Bizarre... truly bizarre

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2004)

I don't believe I've ever seen a movie that I had such a hard time understanding every second of, yet was drawn to at the same time. From the very first frame to the last, the film is bizarre and weird. The characters all act in a way that is quite hard to... 'decode' is probably the most accurate word here. Some act entirely uninhibited, some just act plain weird. I gathered that the whole portal into John Malkovich's head was a metaphor, but I couldn't make sense of all of the film. The plot is interesting and unbelievably bizarre, and quite difficult to follow. The pacing is a little slow, but that might just be because I had such a hard time understanding what was going on and why. The film has some truly memorable scenes, and even a few memorable lines. I'll never forget the famous restaurant "Malkovich" scene, and I doubt anyone else who've seen it will. The whole idea is great, and I think it's fairly original, as well. I didn't understand all of it, but I suppose I would if I were older, and had experienced a situation similar to that of one or more of the main characters, I would understand their actions more. This is a hard movie to comment on... especially since I don't entirely understand it. I will say that, while I found the ending to be slightly unsatisfying(which can probably be attributed to my being too used to Hollywood endings), I liked the deep, insightful commentary on love and emotions. What else is there to say... I might not be making a good case for the film, but I really do recommend you to watch it... if nothing else, it's a great unique movie that makes you really think. A very weird movie, but a very good one as well. I recommend it to just about anyone who is up for a new twist on one of the old love-story formula, and a good story that boils down to one of the most common fears among us humans. If you think you might like the movie for whatever reason, go see it. If you are smart enough to appreciate something slightly different from what you're used to see in Hollywood films, you'll most likely enjoy this. 8/10