Film Review
Very probably the loopiest and most startlingly original comedy of the
1990s,
Being John Malkovich
starts with a ludicrously simple premise (the notion that you can get
into the head of another person by climbing through a hole in a wall)
and spins it into a mad metaphysical fantasy that is both deliriously
funny and refreshingly novel. As far as directing debuts
come, Spike Jonze's first directorial adventure is as impressive as any
and makes the most of Charlie Kaufman's mind-blowingly surreal
screenplay. Rather than get caught up in the philosophical
implications of the film's basic premise (which are pretty frightening
if you stop to think about them), the film brushes these aside and does
the right thing: to voraciously mine a rich untapped vein of insane
jet-black comedy.
John Malkovich had a reputation as a serious actor (in such prestigious films as
Empire of the Sun (1987) and
Dangerous Liaisons (1988))
before he (generously) agreed to appear in this film and, as a subtle caricature
of himself, he shows a surprising flair for comedy. The film
certainly has done his career no harm and has served to raise his
profile - although why anyone would actually want to
be him is a mystery to me.
Being John Malkovich is not merely
a superb off-the-wall comedy, it is also a very astute commentary on
the way in which our society feeds on celebrities, like parasitic
vermin, to compensate for the spiritual emptiness and lack of
fulfilment that we find in our own lives. Not content to be
ourselves, we obsess over pop stars, actors, footballers, weather
presenters, whatever, vicariously feeding off their glamorous,
seemingly fulfilled lives. The point of the film is that to live
like this is to totally miss the point of existence - fulfilment cannot
come second-hand, it must be sought by the individual, through his own
experiences and efforts.
Being
John Malkovich is as profound as it is inventively funny - a
true cinematic one off.
© James Travers 2012
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Unable to find work as a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz ends up as a filing
clerk in a New Jersey office whose ceilings are so low he cannot stand
up straight. With his marriage to Lotte failing, he takes an
immediate attraction to co-worker Maxine, but she finds him physically
repulsive. One day, Craig discovers a hidden door behind a filing
cabinet which, bizarrely, takes him into the head of the actor John
Malkovich. For a full fifteen minutes, Craig experiences all of
the actor's sensory perceptions - he effectively becomes John Malkovich
- but then he is ejected and lands on the verge beside a busy
road. When she hears about this Lotte can hardly wait to try out
the experience for herself. On a whim, Maxine rings up Malkovich
and arranges a date, which just happens to coincide with Lotte's trip
insider the actor's head. Through Malkovich, Lotte fulfils her
transsexual fantasies, making love to Maxine in the body of a
man. Craig is appalled when discovers that his wife has been
cheating on him this way, but it gives him an idea. He will enter
Malkovich's head and use his puppeteering skills to control him.
Not only will he win Maxine for himself, he will also fulfil his
ambitions and become a world famous puppeteer, albeit in the body of
John Malkovich...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.