Being John Malkovich (1999)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

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

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:

According to the script, the song intended to be played over the closing credits was "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppethead" by They Might Be Giants.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Craig Schwartz first boards the elevator, the alarm stops when the stop button is released, before the door closes. But when Maxine boards the elevator to descend from floor 7-1/2, the alarm keeps ringing until the door closes.

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:

Features "American Playhouse: True West" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Malkovich Malkovich Lounge Music

"Meet you in Malkovich in one hour"

Being John Malkovich (1999), the Spike Jonze's directorial debut, is an amazing film - hip, inventive, delightfully weird, incredibly funny and disturbingly serious with the gleefully absurd plot twists. Let's face it, that was a stroke of genius - to throw together the tragic medieval lovers, Abelard and Heloise in the street show created by a talented puppeteer Craig Scwartzh (John Cusack) with the nimble fingers but out of work in "today's wintry economic climate", Elijah the Chimp with the mental problems that go back to his childhood, the surreal office that is located on the 7 1/2 store of a New York City office building and a floor is four feet high. Add Cameron Diaz (Craig's animals loving wife Lotte), completely unrecognizable, aging and balding Charlie Sheen, cynical and practical Maxine (Catherine Keener), who had an unique experience of having two people looked at her "with complete lust and devotion, through the same pair of eyes", and send them all to the wild ride inside the famous and respectable actor John Malkovich's brain to see what he sees and to feel what he feels, to the trip that would last 15 minutes and end up in a ditch on the side of New Jersey Turnpike. This is just the beginning...Oh, and what John Horatio Malkovich feels with all the travelers in his head and what he sees when he enters the portal to his own brain, you have to find out for yourself! What drug were Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze on?! Not even two hours long, the movie never ceases to surprise and entertain. "Being John Malkovich" is a fascinating and truly original film which I love and always enjoy watching even if there were never a connection with any of its characters (with the exception of Abelard and Heloise and Elijah the Chimp).