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Being John Malkovich is a 1999 film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. It stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, as well as the actor John Malkovich, who plays a fictionalized version of himself. The plot brings to the forefront several issues in contemporary philosophy of mind, such as the nature of self and consciousness, the mind-body dichotomy, and sensory perception.
The film was widely praised for its originality, both in terms of the script, which won Kaufman the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, and Jonze's direction.
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Quotations
Behind the stubble and the too-prominent brow and the male-pattern baldness... I sensed your feminine longing. And it just slew me.
Don't stand in the way of my actualization as a man.
I have been to the dark side. I have seen a world that no man should see.
Look away. (looking through Emily's eyes at the end)
Maybe she's using you to channel some dead lesbian lover.
Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.
Encyclopedia
Being John Malkovich is a 1999 film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. It stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, as well as the actor John Malkovich, who plays a fictionalized version of himself. The plot brings to the forefront several issues in contemporary philosophy of mind, such as the nature of self and consciousness, the mind-body dichotomy, and sensory perception.
The film was widely praised for its originality, both in terms of the script, which won Kaufman the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, and Jonze's direction. Kaufman's blending of fact and outrageous fiction was a theme continued in his next film with Jonze, Adaptation., which was nominated for an Oscar in 2003.
Plot
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an unsuccessful puppeteer and in a forlorn marriage with his pet-obsessed wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz). He gains employment through Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) at LesterCorp, run out of the low-ceiling offices on floor 7½ of the Mertin Flemmer building in New York City. Schwartz, while filing paperwork, discovers a portal behind a filing cabinet, and when he enters it, finds himself in the mind of actor John Horatio Malkovich (John Gavin Malkovich), able to observe and sense whatever Malkovich does for fifteen minutes before he is ejected and dropped into a ditch adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike. When he reveals the portal to his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener), they decide to start a business to allow others to experience Malkovich at $200 a head.
Lotte pressures Schwartz and Maxine to participate, and becomes obsessed with the experience, allowing her to live out her transgender desires. During one experience while Lotte is in Malkovich, Maxine calls the actor up and asks to go on a date. Maxine finds herself in love with Lotte when she is inside Malkovich, and they continue to see each other in this fashion, including making love to each other. Schwartz, realizing that he has been forsaken by both women, devises a plan to tie his wife up and pose as her in Malkovich during a date with Maxine. When he enters Malkovich during the date, he finds he is able to actually control Malkovich's actions, causing the actor to become paranoid. After consulting with his friend Charlie Sheen, Malkovich believes Maxine to be a witch and trails her to the Mertin Flemmer building and the portal. When Malkovich tries it, he finds himself in a world where everyone looks like him and can only say "Malkovich"; he is quickly ejected and met by Schwartz by the turnpike. Malkovich angrily demands that Schwartz close the portal, but he refuses.
As Schwartz enters Malkovich to prepare for the next date with Maxine, Lotte escapes her bonds and seeks out Dr. Lester. From him, Lotte learns that Dr. Lester is well aware of the portal and has used it to live beyond his years; the portal remains connected to the host body, in this case Malkovich, until the body is "ripe", at which point the portal moves to its next host, and anyone remaining in the portal will live on in the original host body. However, those entering the portal after it has moved will be so overwhelmed by the youthful subconscious of the new host as to become forever trapped in it. Dr. Lester plans to use Malkovich as a host for himself and several of his friends, but Lotte warns him that Schwartz has become able to control Malkovich and may be difficult to displace him.
On Malkovich's date with Maxine, Schwartz decides to remain in Malkovich indefinitely, and spends the next eight months by having Malkovich become a world-famous puppeteer, revitalizing the art. Malkovich has also married Maxine during this time though their relationship has gone distant, and she is now nearly ready to give birth to their baby. As the time when the portal will move draws near, Dr. Lester and his friends capture Maxine and demand of Schwartz that he leave Malkovich, but he refuses. Lotte, believing Maxine to be the source of her problems, seeks her out at the Mertin Flemmer building; the two end up in the Malkovich portal, traveling through his childhood memories, but eventually ejected next to the turnpike. Maxine then reveals to Lotte that her pregnancy was conceived when Lotte was inside Malkovich, and the two fall in love with each other.
After a bar fight, Schwartz decides to leave Malkovich voluntarily. Malkovich finds he briefly has control of himself before Dr. Lester and his friends enter the portal, just before the portal moves to the next host. After Schwartz discovers that Lotte and Maxine have fallen for each other, he tries to use the portal again but instead finds himself in the next host — Lotte and Maxine's child, Emily — and is forced to only watch the two live happily ever after through the eyes of the child.
Reception
The film received extremely positive reviews from critics with a 92% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and ranked 441st on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
Cameos
Spike Jonze makes a cameo appearance as Derek Mantini's assistant. Brad Pitt also has a half-second-long cameo, as a miffed star in the documentary on Malkovich's career. He seems to be on the verge of saying something before the shot ends. Sean Penn also appears in the movie as a fan of Malkovich's puppeteer work. Film director David Fincher makes an uncredited appearance as Christopher Bing in the American Arts & Culture pseudo documentary on John Malkovich. Charlie Sheen appears as Malkovich's best friend and confidant. Winona Ryder, Andy Dick, and the members of Hanson can be seen in the audience of a Malkovich puppet show. All of the members of the band Phantom Planet provided voice work as Malkovich ran through a dark tunnel. Kirk Moulin appears as Malkovich's main photo double in the restaurant scene.
Awards
The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener) and Best Original Screenplay.
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