Director: Spike Jonze Writer: Charlie Kaufman Genre: (Black) Comedy/Fantasy Release Date: 1999 Classification: 15+ Run Time: 112 minutes Amazon DVD Price: £12.99 Awards: 3 Oscar Nominations and a further 45 wins
***Who is Spike Jonze*** Spike Jonze, born Adam Spiegel and divorced from Sophia Coppola in 2003, first made his mark as 1/3 of the genius behind the publication if Dirt Magazine, a skating/BMX/Snowboarding mag. The team, including friends Andy Jenkins and Mark Lewman were also editors for the Beastie Boys creation, Grand Royal Magazine. Jonze's relationship with the Beastie Boys resulted in him shooting several of their video's including the phenomenal Sabotage video in 1994.
As well as the Beastie Boys , Jonze also worked on music videos for Weezer, Daft Punk, Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, REM, Bjork, the Chemical Brothers, Notorious B.I.G, Ludacris, and Fatboy Slim.
Since he first started directing music videos for which he has won critical acclaim, Jonze has gone on to direct short films, documentaries and feature films.
Although many 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 permitted to release the 15 minute documentary until January of this year. It is widely suspected that had it been aired during the Democratic National Convention as had originally been expected, there would have been a different outcome to the 2000 presidency elections.
Jonze has kept himself busy with quirky feature films such as Adaptation, Amarillo 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, readers will be totally confused and probably loose the will to live trying to understand what is going on.
Being John Malkovich follows Craig Schwartz (Cusack), a failed puppeteer stuck in a lifeless marriage with his animal obsessed wife Lotte (Diaz).
Lotte finally orders her husband to look for work that unlike his puppeteering with bring in some money and he takes a job as a filing clerk for Lester Corp. He works of the seventh and a half floor which can only be reached by using the emergency stop button and using a crow bar to pry open the doors.
After shifting a filing cabinet in his ridiculously small office, Schwartz discovers a tiny door which just so happens to be a portal into the mind and consciousness of John Malkovich. This allows Schwartz to literally live through Malkovich for roughly 15 minutes before he is dumped into a muddy ditch by the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
When Schwartz tells Maxine, his office crush about the portal she sells him on the idea of making some money by offering people the chance to be Malkovich for the princely sum of $200.
Schwartz also tells his wife who insists on having a shot at being John Malkovich. When she enters him, he is in the midst of having a shower and she becomes instantly aroused and becomes obsessed with the portal. When she next visits the Malkovich's body, he is arranging a meeting with Maxine. Lotte arranges to return at the time of their date and finds herself falling in love with her sudo-date.
Cue ridiculous love triangle with warped twists at every turn. There is kidnap, lust, paranoia, spite, revenge and even a little bit of love along the way all of which results in Malkovich himself going through the Portal only to find himself in a parallel universe with millions of other Malkoviches. Understandably he insists Schwartz close the portal, but obviously Schwartz doesn't.
Are you all still with me?
The story then takes an odd jump forward eight months where Schwartz sees he is married to Maxine as Malkovich although the relationship is a distant one. By this time, Schwartz who has learnt to control and stay inside Malkovich's body as well as his mind makes his host body quits the world of showbiz for a life as a Puppeteer. As Malkovich, he becomes very successful in the field and in fact is thought of as the world's best know puppeteer, right up there with…well, I don't know any other Puppeteers.
While this is all going on, Lotte visits Lester of Lester Corp where she learns that he has been grooming Malkovich since a young age with the intention of using his body when it becomes "ripe." He and a host of aging friends will be able to live forever by exchanging host bodies such as Malkovich. To do so, an elaborate plan has to be concocted to get Schwartz out of Malkovich so that they can get in.
By the end of the film Lotte and Maxine are reunited by there love and an unexpected little bundle conceived while Lotte was inside Malkovich. Awww, I love a good romance!
***How was the Acting?*** ***Main Cast*** John Cusack, Craig Schwartz Cameron Diaz, Lotte Schwartz John Malkovich, John Malkovich Catherine Keener, Maxine Lund Orson Bean, Dr Lester
I am a huge Cusack fan so only expected the best and he delivered! He played a frustrated, meek babbling fool to perfection who's one true passion was creating and performing with his puppets. His loneliness, and desperation drips off the screen and we find ourselves warming to the pathetic excuse for a man. A truly under-rated American star I want to see more of.
