October
1, 1999 | There is something almost quaint about the sophomoric
Being John Malkovich, a modestly clever trifle that has been
wildly overpraised by people who should know better. Even at its infrequent
best, this debut feature by music-video director Spike Jonze resembles
a '90s version of those tediously hip and terminally shallow counter-culture
comedies of the late '60s and early '70s.
John
Cusack gives a fearlessly persuasive performance as Craig Schwartz,
an insufferably pretentious street puppeteer. Having failed to attract
the masses with his all-marionette production of Abelard and Heloise,
Craig swallows his considerable pride and takes a job as file clerk
for an odd business in an even odder headquarters, a low-ceilinged office
on Floor 7 ½ of an ancient Manhattan building. (Unfortunately,
this sounds a lot funnier than it actually looks on screen.) During
a work break, Craig discovers a portal that leads - remarkably, inexplicably
- inside the head of actor John Malkovich (played, with a mischievous
touch of self-parody, by the real Malkovich). For 15 minutes, the puppeteer
is able to see the world through Malkovich's eyes - to, in effect, vicariously
live someone else's life. He thinks this is a metaphysical wonder. But
Maxine (Catherine Keener), his cynical and sexually ambiguous co-worker,
prefers to see the marvel as a terrific way to make a buck.
Being
John Malkovich is genuinely amusing as it contemplates the insidious
appeal of becoming, however briefly, someone famous. Mind you, neither
Craig nor Maxine can name any movie Malkovich ever has made, or even
explain precisely why this guy is a celebrity. But that matters little
to them, and even less to the folks willing pay $200 each to "be"
John Malkovich while the actor goes about such mundane tasks as phoning
in an order for new bathmats. All that matters is that Malkovich is
famous, and that anyone who enters the portal can savor 15 minutes of
his famousness.
Instead
of fully developing their conceit, however, Jonze and screenwriter Charlie
Kaufman waste time with a lot of extraneous nonsense that has little
resonance beyond its aggressive weirdness. Lotte (Cameron Diaz), Craig's
neglected wife, falls in love with Maxine, who returns her affection
only when Lotte is inside John Malkovich. Eventually, Craig gains complete
control of Malkovich, who abandons acting to become - yes, you guessed
it - a puppeteer. Further complications arise, but they come off as
ever more desperate vamping.