Vanessa Forsythe reviews
Being John Malkovich
- Cert: R
- Cat.no: 0518
- Running time: 113 minutes
- Year: 1999
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 1, NTSC
- Chapters: 32 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English (and hard of hearing), French, Spanish
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: $39.98
- Extras : Scene index, Theatrical Trailer; TV Spots; 7th Floor Orientation;
American Arts & Culture Presents... John Horatio Malkovich, Dance of Despair
and Disillusionment; A Page with nothing on it; An Intimate Portrait of the Art
of Puppeteering; An Interview with Director Spike Jonze; An Intimate
Portrait of the Art of Background Driving; Cast & Crew Biographies &
Filmographies; Spike's Photo Album.
Director:
Cast:
Craig Schwartz: John Cusack (Grosse Point Blank, Con Air)
Lotte Schwartz: Cameron Diaz (The Mask, A Life less Ordinary)
Maxine: Catherine Keener (Your Friends & Neighbours, Out of Sight)
John Horatio Malkovich: John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons, Con Air)
Dr Lester: Orson Bean (Innerspace)
Floris: Mary Kay Place (Pecker, The Rainmaker)
Anyone seeing
the video Spike Jonze (Conrad in
Three Kings)
directed for "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim, might well expect his first
feature to be a suitably strange affair. And indeed, they would be right.
One can only imagine the look on John Malkovich's face when he was
presented with the script!
One of the most imaginative and funny films of the year so far, Being John
Malkovich centres on Craig Schwartz (Cusack), an unemployed but very
talented puppeteer and his wife, Lotte (Diaz) a pet shop owner, who seems to
bring home most of the residents of her shop.
Lotte persuades Craig to get a job, which he duly does at Lestercorp, a
company located on Floor 7 of its building (a gag which really has to be seen).
There, Craig meets Maxine (Keener) and falls instantly in lust with the
enigmatic beauty. One day he drops some files behind a cabinet and discovers
a mysterious door leading into a dark tunnel. When he crawls in he is
suddenly transported into John Malkovich's head. He can see out of his eyes...
he is being John Malkovich.
After 15 mins he is spat out on to the Jersey Turnpike. He tells Maxine
and she proposes they set up a business selling trips through the portal. Soon,
Lotte is taking trips inside Malkovich's head, as is half the city. Then,
Malkovich himself gets wind of the venture...
To say anymore would really spoil this wonderfully inventive and darkly
comic tale. Suffice to say, this is one film you will be discussing long
after the end credits have disappeared. Recommended if you like something a
bit out of the ordinary.
Extras:
Very good extras, infused with the same sense of the bizarre as the film. A
Page With Nothing On It does exactly what it says on the tin, unless it's a
secret portal itself!! (If anyone finds any hidden features, please let me
know!)
The only criticism that I would have is that there is no commentary by the
director, but then maybe its best not to explain too much and leave it all up
to us to make of it what we will.
FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
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OVERALL
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Review copyright © Vanessa Forsythe, 2000.
E-mail Vanessa Forsythe
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