Being John Malkovich (1999)
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Cast
as Craig Schwartz
as Lotte Schwartz
as Maxine
as Himself
as Dr. Lester
as Floris
as Ídem.
as Father
as Daughter
as Derek Mantini
as Capt. Mertin
as Wendy
as Don
as Mr. Hiroshi
as Larry the Agent
as Johnson Heyward
as Malkovich's Mother
as Woman In Elevator
as Boy Malkovich
as Emily
as Tiny Woman
as Cab Driver
as Guy In Restaurant
as First J.M. Inc. Customer
as Sad Man In Line
as Student Puppeteer
as Girl Creeped Out by Malkovich
as Boy John Malkovich
as Drunk At Bar
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Doctor Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Lester's Friend
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Ballet Dancer
as Featured Character Voices
as Featured Character Voices
as Featured Character Voices
as Featured Character Voices
as Featured Character Voices
as Featured Character Voices
as Himself [uncredited]
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Critic Reviews for Being John Malkovich
All Critics (123) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (114) | Rotten (9) | DVD (15)
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.
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.
It's tremendously entertaining, and probably worthy of repeat viewings.
Audience Reviews for Being John Malkovich
A strange, existential, and ultimately disconcerting film that just gets weirder and weirder. Major points for Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman for originality, but the film's atmosphere and mood are just so dismal. The film is almost saved by Malkovich's performance in second half, but the film remains too drab to provide enough reason to love it. A lot of originality and uniqueness (as well as strangeness) to offer, but not enough entertainment value. There is no comfortable balance between the two.
Super Reviewer
[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Spike Jonze's wittily-written, incredibly acted comedy drama about a disgruntled but ambitious puppeteer who to his amazement finds a peculiar, mystical portal into the mind of John Malkovich, is a brilliantly surreal and mind boggling experience. It's profoundly original dream-like narrative exploring humanities selfishness and one's desire to be something else makes it consitently entertaining and builds up to an utterly unforgettable cinematic experience. Charlie Kaufman's clever yet non self-indulgent script creates some very awkward but hilarious situations for the characters and flawlessly disguises the insane fableness and fantasy of the story and it's characters infinitely believable. He went on to work with director Michel Gondry and wrote his masterpiece; Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, which I think is one of the best films ever made. He is arguably one of the most talneted art-house writers out there today and although he makes very few films the one's that he does work on are always brilliant. In the interesting case of Being John Malkovich, performance-wise it is perfect, Cameron Diaz and John Cusack advertise some fantastic chemistry, but the greatest stand-out is easily John Malkovich who is just perfect and undeniably engaging at being/playing John Malkovich. Catherine Keener is also great as the bitterly inhuman anti-hero, and Jonze's outstanding direction nails the film as a landmark. I think it's one of the best directorial debuts of all time, and if your not laughing at it, or being moved by it, you'll certainly be admiring it. It's a strange and emotionally detatching screen presence but in my opinion it's one of the best of it's kind. Endlessly fascinating and completely extraordinary.
Super Reviewer
Lotte Schwartz: I 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. "Ever want to be someone else? Now you can." Charlie Kauffman's and Spike Jonze's first team up is a complete masterpiece. This is a movie unlike any you have ever seen and is only equaled in brilliance and originality by another film that was written by Kauffman, Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. Being John Malkovich is a bizarre, eccentric, out in outer space film that is sure to turn some people off based purely on just how weird a film it is. For those who love bizarre, when it is genius, will love this one. Craig Schwartz is a puppeteer, but there isn't much demand for his profession, so he has to take a job as a filer. While there, he finds a small door behind a filing cabinet and enters. Turns out that door is a portal into John Malkovich's mind. He teams up with a beautiful co-worker, who he is smitten for and starts selling trips into Malkovich's mind at $200 a pop. There's a lot of weirdness going on including a secretary that can't understand a word anyone says, an office on the 7 1/2 floor that is half the height of a normal floor, and a love... square. Describing a film like Being John Malkovich is a hard thing to do. People who love, don't see it as just a weird movie, while people who hate it see it only as that. With all the weird stuff that is going on in Kauffman's screenplay, there is just as much intelligent stuff going on. Most of it is the same. There's something altogether brilliant about every single thing going on here. From looking into the mind of a chimp to having a setting placed on a floor that isn't really a floor to Keener's character being in love with Diaz's because she senses Diaz's presence in Malkovich's when they make love. You can't help but just be swept up by it all. Or at least I can't. If you're familiar with Kauffman's and Jonze's other works, you know that both of them are in love with the bizarre. So when they get together for movies like this and like Adaption, the end result is no less than warped, but also no less than amazing. If you want to watch something truly original in just about every facet; this is a must watch. If you don't like movies that are trying to do something outside of the routine, boring movies that are mass made each year, don't watch it. For those who can accept the films eccentricity, you'll find a movie that is made with pure imagination and love. Being John Malkovich is easily one of my favorite movies of all-time. I could watch it a thousand times and still love every single moment of it.
Super Reviewer
Being John Malkovich Quotes
| Lotte Schwartz: | Suck my dick! |
| Larry the Agent: | Sorry about the cunt in reception |
| Larry the Agent: | John! Great to see you! Sorry about the cunt at reception. |
| John Malkovich: | It's my head, Schwartz! It's my head! |
| Maxine Lund: | I think the world is divided into those who go after what they want and those who don’t. The passionate ones, the ones who go after what they want, they may not get what they want, but at least they remain vital, you know? So when they lie on their deathbeds, they have few regrets. |
| Maxine Lund: | I think the world is divided into those who go after what they want and those who don't. The passionate ones, the ones who go after what they want, they may not get what they want, but at least they remain vital, you know? So when they lie on their deathbeds, they have few regrets. |
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