Being John Malkovich (1999)

Director:

Spike Jonze

Writer (WGA):

Charlie Kaufman (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 1999 (Puerto Rico)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can.

Plot:

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.

Plot Keywords:

Portal | Puppeteer | Office | Actor | Chrysler Building New York City

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 48 nominations

Cast

John Cusack	...	Craig Schwartz
Cameron Diaz	...	Lotte Schwartz
Ned Bellamy	...	Derek Mantini
Eric Weinstein	...	Father at Puppet Show
Madison Lanc	...	Daughter at Puppet Show
Octavia Spencer	...	Woman in Elevator (as Octavia L. Spencer)
Mary Kay Place	...	Floris
Orson Bean	...	Dr. Lester
Catherine Keener	...	Maxine Lund
K.K. Dodds	...	Wendy
Reginald C. Hayes	...	Don (as Reggie Hayes)
Byrne Piven	...	Captain Mertin
Judith Wetzell	...	Tiny Woman
John Malkovich	...	John Horatio Malkovich
Kevin Carroll	...	Cab Driver

Also Known As:

Dans la peau de John Malkovich (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
¿Quieres ser John Malkovich? (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
În mintea lui John Malkovich (Romania) [ro]
A John Malkovich menet (Hungary) [hu]
Being John Malkovich (Germany) [de]
Being John Malkovich (Denmark) [da]
Cómo ser John Malkovich (Spain) [es]
Elämäni John Malkovichina (Finland) [fi]
Essere John Malkovich (Italy) [it]
I huvudet på John Malkovich (Sweden) [sv]
John Malkovich olmak (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Malkovich no ana (Japan) [ja]
Queres Ser John Malkovich? (Portugal) [pt]
Quero Ser John Malkovich (Brazil) [pt]
Sto myalo tou John Malkovich (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexuality.

Runtime:

112 min | Canada:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:R(A) | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Québec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36965) | Norway:11 | Iceland:L (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gramercy Pictures (I)

Trivia:

In the first draft of the script, Lester and his friends weren't using Malkovich's portal as a means for extending their lives, but in a plot to take over the world in the name of Satan. Satan was the mysterious 'Flemmer' that the Merton-Flemmer building was half named after.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Craig and Dr. Lester are in the restaurant, two orange Los Angeles MTA buses pass by.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lotte Schwartz: Craig, honey, it's time for bed.
[fade out and in]
Orrin Hatch the bird: Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up,
Craig Schwartz: Lotte...
Lotte Schwartz: I'm sorry. I didn't know Orrin Hatch was out of his cage.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Screen Wars: Being Camerahead (#2.14)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Amphibian

Absolutely sublime modern classic

Originality is one thing that I very much admire in cinema, and it's also the reason I rate Being John Malkovich so highly. Charlie Kaufman has taken an amazingly weird premise and twisted round a suitably offbeat story to create a movie that is as bizarre as it is as it is compelling, and it's definitely a major highlight of American cinema in the 1990's. Charlie Kaufman may have scripted his most acclaimed film in 2004 with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but if you want to see his best work - you need look no further than his first feature. Quite how anyone could have thought of this premise remains a mystery, but I'm certainly glad that Kaufman did. The story revolves around a portal that leads directly into the head of the actor, John Malkovich. After discovering this portal, puppeteer Craig Schwartz shares it with his colleague and crush, the beautiful Maxine Lund. Things start to get complicated when Craig's wife, Lottie, becomes involved and it turns out that Craig's not the only one with a crush on Maxine.

The usually presentable John Cusack and Cameron Diaz are completely unrecognisable as this film's leading couple and both give career highlight performances. Catherine Keener fleshes out a threesome of leads. She is seductively sexy, and delivers a performance that reflects the quality of this film on the whole. And, of course, John Malkovich stars also. The fact that it's John Malkovich who is the title actor is what really makes this film. Had the film have been, say, 'Being Tom Cruise'; it wouldn't have had nearly the same impact. Malkovich is a big actor, but he's not THAT big and the fact that it's him takes the film away from the mainstream and allows it's offbeat indie roots to stay intact. Kaufman ensures that the story works by constantly adding new and weird events into the plot, and this in turn ensures that we never know what's coming next. Of course, this is exactly what you want from any film. The elements of the story aren't bound tightly enough to really make a lasting impression where substance is concerned; but it hardly matters, as there's enough offbeat invention in this film to more than adequately mask that fact It's easy to call this movie pretentious or silly; but it's also pointless. Being John Malkovich is a modern classic.