Being John Malkovich
Created | Updated Jun 20, 2003
This is certainly a movie that met this researcher's expectations, and surpassed them. Watching the movie I hoped for a few laughs, a strange tale, and a few scenes with the ever-campy Malkovich. What I got was something entirely different.
The movie does have a plot, even if I'm not sure what it is. I'm also sure that there is some moral or refining idea in there, somewhere... What the movie does have is a bizarre plot that succeeds in alienating the audience, never giving them a chance to associate with a certain actor, and it leaves a person feeling disassociated, wondering in awe what a strange concept this movie has. And that's exactly what this movie is: a concept.
Everything begins with a strange couple, consisting of Craig (John Cusack), a puppeteer, and Lotte (Camaron Diaz), his caring, and easily-swayed, wife. From there, everything gets weird. Craig gets a real job as a filer on the 7/1/2 floor of an office building, where he finds a portal which transports him into the mind of John Malkovich for fifteen minutes. After he experiences being in John's body, Craig's life alters, and he seeks to make profit from this life-changing experience. What follows is a tangled plot satiated with loss, lust, and, and... did I mention tangled?
While you should definitely watch this movie, be prepared to leave themovie with lots of metaphysical questions and a definite sense of uncertainty. There's more to this movie than simply 'Being John Malkovich.'
