Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich
Rating: 5/5

In my film class this last semester, our class was constantly asked to write on one particular theme of a film. Doing such task for a film like Being John Malkovich would be no easy task. The movie has so many different themes that it explores throughout the film and it works fantastically. Everything is handled so seamlessly.

Being John Malkovich will blow your mind but not in the manner of cheap twists, the film is incredibly written by Charlie Kaufman. The movie makes you think a lot about what’s going on within the world of these characters and has one relate it to one’s very own experiences with life.

The film stars John Cusack (Say Anything, Con Air) as a Craig Schwartz, an unemployed puppeteer. In harsh times, Schwartz is forced to get a job and finds one as a file clerk in order to support his pet obsessed wife, Lotte played by the charming Cameron Diaz (The Mask, My Best Friend’s Wedding). Once at his job he meets the lovely Maxine played by Catherine Keener (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) who somehow has an attractive feel to her unlike any other I’ve seen her in. Craig ends up develop feelings for which she does not reciprocate. Schwartz ends up finding a hole in his office that lets him live the life of John Malkovich for 15 minutes at a time.

The film is mind boggling, but isn’t the mind as well? Well acted, well written, and well directed.