Comedy in a very Scary Place...

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2000)

So, the title that stuck out like the proverbial battered thumb since pre-production has finally reached our screens. And the good news is... the title is probably the least inventive thing on display here.
Being John Malkovich is the bastard offspring of Monty Python; absurdist comedy, but with the bowler hat replaced by a witches cape. The darkness of this movie comes from many sources: the freaky puppetry, Cameron Diaz's wig but, above all, the utter immorality of virtually every single character. In fact, in a neat subversion of the old 'Hollywood is mad' assumption, the only one resembling anything near normality in the world of this picture, is old slaphead himself.
Nevertheless, this is an undeniable and unforgettable masterpiece from Hollywood's latest prodigy. You'll laugh like a drain, gape with shock and leave the cinema more than a little disturbed. Just make sure you leave your sense of reality at the door; after all, this is a world where absolutely no-one shows any disbelief whatsoever, not even for a moment, at there being a portal to John Malkovich's brain.