Spike Jonze's first feature, Being John Malkovich, is an endearingly twisted look at identity and celebrity worship in the 90s with it's own particular offbeat logic and humour. It also pays homage to John Malkovich as one the great actors of the century while simultaneously providing a sly and witty parody of him, culminating in some memorable scenes when the renowned actor takes a horrified trip round his own mind.
The refreshingly imaginative and absurd script by Charlie Kaufman introduces
us to a young and passionless couple. Craig Schwartz (played with gusto by John
Cusack) is a shaggy and embittered puppeteer who takes a job as a filing
clerk in a half-sized office. There he is attracted by the stunning feline
attractions of Maxine (excellently played by Catherine Keener) who dismisses
his clumsy approaches until he shows her something else that he has found: A
door to a portal that leads to the mind of John Malkovich. Together they set
up a business that charges $200 to visit and 'be' John Malkovich for a set
period of time. This bizarre premise allows Malkovich to brilliantly portray
himself as though controlled by someone else's persona (do not forget
Schwartz's former craft).
Meanwhile, Cameron Diaz ably plays Schwartz's mousy wife who also falls for the
seductive charms of Maxine. In line with the off-kilter nature of this film,
though, her best moments come when she interacts with a chimp. There are
also ingenious cameos of self-mockery from Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn and,
briefly, Brad Pitt.
Carter Burwell's score is unfeasibly similar to his music for Gods and
Monsters and the ending of Being John Malkovich is too neat and sensible a cadence for that which has preceded it. But these are forgivable glitches in an otherwise amusing and entertaining film where the narrative implications of an over-imaginative premise are vast. Being John Malkovich creates a neat but contorted rationality that is essentially a romance, always remains intelligent - and thankfully never takes itself too seriously.
Reviewed by Iain Tibbles
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