praise you

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 1999)

this is a great film. easily the best i've seen this year. easily. frankly, i can't understand in the slightest how one could possibly dislike it. but i've read many comments here by reviewers complaining that it was poorly directed or that certain themes were less than adequately explored. in my opinion, charlie kaufman left the film so completely open for a very specific reason. his intention, it seems, was not to impart upon viewers his philosophical views & opinions on matters metaphysical, but rather to open the heads of his audience. this is a film that invites, or rather demands, thought. while there are certainly some very intense questions raised, only a fool could casually dismiss this film as pretentious. i think that it is just the opposite. it doesn't claim to be anything other than a giddy, surreal comedic adventure, albeit with some serious, even grave undercurrents. one article reviewing "malkovich" said that it probably would have been better constructed by a director with a stronger visual presence, say terry gilliam. while this may be true, i think it is only fair to give spike jonze the benefit of the doubt as a rookie director. "malkovich" is a difficult film to bring to life & is certainly more so for a director who hasn't yet gotten his imagery sea-legs for the medium. kevin smith is on his 4th film & is just beginning to tackle this aspect of filmmaking. in all, "being john malkovich" is a stunning piece of art. the myriad of opinions on it speaks volumes about it's power to leave the viewer in the driver's seat. i've always wanted to say this & it finally applies: if you only see one more movie this millennium, see this.
side note: if "malkovich" isn't favored for best original screenplay, the academy has its head up its collective ass.