Retro Review – Being John Malkovich

I cannot believe I hadn’t seen this movie until now.

Released all the way back in ’99, Being John Malkovich is a witty flick about disdain for one’s own mundane life and the wish to see every day life from behind someone else’s eyes.

John Cusack as Craig Schwartz, an out-of-work puppeteer, and Cameron Diaz as his wife, Lotte, collector of exotic pets, are essentially trapped in a loveless marriage. They don’t know each other at all or have anything in common so it comes as no surprise when Schwartz has his eye on some hottie, Maxine (Catherine Keener), whom he meets at his new job, and it blossoms into the most bizarre love triangle caught on film. Schwartz discovers a rabbit hole behind a cabinet in his office, and just like in Lewis Caroll’s book, it drops him into a world not his own, instead allowing him to view the world through Malkovich’s eyes. My husband asked me before we started to watch this movie if it mattered that he didn’t know who John Malkovich was. It turns out the guy is in everything but no one does know who he is, and this is a common thread throughout the film. However, this portal to Malkovich’s being, as he is a celebrity and everyone expects celebrities to live some lavish lifestyle, causes quite the stir so Schwartz and his colleague (I’m sorry, “partner”), Maxine, decide to charge a premium to anyone so bored with their life they would like to view the world through someone else’s eyes for even just fifteen minutes. Of course eventually Malkovich finds out there are other people in his brain and human greed takes over Craig, Lotte, and Maxine, ultimately leading to the demise of both the Schwartz’s relationship and Malkovich’s personal character. Consider the puppeteer profession theme of Craig’s and you’ll make sense of it!

This clever comedy has laugh-out-loud points all the way through it, but don’t expect it to be some low-ball cheap joke film. Charlie Kaufman laced the entire movie up with original humor, story arc, and naturally flowing ending. It also involves a couple of the most awkward love scenes, being dumped out on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike, John Malkovich as a lounge singer, and a lot of crazy puppeteering. Don’t expect some perfect happy ending for everyone involved…Malkovich winds up being the ultimate loser. But if you’re like me and have high expectations for films, you won’t be disappointed: it’ll keep your attention all through it. It may start out just a bit slow, but it’s worth it. Everyone thinks someone else has better than they do…so check out Being John Malkovich, if you haven’t already, to remind yourself that everyone’s just a little bit boring. Even celebrities!