Feature

Being John Malkovich Review

A refreshing and intelligent idea for a film.

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a puppeteer – but not a very successful one. Seeking work to support his animal-obsessed wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), he lands a job as a filing clerk in a mysterious business located between the 7th and 8th floors of a New York office building. Soon he's attracted to a glamorous fellow-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) – and then, behind a filing cabinet, Craig discovers a door which leads to a tunnel – and he's instantly zapped into the head of actor John Malkovich.

a dizzily inventive creation

This incredibly fresh, original comedy is the work of a pair of very talented first-timers – writer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze. Between them, they've created an outrageously funny concept which gets more intriguing and mind blowing as it proceeds – it's refreshing because it's so fiercely intelligent in what it has to say about sexual manipulation, power games, pulling the strings of someone else's life. To tell you more would be to spoil the fun – it's a mad idea for a film, and John Malkovich is very game to have participated – he's perfect playing himself, or perhaps a variation on himself - Charlie Sheen's funny too. Jonze has boldly cast his very talented actresses against type, with the usually unglamorous Keener as the sexpot and the usually radiant Diaz as the dowdy wife. And John Cusack proves once again what a very fine actor he is. Try and see this savagely bold, gender-crossing comedy before you find out too much more about it. I think it's the best film I've seen this year.

Margaret's comments:

This is a dizzily inventive creation, firstly from debut screenwriter Charlie Kaufman – who surely must have been hallucinating when he wrote this film – and from first-time feature director Spike Jonze. They are endlessly inventive as they have a ball exploring issues of gender, identity and of addiction. Cameron Diaz is almost unrecognisable in her role as the 'eccentric little wife' who finds a zany freedom through her husband's discovery, Catherine Keener sizzles on screen and John Cusack just does his usual brilliant turn as the instigator of the mayhem. But what price John Malkovich agreeing to be part of this demented project? Wise decision. Because he's protected and exposed in very satisfying ways. It's not often you see something as original and entertaining as this on the big screen, you just have to be grateful that such films have the possibility of existing.