one of the easiest to understand.
The DVD is currently available on Amazon for £6.97 – a bargain price, considering there are a number of extras as well as the movie itself, and considering that this is undoubtedly a film you will want to watch more than once. It is rated 15, because of some sexual content, but the movie is adult in its theme and intellect in any case, and would be over the heads of all but the most intelligent teenagers. The running time is 112 minutes.
Weird? Unusual? Far-fetched? Fascinating? Depending on your perspective, the movie is all these things. But I urge you to watch this film – you will not be disappointed and will most likely be amazed.
Advantages: Surreal, obscure and laugh out loud funny Disadvantages: Impossible to follow hungover
...people credit Johnny Knoxville with being the mastermind (debatable) behind MTV's Jackass, it was actually Jonze who was creator and executive producer of the show in 2000. He also acted as producer on both of the Jackass films (Number two to be released this year.)
Jonze has tackled interesting and compelling subjects in his documentaries including a day in the life of Al Gore filmed shortly before the 2000 elections. Unfortunately, they were not ... ...by Morning and of course, Being John Malkovich. In 2008 a film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story Where the Wild Things Are will be released directed by Jonze and starring big names such as Michelle Williams, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara and Benicio Del Toro.
***Being John Malcovich***
***What is Being John Malkovich all about?***
This is going to be as brief as possible simply because if I explain the whole film in detail, ...
ally2kc 15.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Being John Malkovich (DVD)
Advantages: The concept, the acting Disadvantages: Impossible to really understand
...thoughts, feeling your own feelings, being this other person simultaneously? And if you could do this, whose head would you choose to be in?
Then imagine what it would be like to be the person who everyone else is inhabiting. Of course you don't understand what's happening at first. You just feel, well, weird, strangely out of control, not quite right.
This is just what happens to actor John Malkovich in the movie 'Being John Malcovich', starring ... ...huge building. Being on the seven and a halfth floor, the office is only half-height, meaning that everyone has to go around bent. The office is inhabited by weirdos and crazies, and Craig develops a lustful crush on one of them, Maxine (played by Catherine Keener), who finds him completely uninteresting.
One day, Craig finds a little door hidden behind a filing cabinet. He goes inside. It is a dirty, dark, slimy, slushy passage. Undeterred, he ...
sandrabarber 03.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Being John Malkovich (DVD)
Being John Malkovitch……….No Thanks…Enjoy Being Me!! -------------------------------------------- My computer was on the blink and I had two choices last night, talk to the wife or hire out a film, it was an easy decision…Hire out Being John Malkovitch…. It starred one of my favourite actors in John Cusack and costarred that girl from Something about Mary, Cameron Diaz…. I happened to watch it by chance and ... ...it only to discover himself being sucked into a strange situation. Something weird has happened as he discovers that he is inside the body of John Malkovitch..He is able to see out of John’s eyes but can’t move his hands or talk, just basically be a host in the body.. Anyway 15 mins pass and wham, he drops out of the sky into a field not far from his office. He hurries home and tells his wife, (Cameron Diaz) and of course typical woman ...
art1954 03.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Being John Malkovich (DVD)
Advantages: erm............... Disadvantages: strange story, some bad acting, one big ego trip
...for just 15 minutes before being thrown out. He talks to Maxine about it and they think this would be a brilliant money maker. Soon Craig is telling his wife and she too wants to experience this but things don’t turn out as expected as she fells complete when she is a man and decides that she is actually trapped in the wrong body. Soon Craig and Maxine are making a lot of money by selling the time in the portal to customers but how long can this ... ...screen presence despite their relationship being strained. Cameron Diaz was a crazy character who was obsessed with her animals. The marital home was full of them and she was trying to sort the psychiatric problems with her monkey out. I did find the addition fop the animals was slightly out of place and did not fit in with the film but at least it gave some indication as to the metal state of Craig and his wife. The role of Maxine was a confusing ...
sewbizzie 03.11.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Being John Malkovich (DVD)
Advantages: A modern comedy with a twist. Disadvantages: Non in my opinion!
