Destined to be a cult classic!

Rating: Null/10 (15 November 1999)

Every once in awhile a film slips by the editing shears of the Hollywood conventionalists, bringing to the screen an unconventional, and very unique, idea! Being John Malkovich is one such film.
This is the story of Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), a puppeteer who dreams of making a living, simply by working at his craft. His passion for his work gets him into trouble, as he lets loose his most bizarre fantasies via his puppets. Working in the street he is attacked by a father whose daughter is witness to two marionettes pining mercilessly for one another.
Craig's wife Lottie (Cameron Diaz) takes in unwanted and abused animals, and because of that Craig is forced to find a 'real' job. An ad in the classified talks about a job for someone dexterous enough to file quickly. Craig investigates.
The job is on the 7 1/2 floor of a New York City office building. To get there one must stop the elevator at just the right time and then pry open the door. Because the office space is literally between the 7th and the 8th floor, one must literally hunch over to get through it. If this sounds quirky, you're right. And this is just the beginning.
One day Craig finds a small door hidden behind one of the filing cabinets. The door leads to a tunnel. When Craig enters he is suddenly sucked through a vortex, and before long he finds himself literally inside John Malkovich, the actor. And this is where the story really takes off into a strange plotline that is neither predictable nor conventional!
Being John Malkovich seems destined to become one of those films that will constantly be rediscovered. In the tradition of great cult classics like Harold and Maude, Eating Raoul and Pink Flamingos, Being John Malkovich is not for all tastes, but it will hold up for the next generation of movie cultists.
While the film is a bit slow in parts it is never dull. The acting was great. John Cusack is usually the straight man in his films, but this time he tries to put a little character in his performance. For the most part it works. Diaz is barely recognizable in her role as the frizzy-haired animal lover. In fact, I didn't know it was her til I saw the closing credits. Katherine Keener plays the bitchy Maxine, who quickly decides that this vortex could have dollar value. Keener avoids playing her character over the top and judging by the absuridity of the script, that couldn't have been easy.
Perhaps the biggest treat in this film was the performance of Malkovich playing himself. The script takes constant jabs at the actor. While fans on the street can't recall what they have seen him in, others that do know of him call him 'completely over rated.' While the actor in the film could not stand the thought of people inside his head, one must wonder what the real actor thought of a film that highlighted his 'supposed' weaknesses.

On top of being a twisted little flick about being someone else, this film had elements of The Player in it. There is a scene with Charlie Sheen playing himself that almost makes us want to forgive him for turning in Heidi Fleise (sp).
Without a doubt, I recommend Being John Malkovich, but I strongly caution anyone on this. This film is not for all tastes, but rather for those who take delight in quirky little films that chose not to be predictable.