Cameron Diaz always intrigues me. I am amazed that one minute she is all bikini's and waxes in Charlie's Angels and yet the next minute she is some frizzy-redhead with huge glasses and a Little House on the Prairie wardrobe for a film like this. She seems quite comfortable in her own skin and able to show herself up as she does expertly in this film. This is by far her best movie (well, next to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and without a doubt her best performance. I actually forgot it was Cameron Diaz I was watching and was able to get caught up in the silliness and intensity of her character instead. Fantastic!
John Malkovich played himself better than anyone else could - I would hope and for the first part I didn't expect to much performance-wise from him as I didn't think it would be called for. I was pleasantly surprised when he took his paranoid turn and begun to act fanatically. Again, another performance from an actor more than happy to show himself up.
Catherine Keener plays the sexy manipulating sort of black widow type vixen and she does it well. She amazes me with the ability to keep the far away, I could have you if I wanted you look on her face while still managing to be laugh out loud funny. I suspect this is more to do with a brilliant script than her particular acting abilities but I cannot fault her.
Orson Bean plays Lester a character reminiscent of an aging TV game show host in velour track suits and orange tan. I kept looking to see where the sovereign ring was. He wasn't in the film well but his presence on screen instantly commanded respect and even as a viewer I found myself wanting to follow him through the Portal. This man could sell life insurance to a dead man!
*Cinematography* Everything about the film is cramped and desolate feeling which gives you the sense of claustrophobia I think Schwartz often feels. Only when the focus is on the areas that excite and stimulate i.e. the puppet theatre, Malkovich's flat, Lester's home do we see more vibrancy and colour. This works well and has been used effectively.
*Sountrack* Coming from such a strong musical background you would expect a truly inspired soundtrack from Spike Jonze. The soundtrack was composed by Carter Burwell well know in the film industry for slightly off the wall compositions. I found the music matched the oddball factor of this film and only helped enhance its appeal. Although much of the music was composed solely by Burwell additional tracks included Bjork's Amphibian and Bella Bartok's Allegro.
***What did I think of it?*** Please don't let my plot summary put you off. If you try to follow the film in a sensible and logical manner you will never make it through in one piece. If you are prepared to sit back and let the obscure take you on a ride, you will love this film. It is so well written and among a few of the funniest films I have ever watched. It is hammed up but doesn't go that step too far as is often the case and as a viewer you get the feeling that the cast and crew had a blast making this film. The preposterous theme and the sensational twists and turns along the way are fantastic. Although they are completely outlandish, it doesn't feel nearly as unrealistic when you watch it. I have seen this film four times now and each time I watch it, I pick something new up from it. This is a fresh, funny, complicated fantastical film about pure escapism. I loved it and I hope others will give it the chance it so rightly deserves.
***Trivia*** 1. Spike Jonze was ask to direct 2005 film, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but turned down the offer 2. After the script was written including the bit about Schwartz working on the 7 ½ floor, it was discovered that 7 ½ was the actual apartment number of John Malkovich. 3. Spike Jonze made a cameo appearance in the film as Derek Mantini's assistant 4. Brad Pitt had a brief cameo appearance as a ticked off star in the John Malkovich documentary 5. Charlie Sheen plays Malkovich's best friend but in the original script it was meant to be Kevin Bacon 6. John Cusack actually took puppeteering classes in preparation for this role
***Quotes*** Lotte: Don't stand in the way of my actualisation of a man.
Craig: Do you know what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is?
Charlie: truth is for suckers Johnny boy!
Maxine: Meet you in Malkovich in one hour
Dr Lester: I've been very lonely in my isolated tower of indecipherable speech.
Lotte: think it's kinda sexy that John Malkovich has a portal, y'know, sort of like, it's like, like he has a vagina. It's sort of vaginal, y'know, like he has a, he has a penis AND a vagina. I mean, it's sort of like... Malkovich's... feminine side. I like that.
Schwartz (as Malkovich): There is truth, and there are lies, and art always tells the truth. Even when it's lying.
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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 you...
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 you...
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the
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surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-director Spike Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers hi...
