three things i learned from " being john malkovich " : when getting on the elevator for your first day of work on the 7 1/2th floor of a building , always bring your crowbar ; do n't stand in the way of your wife 's actualization as a man ; and , whenever entering a portal into the mind of another human being , wear old clothes , because , hey , it 's muddy in there .
" being john malkovich " is the most original film to come down the pike in a very long time .
wildly surrealistic , yet presented in a down - to - earth , funky style ,
this is the kind of movie that sticks in your head .
after savoring the sheer inventiveness of the storyline , you roll around the wealth of ideas contained within it .
from the ethics of relationships and politics of immortality to the very nature of identity itself , there 's a lot to think about here .
just do n't forget to have fun .
clearly , all parties involved in the making of the film certainly did , starting with writer charles kaufman .
"
i wrote ' being john malkovich ' without an outline , " he explains in the press notes , " blindly , with no sense of direction or purpose .
it 's important to me that i do n't have a map before i start .
this allows me to surprise myself , stay engaged , discover things , and , hopefully , allow the unconscious to surface .
"
spike jonze ( mark wahlberg 's na ?
ve buddy in " three kings " ) takes it from there .
the white - hot director of the beastie boy 's " sabotage , " an award - winning parody of ' 70s tv cop shows , as well as numerous other music videos and commercials , eschews typical mtv flash for his feature film debut .
jonze wisely realized that a storyline this unusual is most effectively presented in a low - key style .
his flat , matter - of - fact approach works perfectly .
and then there 's the cast .
john cusack plays control freak craig schwartz , a street performer who periodically gets decked by parents objecting to his remarkably expressive , but decidedly erotic puppet shows .
over the years , his marriage to obsessive pet store employee lotte ( cameron diaz ) has devolved .
once passionate lovers , the two are now little more than courteous roommates .
financially strapped , craig takes a job as an entry - level file clerk at lestercorp , located on the 7 1/2th floor of a manhattan building . navigating around dr .
lester ( orson bean ) ,
his 105 year - old boss and floris ( mary kay place ) , lester 's dotty secretary , craig tries to settle into his new position , but two things keep him distracted .
first , there 's the beautiful and imperious maxine ( catherine keener ) , who delights in tormenting craig over his obvious lust for her .
and then there 's the hole behind the file cabinet , which turns out to be a portal into the mind of actor john malkovich .
craig learns that anyone who enters the portal gets whooshed into the subconscious of malkovich , where they can experience life from his point of view ( with enough concentration , you can even influence his actions ) .
after 15 minutes , the visitor gets ejected and unceremoniously dumped in a ditch on the side of the new jersey turnpike .
then things get a little weird .
by the way , if you 're concerned that i gave away too much of the plot , rest assured - - i barely scratched the surface .
one of the most satisfying aspects of the fable is that kaufman is not content to simply milk laughs from his bizarre set - up .
instead , he crawls into the dark premise as completely as craig crawls into malkovich , rummaging around and toying with the various philosophical implications of compromising another person 's identity .
he also examines the consequences of the malko - visits to craig , lotte , maxine and , of course , john malkovich himself .
the performances are superb .
malkovich ( best known to mainstream audiences for his work in " dangerous liaisons , " " in the line of fire , " and as head psychopath in the guilty - pleasure " con air " ) tweaks his own image in a dandy self - deprecating turn .
far from his effete , vaguely reptilian persona , this malkovich is just another schlub , drinking with his pals and trying to get laid ( incidentally , charlie sheen also plays himself in a hilarious parody of his well - earned bad boy reputation ) .
as always , john cusack nails his part , handily pulling viewers along even as craig 's actions become unconscionable .
the big surprises come from catherine keener and cameron diaz , both playing against type .
kenner , usually cast in icy subordinate roles , is terrific as a highly intelligent , extremely manipulative femme fatale .
cameron diaz , barely recognizable under a mess of brown , curly hair
, sheds her perpetually sunny smile and draws big laughs as a woman thrown into extreme sexual confusion after taking a ride in malkovich .
" being john malkovich " stumbles towards the end , as jonze and kaufman try too hard to resolve the various subplots .
additional characters and increasingly complex explanations lead to a cluttered finale .
regardless , this contemporary " alice in wonderland " is a real treat .
i enjoyed watching " being john malkovich , " but only later , after reflecting on the film , did its resonance fully hit me .
at one point , craig says , " do you know what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is ? " truer words were never spoken .
Output: P