Review - Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich. This movie couldn't have been titled anything else. That's what the film is about, after all; becoming John Malkovich. The whole film is laced with various people entering John Malkovich. Of course, there are other plot elements, but they all come back to the same person: John Malkovich.

Would the movie have been the same if it was, say, Tom Hanks? Or, perhaps, Sela Ward? Probably not. It's the very essence of Malkovich, the utter Malkovich-ness that makes this movie what it is. But what is it, you ask? Well, my friend, this film is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The premise? There is a secret on the 7½ floor of an office building in New York: a hidden portal. And when you pass through that portal, it takes you into...JOHN MALKOVICH!! (Cue plinky piano music, which is ever present in the actual film.)

Intriguing? Does the very premise shock and mystify you? It does so to the main character in the film, Craig Schwartz (a barely recognizable John Cusack), as well as his wife Lotte (an even less recognizable Cameron Diaz) and his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener). What ensues is nothing short of comic genius.

I really really really loved this movie. It was the best thing I'd seen since Dogma. Well, okay, it was the only thing I'd seen since Dogma, but still, it was a great movie. Honestly, the more of an open mind you go into this movie with, the better off you'll be. And the less you know, the more you'll love it.

The direction by Spike Jonze is superb, the writing by Charlie Kaufman is phenomenal, and Cameron Diaz is drop-dead amazing. There just aren't enough adjectives to describe how great this movie is. Please, I beg of you, if you see one movie over Christmas, this is it!!!

Grade - A+

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