Original.

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2008)

Being John Malkovich is one of the most original movies ever made. Charlie Kaufman takes risk after risk with his screenplay and completely ignores any and all screen writing protocol.
The beauty of this movie is that it doesn't try to hammer home a point like Godard or Haneke's movies, rather it is an objective exploration of themes that all resonate with us at some point or another.
The self-esteem of Craig is a major theme. He feels awkward as himself, but when he becomes John Malkovich he feels he can achieve anything. The feeling of wanting to be someone else, especially that of a celebrity is something we all have gone through at some point. Everyone wishes that. The film doesn't seem to suggest that is right or wrong, but it explores what happens if it really did.
Kaufman's bizarre script has some very imaginative ideas it seems like a fairy tale. His visual ideas are unfiltered. It seems as if Kaufman allows everything from his brain to be put onto paper. Strange fantasies and hopes and ideas that most keep hidden in the back of their mind, Kaufman lets us know we are not alone. Many people have confusion over their sexuality, and Lotte (Craig's wife) is a clear example of that. She falls in love with another woman through being John Malkovich.
The film is a great achievement at showing us relationships in a different package. We have seen the typical marriage problems in film over and over again, but Being John Malkovich shows us an odd but fresh new marriage with problems of wanting to be other people, and with other people.