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| Directed by Spike Jonze; Starring John Cusack, John Malkovich, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, and Charlie Sheen |
Being John Malkovich is one of those absurd films that you either enjoy for the pleasure of its sheer zaniness or cringe over its cloyingly unusual humor. There are many critics (namely Rex Reed) that hate such films, thinking that anything that tries to be different for a laugh is less than important. On the other hand I think that being dislocated from reality is an asset to comedies. One must remember that I for one enjoyed Casino Royale. Being John Malkovich never tries to be smarter than the audience by having characters that use sophistication for a laugh, but instead director Spike Jonze utilizes just being different to get the laugh, a choice that I think pays off.
If the storyline is unknown, then this should be interesting. Being John Malkovich is about what happens to a well-meaning man when he finds a portal into the head of John Malkovich, the actor in In the Line of Fire and Places of the Heart. Craig Schwartz (Cusack) takes a job as a filer in a business on the seventh and a half floor to make money to take care of his career (puppeteer), wife (Diaz), and her many animals. When he gets there he falls for a coworker named Maxine (Keener) who could care less about him. Craig is miserable, that is until he finds a door behind one of the filing cabinets. The portal actually allows him to see the world through the eyes of John Malkovich for about fifteen minutes. This is life affirming for Craig, but when he tells Maxine, it becomes a business chance also.
The whole premise of the film is funny enough and luckily the film is not a one-joke film like one might expect. It is off the wall and crazy, so disorganized yet perfectly mapped out that one cannot help but appreciate it. There was not a one scene in the film I could see coming ahead of time, especially the scene in which we get to see John Malkovich go into his own head.
Director Jonze (best known for directing music videos, as well as appearing in Three Kings recently) and writer Charlie Kaufman have made the comedy of the year. The film is this year’s Rushmore, a laugh riot that perfectly compliments the better, more dramatic comedy of the year (this year: American Beauty, last year: Happiness). All of the actors give great performances, with John Malkovich standing out as Oscar worthy (though I doubt that there will even be a nomination). Being John Malkovich is one of those films that words cannot do justice to. Just take my advise and see the film.
