Good, but not a comedy...

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2000)

Being John Malkovich undoubtedly has some marvellous ideas, but there's a frustrating incongruity of tone. The first half of the film is perfect, sophisticated comedy, but as Craig starts to really lose it the laughs drain away to leave what is one of cinema's few philosophical horror films. The ending seemed one of the most sinister in living memory...

Overall, I'm left with the same disturbing feeling as I had when watching Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - that if the film-makers expected to create this sensation the film is marvellous. If, however, Jonze intended this as a pure comedy (and a great deal of reviewers seem to have taken it this way) then I feel as if I'm dealing with people whose armour of hip cynicism has grown so thick as to rob them of all human sympathy for their characters. Still worth seeing, though.