Malkovich, Malkovich

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2000)

There are simply not enough superlatives in the English language to describe this film. It is however, the best film I saw in the 90s, right up there with Shawshank Redemption, Fight Club and the handful of other movies which fit into that all too small subsection of 90s culture. This film was not even given a general release in the UK because to quote my local cinema manager "It's too arty". He was wrong, it is a piece of art but above all it is a piece of classic cinema which can be understood and appreciated by anyone with a brain. Perhaps people round here are too stupid. The Cinema owners of the UK certainly are. I've been a fan of Spike Jonze ever since he directed the video to Buddy Holly by Weezer. Being John Malkovich was a perfect choice of script for his first feature film and while I still haven't seen American Beauty (if you can believe that!) it's going to have to be mighty impressive to beat Jonze's first film.
To describe Being JM as quirky and off the wall does not do it justice. In an age lacking originality, here I believe we have re-discovered some of that precious commodity. We have no obvious hero, no good people, only greedy self serving people. Art reflecting life perhaps? Perhaps not but this film will truly appeal to the cynical generation weened on a diet of cash and superficiality who are seeking just a little more, the eighties kids. We have no culture, no great defining moment in our lives. Our idea of nostalgia is to talk about 70s kids TV programmes. Being John Malkovich is not a great defining moment, it is not the Beatles on Ed Sullivan's show or the end of the Second World War but at least it gives us something to think about and something better to talk about than the Banana Splits and Bagpuss.