American avant-garde meets Jules & Jim ...errr..and some puppets

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2000)

I was surprised to find out that so many, especially American users, disliked this film, criticising it for being pretentious and unoriginal rather than funny. I think the great forte of Being John Malkovich is it's unique way of combining both avant-garde and humour( which is unfortunately not very often combined.)The film challenges and "plays with" it's viewers but it never escalates into something too grotesque( or pointless) I quite like Cusack's protagonist-the pathetic and egocentric puppeteer-he left me with a strange ambivalent feeling. Even though he might be considered extremely selfish, he isn't purely mean. The main characters aren't as stereotyped as in many other (American) films, they aren't just good or bad, but they all have less flattering sides. Being J.M. is excellent and surreal ( Craig's boss might as well just have stepped out of Lynch's universe), an entertaining look into the world according to Kaufman/Jonze and the darker sides of America.....