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IMDbPro

Being John Malkovich

  • 19991999
  • 14A14A
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
334K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,010
418
John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer0:32
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaFantasy
A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
334K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,010
418
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Spike Jonze
    • Writer
      • Charlie Kaufman
    • Stars
      • John Cusack
      • Cameron Diaz
      • Catherine Keener
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Spike Jonze
    • Writer
      • Charlie Kaufman
    • Stars
      • John Cusack
      • Cameron Diaz
      • Catherine Keener
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 926User reviews
    • 255Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 48 wins & 79 nominations total

    Videos2

    Being John Malkovich
    Trailer 0:32
    Being John Malkovich
    'Being John Malkovich' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:35
    'Being John Malkovich' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos160

    Cameron Diaz and Orson Bean in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Malkovich and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Cusack and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Cusack in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    Cameron Diaz and Orson Bean in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Cusack and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Cusack in Being John Malkovich (1999)
    John Malkovich and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Craig Schwartz
    Cameron Diaz
    Cameron Diaz
    • Lotte Schwartz
    Catherine Keener
    Catherine Keener
    • Maxine Lund
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • John Horatio Malkovich
    Ned Bellamy
    Ned Bellamy
    • Derek Mantini
    Eric Weinstein
    Eric Weinstein
    • Father at Puppet Show
    Madison Lanc
    • Daughter at Puppet Show
    Octavia Spencer
    Octavia Spencer
    • Woman in Elevator
    • (as Octavia L. Spencer)
    Mary Kay Place
    Mary Kay Place
    • Floris
    Orson Bean
    Orson Bean
    • Dr. Lester
    K.K. Dodds
    K.K. Dodds
    • Wendy
    Reginald C. Hayes
    Reginald C. Hayes
    • Don
    • (as Reggie Hayes)
    Byrne Piven
    Byrne Piven
    • Captain Mertin
    Judith Wetzell
    • Tiny Woman
    Kevin Carroll
    Kevin Carroll
    • Cab Driver
    Willie Garson
    Willie Garson
    • Guy in Restaurant
    W. Earl Brown
    W. Earl Brown
    • First J.M. Inc. Customer
    Charlie Sheen
    Charlie Sheen
    • Charlie
    • Director
      • Spike Jonze
    • Writer
      • Charlie Kaufman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Malkovich was approached about this film several times and loved the script, but he and his production crew felt that another actor would fit the role better. Malkovich offered to help produce the film, and aid Spike Jonze in any way, but refused to star in it. Eventually after a couple of years Malkovich's will was worn down and he agreed to star in the film.
    • Goofs
      When Craig and Dr. Lester are in the restaurant, two orange Los Angeles MTA buses pass by.
    • Quotes

      Craig Schwartz: You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse. I think. I feel. I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work. And they won't allow it... because I raise issues.

    • Crazy credits
      at the end of the cast listing is noted ...and John Malkovich
    • Connections
      Edited from 1998 MTV Video Music Awards (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Allegro, from Music for Strings
      Written by Béla Bartók

      Performed by The Cleveland Orchestra

      Conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi

      Courtesy of The Decca Record Company Ltd.

      Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

    User reviews926

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Without a doubt the weirdest movie ever
    This movie takes the most absurd premise : What would happen if there was a tunnel that lead to John Malkovitch's brain. The film's quality resides in its confidence. The confidence to stick to whatever weird premise it itself has set up and to run it. And when you think the film could not get any more absurd, well the movie does it again and doubles down on the weirdness. It does it twice.

    John Cusack is Craig: a pathetic talented puppeteer that is down his luck. Oh and he is a pervert. Everybody in this film is a sexual deviant (in an ironic twist the only character who did not surprise me was Charlie Sheen playing restrained Charlie Sheen). His wife Lotte is an employee at a pet-store. They are both unhappy and locked in their miserable lives. Cusack and Diaz steal the show in the first act, and like the weirdness, I thought the acting could not be topped. Craig finds a new job and meets the stunning Maxine, who is as evil and cunning as she is beautiful. Craig is obsessed by Maxine, who rejects him. The film itself suggest that Maxine might be a witch but that might be the case, I found her to be the most unpleasant woman ever. Which is on purpose because that is exactly the kind of nihilism that the film engages with. At his new job, which already abounds of weirdness and absurdity, Craig finds one day, behind a filing cabinet, a tunnel that lead to "inside" John Malkovitch, the actor. Craig is enticed by Maxine to profit from the situation and they start selling tickets to the mind of John Malkovitch. However, Craig lets his wife try the tunnel one night. Lotte is in Malkovitch's head, at the same time that Maxine goes out on a date with him. Lotte falls for Maxine, and declares she wants a sex-change. Maxine falls for Lotte and manipulates Malkovitch in order to have sex with her. Craig is left out and excluded so he locks-up is wife and takes control of Malkovitch with the help of his puppeteering skills.

    At that point, I thought the movie was the weirdest, but it became weirder. Craig becomes Malkovitch full time and Craig-Malkovitch starts to resemble Craig, he stops being an actor, he becomes a world-renown puppeteer, and he grow his hair longer and marries Maxine. This is where John Malkovitch becomes the star(and the focus of the story) and gives an amazing performance. The movie stops and plays out as a gossip-documentary on the life of John Malkovitch.

    Then the film becomes even weirder. There is a conspiracy plot, which involves the now excluded Lotte. Lotte chases Maxine to murder her through the painful memories of the legit John Malkovitch. They end up in a lesbian couple. The film is the most absurd. The strangeness is reinforced by the fact that there are no jokes. The movie plays the subject matter so straight-faced. It is rather dark and sad. But it is unique.

    On the technical level everything is perfect: the camera-work, the lighting, the music, the sets. It is a very visual movie. There is absolute mastery of all these elements. However, they are all at the service of the weirdest story ever. I do not really know what to make of it, and I guess that was the point. The nihilism of the film is it's shell, but also it's substance. There are no proper themes at play. You could argue that there is a criticism of celebrity-worship and a reflexion on 90s existential angst (same as in American Beauty, the Matrix, Office Space, Fight Club). But it is too subtle and submerged by the absurdity.

    1999 is regarded as the last good year in American Cinema. And while this movie might not be what people had in mind; it certainly is a pinnacle of absurdity that has not been topped since.
    helpful•13
    4
    • Criticalstaff
    • Apr 27, 2020

    FAQ3

    • Why John Malkovich?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 5, 1999 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dans la peau de John Malkovich
    • Filming locations
      • RMS Queen Mary - 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Astralwerks
      • Gramercy Pictures (I)
      • Propaganda Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $13,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,863,596
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $637,721
      • Oct 31, 1999
    • Gross worldwide
      • $23,106,667
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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