Spectacular tale of duality!

Rating: Null/10 (3 August 2000)

In this day and age, with all of the reissues, remakes and directors' cuts, it is refreshing to see a film filled with original thought. A film such as
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH is a rare commodity in today's violence and sex-filled cinema. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an artist, an extremely talented but frustrated artist, who can't seem to catch a break. He is frustrated that a competing artist (despite his lack of talent) gets all the work. He has a loving wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz) who wants him to get a job, any job. She wants to have children, a nice home and a good life. He doesn't want to compromise his art. Eventually, however, reality sinks in. One day he answers an ad in the classifieds for a file clerk with fast hands and nimble fingers, and the adventure begins. When he arrives for his interview he discovers a very strange atmosphere with some very odd characters. He nails the interview and despite the bizarre surroundings gets the job. It is during his orientation that he meets another new employee, Maxine (Catherine Keener), with whom he is instantly smitten. He begins to flirt with her at every opportunity and she continuously shoots him down. Then, one day, purely by accident, he discovers something that will change his life forever. This discovery, it turns out, is a portal into the mind and body of John Malkovich. After entering and experiencing the sensation of a lifetime, he tells his sexy officemate and she convinces him that they should become partners in a very unusual business venture.
Craig then tells his wife of his new entrepreneurial adventure and she demands to experience the ride - but, not before meeting Maxine. The two women immediately develop an unusual attraction to each other. Talk about an uncomfortable situation. This predicament eventually pushes Craig over the edge. He snaps and takes their alliance to a more perilous level. Craig ultimately begins to get some control over the host Malkovich, which causes a rift in the relationship between his wife and Maxine. Consequently, John Malkovich catches on and tries to put a stop to this invasion of his privacy. It's at this point that Mr. Malkovich takes the strangest and most disturbing, not to mention hilarious, journey of his life. A heated argument between Craig and the bewildered Malkovich follows at the rather peculiar exit from the portal. Malkovich makes it absolutely clear that he wants everyone to stay out of his head. But, it's not that simple. Things have become too complicated in our gang's lives to stop now. Craig takes over Malkovich's life and in the process misplaces his own. He stays inside the portal and uses the fame of his host to further his own career. But, is he really happy with `his' success? Ultimately, this is the real question. Craig finally has the fame he wants and, some would believe, deserves. But, it's not really him that gets the attention - It 's Malkovich! Can he accept Being John Malkovich?