At Random
Being John Malkovich (1999)
director: spike jonze
cast: john cusack, cameron diaz, ned bellamy, eric weinstein, madison lanc, octovia spencer, mary kay place, orson bean, catherine keener, k.k. dodds, reginald c. hayes, byrne piven, judith wetzell, john malkovich, kevin carroll
Well,
I spun myself around the video store, closed my eyes and chose "At Random":
Being John Malkovich. Now, I never really liked John Malkovich before. In
fact, when I blindly selected Being John Malkovich I kept thinking, couldn't
it have been Being Vic Tayback? He was so good in Alice. It’s
not that I hate Malkovich, I just don’t want to see him on screen. There
are
however, actors that I do hate. I will not see anything with Ryan O’Neil
or Richard Dreyfus... ugh they just go right through me!!! But enough hate...
lets begin the love-fest. I really enjoyed Being John Malkovich. It was
quirky, and clever, and reminded me of how I felt when I saw the movie Brazil.
Well, unlike John Malkovich,
I do like John Cusack. I think he's seriously underrated as an actor, although,
he did suck in that Julia Roberts piece-of-crap last summer. Unflattering camera
angles that made Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas look like she had a double chin…
BASTARDS!!! Hey, wait a minute… "love not hate" remember? It
gets so hard to focus in this evil world we live in. Deep breath, happy thoughts
and… John Cusack plays a puppeteer, and I must add, an amazing one. He
works with life-like marionettes, not smelly socks like the ones that Jim Henson
took off his bathroom floor. Jim Henson just sticks some eyes and noses on his
socks, and PRESTO, he's got a multi-billion dollar mega-corporation. How does
that happen!? And what's the deal with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy? Try
to figure that one out: He did VENTRILOQUISM ON THE RADIO! Boy, has the media
evolved. Speaking of our fabulous media, be sure to access the special features
on the DVD Being John Malkovich and see the actual puppeteer for the
movie. This guy was amazing, not like that hack, Edgar Bergen!
Anyway,
John Cusack ends up getting a job in a really weird office that is located on
the 7 1/2 floor of a New York City office building. The supporting cast is a
hoot and the visual gags a blast. In fact, Cameron Diaz is actually good in
this film, and she didn’t need any hair gel! Anyway, John Cusack discovers
a secret door, a portal that actually leads into John Malkovich's mind. After
experiencing this, he decides to sell tickets to this great adventure, so to
speak. Maybe, adventure isn't the right word. It’s actually a diversion
for these people. Imagine being John Malkovich as he showers or picks out different
combinations of linen from a catalog. It's the same mundane rituals we all do,
but somehow it seems sexy and exciting when it's a celebrity doing it. Did I
say “sexy” and "John Malkovich" in the same sentence? This
really is a love-fest. It's hard to explain, you just have to see Being John
Malkovich to know what I mean. It's cute, quirky and engaging. Look for
a great cameo by Charlie Sheen. It fits right into the whole quirky and engaging
aspect of this twisty flick.
The weird thing is that by the end of the movie I really liked John Malkovich
(the person)… wow, the power of cinema and celebrity! Maybe, they can do
a sequel, Being Nick Nolte, after all, I want to like people.—Edd
Rockis
$9.50
© 2002 Edd Rockis