Being John Malkovich
starring: Orson Bean, Ned Bellamy, W. Earl Brown, Kevin Carroll, John Cusack
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Product Description:
A street puppeteer turned file clerk accidentally discovers a portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich; he, his wife and his office mate hatch a plot to charge $200 for others to make the journey.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-APR-2003
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, sobracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze andscreenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faithin the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purposebeyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance isgloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expectedin a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlornpuppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into thebrain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floorof a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as thecomedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are justgetting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack'sdowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business schemeto capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got amovie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules.Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance,riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters hisown brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himselfin a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Notreally. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich isa wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com:
While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich is a wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon
A street puppeteer turned file clerk accidentally discovers a portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich; he, his wife and his office mate hatch a plot to charge $200 for others to make the journey.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-APR-2003
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, sobracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze andscreenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faithin the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purposebeyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance isgloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expectedin a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlornpuppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into thebrain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floorof a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as thecomedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are justgetting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack'sdowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business schemeto capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got amovie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules.Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance,riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters hisown brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himselfin a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Notreally. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich isa wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com:
While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich is a wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Sick...incredibly sick!
Sorry to disagree with everyone, but this is like the little boy telling the emperor that he is naked.
This is one protracted sick premise that is not funny, inventive, or entertaining unless you have the type of intellect (or lack thereof) that enjoys having your fingernails pulled out and being attacked by killer bees simultaniuosly!
Rating: 
- Hilarious and quirky
This is one of the most original, quirky and hilarious movies I have ever seen.In fact, it is the most original, quirky and hilarious movie I have ever seen.How these guys--Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze ever came up with this is beyond me. I want more films and books etc from these guys.I highly recommend this movie, but with the caveat that it may not be funny the movie for everyone.You probably need to be off-kilter a little bit to really enjoy this movie.
Rating: - A new kind of monster movie?
This movie kind of reminded me of Kafka for some reason:
no offense, but $200
for 15 minutes of being John Malkovich
seems over priced?
The acting is first rate and the script is is just kind of awesome in the way you get to hate the John Cusack character who is
pretty much the anti-hero of this modern surreal drama.
In the end I guess I liked it, but I wouldn't take kids to see it.
Rating: - Strangely Enjoyable Comedy.
This movie is just funny. The characters and how the interact is just hilarious. It kept me entertained, as I hope was the point of the movie, because if there really was a deeper side to this movie I missed it.
It made me lulz.
It's kind of like one of the movie adapts of Alice in Wonderland. Not the book, mind you, but like the movie adapts...
The movie follows the story of a very strange, lonely, unhappy guy (Cusack) who, do to his wife's insistence, gets a job ... Read More
Rating: - MAGICAL
To call BEING JOHN MALKOVICH a work of genius seems inadequate. Kaufman's script is so strikingly original, and Spike Jonze's direction so adroit it restored my faith in Hollywood. The cast from John Cusack, Cameron Diaz ( in my favorite Diaz-role ), John Malkovich, Catherine Keener, and Orson Bean, are terrific.
The only experience I can equate this movie to is my first bungey jump. You'll laugh, you may even cry, but you won't be bored by this film.
- Sick...incredibly sick!Sorry to disagree with everyone, but this is like the little boy telling the emperor that he is naked.
This is one protracted sick premise that is not funny, inventive, or entertaining unless you have the type of intellect (or lack thereof) that enjoys having your fingernails pulled out and being attacked by killer bees simultaniuosly!
- Hilarious and quirkyThis is one of the most original, quirky and hilarious movies I have ever seen.In fact, it is the most original, quirky and hilarious movie I have ever seen.How these guys--Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze ever came up with this is beyond me. I want more films and books etc from these guys.I highly recommend this movie, but with the caveat that it may not be funny the movie for everyone.You probably need to be off-kilter a little bit to really enjoy this movie.
- A new kind of monster movie?This movie kind of reminded me of Kafka for some reason:
no offense, but $200
for 15 minutes of being John Malkovich
seems over priced?
The acting is first rate and the script is is just kind of awesome in the way you get to hate the John Cusack character who is
pretty much the anti-hero of this modern surreal drama.
In the end I guess I liked it, but I wouldn't take kids to see it.
- Strangely Enjoyable Comedy.This movie is just funny. The characters and how the interact is just hilarious. It kept me entertained, as I hope was the point of the movie, because if there really was a deeper side to this movie I missed it.
It made me lulz.
It's kind of like one of the movie adapts of Alice in Wonderland. Not the book, mind you, but like the movie adapts...
The movie follows the story of a very strange, lonely, unhappy guy (Cusack) who, do to his wife's insistence, gets a job ... Read More
- MAGICALTo call BEING JOHN MALKOVICH a work of genius seems inadequate. Kaufman's script is so strikingly original, and Spike Jonze's direction so adroit it restored my faith in Hollywood. The cast from John Cusack, Cameron Diaz ( in my favorite Diaz-role ), John Malkovich, Catherine Keener, and Orson Bean, are terrific.
The only experience I can equate this movie to is my first bungey jump. You'll laugh, you may even cry, but you won't be bored by this film.
