Malkovich Club?

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 1999)

The first rule about "Being John Malkovich" is: See "Being John Malkovich." The second rule about "Being John Malkovich" is: See "Being John Malkovich." This is the most original movie I've seen in a few years. (There are no huge explosions, and the lone chase scene doesn't involve cars, planes or space ships.) Unlike many "art house" movies, I didn't need to struggle to understand or enjoy it. It's a film about human identity, a story in which a number of characters struggle to express themselves, to find fulfillment and to pursue happiness -- in ways that are rather bizarre. They live in a skewed version of reality (either that, or New York City has gotten worse since my last visit). We have passed through the looking glass, and some things are not what they appear to be. The characters are interesting and well-developed. The humor is dark and incisive. John Cusack and Cameron Diaz are deep in character and barely recognizable. Catherine Keener is the ultimate femme fatale. Orson Bean is hilarious. John Malkovich is brilliant -- and very convincing -- as himself.