One of the most original films ever made.

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 1999)

This is definitely one of the most original films ever created. The whole concept was bizarre and surreal, but it make the journey all the more enjoyable. The script, by Charlie Kaufman, is quirky and hilarious but what the film has most going for it is the element of surprise: you never know what will happen next. The performances were wonderful across the board with an extremely talented cast playing roles against type.
John Cusack has made the biggest stretch he's made as an actor in a very long time. He downplayed his usual wise-cracking persona to play a more subtle and pathetic character. Great acting choice. If I didn't know Cameron Diaz was in the film beforehand, I would have had a hard time recognizing her. She was looking like bottom-of-the-barrel trailer trash throughout the movie and this is the best performance I have seen from her. I was never truly impressed with her as an actress before but my head was turned here and I hope to see more of this caliber from her. I have been a big fan of Catherine Keener since "Living In Oblivion" and she has further impressed me in "Walking & Talking," "The Real Blonde" and "Your Friends & Neighbors." She is a wonderful actress with a spunky, hard-edged and sarcastic presence that is unavailable to most actresses working in Hollywood today. Let us not forget John Malkovich, himself, for another great performance here. He, as Julia Roberts did in "Notting Hill," shows that he is not just playing a caricature of himself, but someone is his position with depth and ambiguity that, I imagine, is much different that himself.
The director, Spike Jonze, has recently starred in "Three Kings." By looks alone, you couldn't tell that he would bring to life such an extraordinary motion picture. This material, had it been in other hands, may not have been successful. It was handled with the right amount of comedy and surrealism. I hope this film is nominated for Best Picture next year.