Being John Malkovich Reviews
Devilishly inventive and so far out there it's almost off the scale.
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.
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.
Time Out
Top CriticThis must be seen to be believed, a hundred carat cult item -- and all credit to Malkovich for playing along.
It is hard to mix moods -- the film is manic, subtle, comic and vaguely sad -- but [Jonze] does it masterfully.
It's clever, witty, dark and, most importantly, unwaveringly bizarre.
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| Original Score: 3/4
It's tremendously entertaining, and probably worthy of repeat viewings.
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| Original Score: 3/4
Wonderfully inventive, wickedly funny, and thoughtful enough to keep your mind on full alert, it's a square peg in the round world of genre films.
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| Original Score: 3.5/4
Either Being John Malkovich gets nominated for best picture, or the members of the Academy need portals into their brains.
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| Original Score: 4/4
Mr. Jonze's film, with a terrific original screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, is not the first to explore the prospect of being able to sneak into the mind of another person. But Mr. Jonze's version is definitely the most fun.
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| Original Score: 5/5
I don't know how a movie this original got made today, but thank God for wonderful aberrations.
Being John Malkovich, which contains not a frame of extraneous footage, is more than a must-see movie: It's a must - see - more - than - once event.
| Original Score: 4/4
It may not be clear just what that means, but like the rest of the Malkovich experience it's a lot of fun going down.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4.5/5
Being John Malkovich is more than just the latest cool, smart, funny movie. It jumps off the screen with the kind of freshness, originality, and light-handed stranglehold on the Zeitgeist that moves movies forward.
Dazzlingly singular movies aren't often this much fun.
Weird to the max, smart, sneaky as a Wall Street pickpocket and revved up with cruel wit and brazen imagination, Being John Malkovich is a dark movie comedy that you couldn't forget if you tried.
A supremely, almost effortlessly inventive and hilarious experience.
Unlike most comedies, which go for laughs without worrying about depth, Being John Malkovich has both.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/4
