Being John Malkovich (1999)
92 %
Reviews Counted: 114 Fresh: 105 Rotten:9 Average Rating: 8/10
Consensus:
Being John Malkovich is both funny and smart, featuring a highly original script.
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Synopsis: Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Kaufman and actor-director Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (Cusack), who discovers his office has a secret portal that leads directly into the... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Orson Bean
Director: Spike Jonze
Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman
Producer: Steve Golin, Sandy Stern, Michael Stipe, Vincent Landay
Composer: Carter Burwell
Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman
Producer: Steve Golin, Sandy Stern, Michael Stipe, Vincent Landay
Composer: Carter Burwell
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Reviews
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06/17/08
Top Critic
This outrageous comic fantasy may not sustain its brilliance throughout its 112 minutes, but it keeps cooking for so much of that time that I don't have many complaints.
02/08/08
Top Critic
The movie is so successful at being so far on the fringe, it often isolates.
07/26/07
Will benefit greatly from repeat viewings and fervent post-viewing deconstruction.
07/23/07
By the time the tunnel worthy of the likes of Gulliver and Alice becomes a freeway clogged with bit players, a big chill has descended on all the characters.
04/27/07
Top Critic
In just a few years, with a flurry of wildly imaginative films and three Oscar nominations, Kaufman has managed to join the likes of David Mamet, Stephen King, William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde on the short list of screenwriting superstars.
01/07/07
This must be seen to be believed, a hundred carat cult item -- and all credit to Malkovich for playing along.
01/26/06
A triumph. Featuring a bizarrely original storyline, the screenplay by Charlie Kaufman is brought to the screen by Jonze in what may turn out to be one of the funniest films of the year.
12/06/05
It is hard to mix moods -- the film is manic, subtle, comic and vaguely sad -- but [Jonze] does it masterfully.
07/21/05
Top Critic
A surrealistic ride into a fantasy world that is unique and never before seen.
04/09/05
...dense with ideas and non sequitur surprises, a viewer-friendly fun house of a film that asks only that we enjoy the ride. It is smart without seeming challenging...
01/02/05
This is "Alice in Wonderland" for this decade; its heroes crawl down rabbit holes into a world of gender role and sexual identity conflicts.
12/06/04
No one will accuse music-video director Spike Jonze of making his feature-film debut with a boring, conventional movie.
06/23/04
Premises don't come packaged more cleverly than this one. Stellar cast, eclectic story and a peculiar concept render this an imaginative albeit uneven two hours of unusual movie entertainment.
05/14/03
I highly recommend being John Malkovich. And if you can't do it, at least see the film.
02/08/03
Featuring a bizarrely original storyline, the screenplay by Charlie Kaufman is brought to the screen by Jonze in what may turn out to be one of the funniest films of the year.
12/08/02
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Being John Malkovich
by: RT 12/30/00
by: RT 12/30/00
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