...==The DVD== Being John Malkovich is from Universal Studios, a modern comedy with a sci-fi/fantasy twist. The DVD I am reviewing is a one disc standard edition, with a few special features such as theatrical trailers, cast interviews and special effects information. I have to admit that I do not generally watch special features or bonus material on DVDs as I do not find it adds to my enjoyment as a rule. ==Cast== Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, ... ...After fifteen minutes of being John Malkovich, Craig finds himself dumped beside the road in New Jersey. The experience is so amazing that Craig confides in Maxine, she also takes a trip through the tunnel and becomes Johns Malkovich. Between them, Maxine and Craig then cook up a plan to send others into the tunnel and charge them $200 to be John Malkovich for fifteen minutes. Lotte finds out about the tunnel and demands a trip in John Malkovich's ...
brittle1906 16.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Being John Malkovich (DVD)
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JohnMalkovich DVDs, if there’s ever a commercial that was shot especially for the movie, expect to see it on the extras list of the DVD. No exception here!
*Two Animatic Sequences*
Oooh… now then. The animatic sequence for the pointless heli-jet race at the start of the movie is actually better than the finished version. And let me tell you, the computer effects for the animatics are rougher than a sandpaper hand shandy. Another nail in the coffin – the makers of this section have made a spelling mistake. RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE SAME WORD SPELLED CORRECTLY. Sloppy.
*Filmographies*
Same old, same old. Some interesting tidbits, though. This isn’t the director’s first stinker, oh no. Spottiswoode also sh*t out Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot, Turner and Hooch, and Terror Train. *nff nff* I smell something else ...
peppersinclaire 17.01.2002 (22.02.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Sixth Day
Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-director Spike Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers his office has a secret portal that leads directly into the brain of one of America's most popular actors, John Malkovich (Malkovich himself, in a hilariously self-mocking appearance). When the journey ends fifteen minutes later, the participant is spewed onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Schwartz uses his discovery as a way to get closer to fellow coworker Maxine (the always fascinating Catherine Keener). Together, the pair form JM, INC., which allows ordinary citizens to join in on the fun for 200 dollars a pop. But when Craig's wife Lotte (a homely Cameron Diaz), is seduced by Maxine while in Malkovich's body, things begin to unfurl at an even more outrageous pace. Sound confusing?
Original Theatrical Trailer, Filmographies, Art Of Puppeteering Featurette, Art Of Background Diving Featurette, John Horatio Malkovich, Dance Despair And Disillusionment, 7 And A Half Floor Orientation, Spike Jonze Interview, Photo Album, 4 TV Slots
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German
Award information
BAFTA
Best Screenplay (Original) 1999 (Charlie Kaufman)
Professional reviews
Review
...As paradoxically cerebral and patently ridiculous as its title implies... (Film Comment, )
...Visionary....[Malkovich] steals the show... (Premiere, )
Ranked #3 in Rolling Stone's Ten Best Movies of 1999 -- ...A blast of pure oxygen....This movie of constant astonishments will make you laugh hard and long... (Rolling Stone, )
...Devilishly inventive....Spike Jonze and scripter Charlie Kaufman take outlandishness to dizzying heights, and the ideas never let up... (Variety, )
DVD Description
Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-director Spike Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers his office has a secret portal that leads directly into the brain of one of America's most popular actors, John Malkovich (Malkovich himself, in a hilariously self-mocking appearance). When the journey ends fifteen minutes later, the participant is spewed onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Schwartz uses his discovery as a way to get closer to fellow coworker Maxine (the always fascinating Catherine Keener). Together, the pair form JM, INC., which allows ordinary citizens to join in on the fun for 200 dollars a pop. But when Craig's wife Lotte (a homely Cameron Diaz), is seduced by Maxine while in Malkovich's body, things begin to unfurl at an even more outrageous pace. Sound confusing?
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