| | | Ever want to be someone else? Now you can.
Features: DVD
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an impoverished New York puppeteer who longs to put himself "inside someone else's skin." He is married to devoted, distracted Lotte (Cameron Diaz), a pet store employee whose kind heart has filled their cramped apartment with a variety of ailing exotic animals. In an attempt to make ends meet, Craig takes a filing clerk's position at the nondescript LesterCorp, located on the seven-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan building. This is where he happens to stumble across a tiny door hidden behind a filing cabinet-a slimy little passage leading directly into the head of John Malkovich. For a brief period of time--which invariably ends with him being inexplicably dumped out somewhere on the New Jersey Turnpike--Craig has found a way to literally be in someone else's skin. Filled with unexpected twists, wicked paradoxes and even a cameo by Charlie Sheen, Being John Malkovich is a modern-day masterpiece to be experienced again and again.
"...a clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique, unpredictable and more than a little strange." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"...an endlessly inventive movie..." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Editor's Note
Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-director Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers his office has a secret portal that leads directly into the brain of one of America's most popular actors, John Malkovich (Malkovich himself, in a hilariously self-mocking appearance). When the journey ends fifteen minutes later, the participant is spewed onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Schwartz uses his discovery as a way to get closer to fellow co-worker Maxine (the always sexy Catherine Keener). Together, the pair form JM, INC., which allows ordinary citizens to join in on the fun for $200 a pop. But when Craig's wife Lotte (a homely Cameron Diaz), as Malkovich, is seduced by Maxine, things begin to unfurl at an even more outrageous pace. Sound confusing? Thanks to Spike Jonze's grounded direction, it isn't. The result is one of the decade's most original films.
| Features | English Dolby Surround | | Spanish Subtitles | | French Subtitles | | English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital | | Interviews | | Documentaries | | Photo Gallery | | Interactive Menus | | Widescreen Version | | TV Spots | | Scene Access | | Theatrical Trailer | | Cast & Crew Bios |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 4/1/2003 |
| Running Time: 113 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 22665 | | UPC: 00025192266522 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (2000) | | | Catherine Keener, Nominee, Best Actress In A Supporting Role | | | Spike Jonze, Nominee, Best Director | | | Charlie Kaufman, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen | |
British Academy Awards (2000) |  | Charlie Kaufman, Winner, Best Screenplay--Original | |
Golden Globe (2000) | | | Cameron Diaz, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical | | | Catherine Keener, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical | | | Charlie Kaufman, Nominee, Best Screenplay--Motion Picture |
|
| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Devilishly inventive....Spike Jonze and scripter Charlie Kaufman take outlandishness to dizzying heights, and the ideas never let up..." 9/6-12/1999 p.61-3Rolling Stone
Ranked #3 in Rolling Stone's "Ten Best Movies of 1999" -- "...A blast of pure oxygen....This movie of constant astonishments will make you laugh hard and long..." 11/11/1999 p.145-6 Film Comment
"...As paradoxically cerebral and patently ridiculous as its title implies..." 09/01/1999 p.6-9 Premiere
"...Visionary....[Malkovich] steals the show..." 11/01/1999 p.29 Los Angeles Times
"...BEING JOHN MALKOVICH is a clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique, unpredictable and more than a little strange..." 10/29/1999 p.C1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...BEING JOHN MALKOVICH supplies a stream of dazzling inventions, twists and wicked paradoxes..." 10/29/1999 p.29 Premiere
"Malkovich, lampooning his own reputation, is brilliant." 09/01/2005 p.131 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
Kaufman's script is not constrained by viewer expectations. For about 110 minutes, he pushes the envelope, taking us in new and unexpected directions. Every time I thought I recognized where Being John Malkovich was headed, the movie surprised me. The screenplay is as funny as it is clever. Some of the jokes are of the "big laugh" variety, but few are representative of the cheap shots and dumb humor that have become commonplace in '90s offerings. Being John Malkovich revels in smart comedy instead of wallowing in the opposite. And, alongside the laughter, there's plenty of material for contemplation. Cinematically speaking, this is a well-balanced, multi-course meal.
|
| |
|
|
|
