Being John Malkovich (1999) directed by Spike Jonze
This is one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen and almost impossible to describe by mere plot summary. It is also a testament to the talent of writer Charlie Kaufman who also wrote Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. What do all these movies have in common? They are all complex cerebral adventures that defy conventional thinking and storytelling. They take risks and bold turns, flowing in a stream of consciousness that is seemingly random and chaotic yet makes perfect sense. In Being John Malkovich we simply accept the fact that there is a building with a seven-and-a-halved floor and on this floor exists a portal into the mind of, well, John Malkovich. I have no idea what the inspiration for such a plot could have possibly came from but it is pure genius and honestly a little demented.
The movie is so interesting because it takes so many unexpected turns, not for mere shock appeal, but in clever and intriguing ways. It also has great characters that breathe so much life into the script. First there is Craig Schwartz (played by John Cusack) who is a struggling street puppeteer. He's not Kevin Clash of Sesame Street fame though. Instead he is a darker Woody Allen type, dark, neurotic and self loathing. He is so unlikeable that random strangers punch him in the face during his street performances. He is married to Lotte (Cameron Diaz) who is also a complete wreck. The two live together in an apartment with a monkey. Don't ask. They both fall in love with the same woman, Maxine (Catherine Keener), who is cold and dismissive to both, that is until they take the form of John Malkovich, to which she has a deep connection with. That of course leads to a virtuoso performance by Malkovich himself in a bizarre role which he plays himself, sort of. The film even features a cameo appearance by Charlie Sheen before he became the Charlie Sheen we've grown to know which makes it even more awesome.
Anyways Craig discovers a secret portal into the brain of John Malkovich where you can be a part of him for fifteen minutes. He and Maxine devise a plan to charge people $200 for the experience. Things go awry when Lotte wants to try it and finds that she is in love with being him and in love with Maxine who loves her back, but only when she is him. To make things worse, Craig is in love with Maxine as well and finds his only way in is to be him as well. It is a fight for Maxine via John Malkovich who himself becomes aware that something crazy is going on inside of his head. In one memorable scene he goes through his own portal entering his own mind. Craig discovers he enjoys entering the actor's mind as he is able to utilize his puppeteering talents. There is just so much craziness going on it is difficult to explain without spoiling things.
It is easy to see the connection between this film and Adaptation, the next Kaufman/Jones pairing as they have a very distinct narrative style that just jumps around from place to place. I loved the random fantasy element of the film and the dark witty humor. I don't really know what else to say other than this is one of the most bizarrely enjoyable films I've seen in a long time.
Grade: A-
This is one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen and almost impossible to describe by mere plot summary. It is also a testament to the talent of writer Charlie Kaufman who also wrote Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. What do all these movies have in common? They are all complex cerebral adventures that defy conventional thinking and storytelling. They take risks and bold turns, flowing in a stream of consciousness that is seemingly random and chaotic yet makes perfect sense. In Being John Malkovich we simply accept the fact that there is a building with a seven-and-a-halved floor and on this floor exists a portal into the mind of, well, John Malkovich. I have no idea what the inspiration for such a plot could have possibly came from but it is pure genius and honestly a little demented.
The movie is so interesting because it takes so many unexpected turns, not for mere shock appeal, but in clever and intriguing ways. It also has great characters that breathe so much life into the script. First there is Craig Schwartz (played by John Cusack) who is a struggling street puppeteer. He's not Kevin Clash of Sesame Street fame though. Instead he is a darker Woody Allen type, dark, neurotic and self loathing. He is so unlikeable that random strangers punch him in the face during his street performances. He is married to Lotte (Cameron Diaz) who is also a complete wreck. The two live together in an apartment with a monkey. Don't ask. They both fall in love with the same woman, Maxine (Catherine Keener), who is cold and dismissive to both, that is until they take the form of John Malkovich, to which she has a deep connection with. That of course leads to a virtuoso performance by Malkovich himself in a bizarre role which he plays himself, sort of. The film even features a cameo appearance by Charlie Sheen before he became the Charlie Sheen we've grown to know which makes it even more awesome.
Anyways Craig discovers a secret portal into the brain of John Malkovich where you can be a part of him for fifteen minutes. He and Maxine devise a plan to charge people $200 for the experience. Things go awry when Lotte wants to try it and finds that she is in love with being him and in love with Maxine who loves her back, but only when she is him. To make things worse, Craig is in love with Maxine as well and finds his only way in is to be him as well. It is a fight for Maxine via John Malkovich who himself becomes aware that something crazy is going on inside of his head. In one memorable scene he goes through his own portal entering his own mind. Craig discovers he enjoys entering the actor's mind as he is able to utilize his puppeteering talents. There is just so much craziness going on it is difficult to explain without spoiling things.
It is easy to see the connection between this film and Adaptation, the next Kaufman/Jones pairing as they have a very distinct narrative style that just jumps around from place to place. I loved the random fantasy element of the film and the dark witty humor. I don't really know what else to say other than this is one of the most bizarrely enjoyable films I've seen in a long time.
Grade: A-
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