BEING JOHN MALKOVICH **** (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener and John Malkovich Director-Spike Jonze Rated 14A USA Films
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`Being John Malkovich' is almost too much of a good thing. In all my experience in motion pictures, I don't think anything as bizarre or surreal as this film has ever arisen. It's like `Alice in Wonderful' refitted to an episode of `The Twilight Zone', only far more imaginative as it propels itself around each new obstacle. It's only when you're watching that you fully realize how truly unique a spectacle `Being John Malkovich' is. It's a wonderfully wacky breeding ground of inspired ingenuity, a film that breaks the originality barrier in a time where modern movie-making is accused of being nothing but recycled clichés.
`Being John Malkovich' is like one of those elaborate dreams you have once in a while. The kind where nothing makes particular sense, when all of your subconscious thoughts combine to form something incredibly weird - like a dinner party with Abraham Lincoln, with the conversation starting with `How about those Knicks?' (that's just an example). Writer Charlie Kaufman must have had one of those dreams to spark this project. The only other known possibility would be mind-expanding drugs. A lot of mind-expanding drugs.
John Cusack plays Craig Schwartz, an unsuccessful puppeteer looking for work. Replying to an ad in the classified section, he travels to a New York City office building where he hopes to get a filing job on the 7 1/2 floor. On this particular floor, the ceiling is only four feet from the carpet. The secretary at the front desk (played by Mary Kay Place) doesn't appear to interpret what Craig is saying. The boss, Dr. Lester (Orson Bean), quizzes him with two separate letters and asks which arrives earlier in the alphabet (one of the symbols is ‘R' and the other is a squiggly line). All of this seems very strange to Craig. One day, while searching for a lost folder behind a cabinet, Craig discovers a tiny door in his office. The door is a portal that transports you into the mind of.... actor John Malkovich!! For 15 entire minutes, you are able to see through the eyes of Malkovich as he eats his morning breakfast or takes an evening shower. After this brief time has elapsed, you are spit out through a subconscious loophole alongside the New Jersey Turnpike.
Interesting, you say. Well, my dear readers, Kaufman's script takes future twists and turns that are far more relentlessly bizarre than this central premise. Craig tells the unbelievable story to his estranged wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz), who is overrun by iguanas and chimpanzees because she works at a pet store. Also gaining the knowledge of the Malkovich portal is Craig's voluptuous co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener). Together, they concoct this scheme to charge admission into the Malkovich portal, and soon curious individuals are arriving in droves so they can try this ultimate amusement park ride out for themselves.
The surprising thing is that there's actually some intricate thoughtfulness behind the detailed comedy set-up. It's weird, for certain, but there's also some genuine excitement derived from the originality of Charlie Kaufman's screenplay. The visual treatment is breathtaking (such as a scene in which two characters travel through Malkovich's subconscious), but the real marvel lies behind the audacity of the script and direction. Spike Jonze, recently seen as the fourth soldier in `Three Kings', makes his directorial debut after sitting behind the camera on various MTV music videos. Jonze has a keen eye for combining both visual and intellectual detail without upsetting the balance of the picture. It's a wild and outlandish project to handle, but obviously Jonze was up to the challenge.
The acting (including a colorful assortment of star cameos) is uniformly superb, but the true grit and style comes from Malkovich himself. Why John Malkovich? I don't know, but on closer inspection of the screenplay, he fits the demands perfectly. He's such a wonderful sport as well. No one in `Being John Malkovich' can seem to remember what films the actor has appeared in, despite their best efforts. For his wonderful work here, playing an alternate version of himself from behind the ‘Malkovich-cam' (which contains astonishing sound effects), the actor should receive an Oscar-nomination. `Being John Malkovich' can't quite captivate your attention for it's entire duration, but it will nonetheless be remembered for it's wild and daring imagination in a time where modern film is stuck in a rut of monotonous clichés.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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