Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich (1999) is a Satirical Fantasy Drama in which Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) dreams of being a world famous puppeteer… or, at least, a working one. Instead, he performs on the street portraying adult themes in an otherwise childish medium because no one will give him the time of day. His wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), urges him to get a day job while he waits for his puppetry career to kick off, and after being slugged by a girl’s father who witnesses his presentation of Abelard and Heloise on the street, he ends up at Lester Corp for a job interview. The firm is located on the 7-½ floor of the building, which cuts the ceiling so low that the employees must duck to walk the halls. Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) likes Craig and he gives him a job as a filer in the firm. At his New Hire Orientation, Craig meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) who he falls instantly in love with. But, as she tells him, if he ever got her, he wouldn’t have a clue what to do with her. Between a house full of his wife’s animals, Dr. Lester’s obscene fantasies about the secretary, Floris (Mary Kay Place), and Maxine’s adamant rejections for Craig’s flirtations- though she has no qualms about teasing him- Craig stumbles upon a hidden tunnel within Lester Corp that leads directly into John Malkovich’s brain.

This film was written by Charlie Kaufman, who later directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He wrote the script originally on the idea that it was about a man who fell in love with someone other than his wife... needless to say, the film branched out considerably from there, mostly on ideas that Kaufman just found entertaining. The concept of Malkovich was, in fact, one of the last details to come into the script. He showed it to Francis Ford Coppola to direct, but it was passed down to his son-in-law, Spike Jonze, who agreed. They pitched it to multiple companies where it was continuously shot down. Eventually, Propaganda Films bought the piece to produce it with Single Cell Pictures, and pitched it to numerous studios including New Line Cinema, who famously asked, "Why the fuck can't it be called Being Tom Cruise?!" They did not take the project. The film was given a budget of $10 million, and it kicked off into production with John Malkovich as planned, and certainly not with Tom Cruise.

The writing in this movie is spectacular. The plot is so well developed, and the characters so put together that it’s one of the most humorous and seamless satires I have ever seen. There isn’t a single moment that makes you feel like “Oh yeah, this is reality,” and yet, there’s nothing quite so underwritten as to suggest that there’s no WAY it could be reality. The writers were incredibly dedicated to treating this story- preposterous as it was- as a real situation, and they covered all the bases of, “What would happen if?” The concept itself is also completely original, interesting, engaging, and easy to work with. This film could have been TERRIBLE, but the writing was precise and deliberate and provided an excellent spine.

The actors in this movie couldn’t have been more well chosen. This is an atypical role for John Cusack, who did a tremendous job as a pathetic, naïve little man. This is the first role of Cameron Diaz’s that I’ve gotten to thoroughly enjoy. Let’s not forget about Malkovich himself… he is the PERFECT person to have this movie be about! John Malkovich really is one of the great American actors of the 21st century, and he really is someone who the general public has no idea about! There are not many actors you can say that about and have it be so true as with John Malkovich… he’s also so wonderfully eloquent and vocally demanding, that his lines, character, and even his delivery of “Craig” when Craig is supposedly controlling Malkovich are perfect. The scene of Craig enacting his puppetry through Malkovich in “The Dance,” is phenomenal and unforgettable.

The sound and cinematography of this film borders on the experimental due to the subject matter. It’s not every day you see a film like this- or any day, unless this is the film you happen to be watching. When inside Malkovich, the sound is both louder and muffled. The shots are bordered by black to form a circle- which I wouldn’t say I agree with. I understand the choice, because it does distinguish between what is an objective shot in the film and what is supposedly seen by Malkovich, however the human eye has such wide range that I felt as though being shot that way made me feel LESS like I was inside of John Malkovich than a regular shot would have. Perhaps a fish eye lens- or something in that family that’s not as distorting- would have been a better idea? I felt that the shots combined with the audio made me feel as though I was in a box looking out when inside Malkovich, which is not what the characters claim to feel when in his brain, but I did think it was an interesting effect.

I think EVERYONE going into film or writing or acting or philosophy should see this movie. It’s very amusing, very creative, shot well, well acted, and even though it’s over two hours long, there is no point in which it is boring. One the film is set up (and it’s set up well) as a satire, you can’t go wrong with it because it’s just unpredictable. There are many things that are displayed in this movie that can and should be learned by filmmakers before they try to put something out there. Even if you don’t like the film, I still think it’s influential enough that it should be viewed, because there really isn’t anything quite like this.