Search - Being John Malkovich

Would you pay money to journey into the mind of the star of Con Air, The Killing Fields, and In The Line of Fire? Puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is having money problems, so he takes a temporary job as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a large office building. One day, while rummaging behind a cabinet, he finds a small door that leads to the center of the mind of actor John Malkovich (played by, you guessed it, John Malkovich). Craig discovers that entering the portal allows him to become John Malkovich for a brief spell, and in time he and his beautiful but aloof co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) get the bright idea to charge admission for the privilege of spending 15 minutes inside the head of a well-known actor. Malkovich realizes that something strange is happening to him, but can do little to stop it, as strangers take over his mind for a quarter-hour at a time. Craig's wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz) eventually takes a trip into Malkovich's psyche, and she soon finds herself in love with Maxine, with whom Malkovich has an affair; meanwhile, Maxine in time becomes infatuated with both Craig and Lotte, but only when they're inside Malkovich. Being John Malkovich marked the feature-length debut of director Spike Jonze, who previously made acclaimed music videos for Weezer, The Beastie Boys, and The Breeders, among others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

John Cusack - Craig Schwartz
Cameron Diaz - Lotte Schwartz
Catherine Keener - Maxine Lund
John Malkovich - John Malkovich
Orson Bean - Dr. Lester
Mary Kay Place - Floris

1999	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Miniseries o (nominee)	Golden Globe	Cameron Diaz
1999	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Miniseries o (nominee)	Golden Globe	Catherine Keener
1999	Best Screenplay (nominee)	Golden Globe	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Director - Feature Film (nominee)	Directors Guild of America	Spike Jonze
1999	Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role (nominee)	Screen Actors Guild	Cameron Diaz
1999	Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role (nominee)	Screen Actors Guild	Catherine Keener
1999	Best Original Screenplay (nominee)	Writers Guild of America	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Original Screenplay (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Supporting Actress (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Cameron Diaz
1999	Best Editing (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Eric Zumbrunnen
1999	Best Screenplay (winner)	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Breakthrough Performer (winner)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Spike Jonze
1999	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Spike Jonze
1999	Best Original Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Supporting Actress (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Catherine Keener
1999	Best First Feature Over $500,000 (winner)	Independent Spirit Awards	Spike Jonze
1999	Best First Screenplay (winner)	Independent Spirit Awards	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Actor (nominee)	Independent Spirit Awards	John Cusack
1999	Best Screenplay (winner)	Toronto Film Critics Association	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Screenplay (winner)	Chicago Film Critics Association	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Screenplay (winner)	National Society of Film Critics	Charlie Kaufman
1999	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	John Malkovich
1999	Best Supporting Actress (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	Catherine Keener
1999	Best First Film (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze's brilliantly offbeat directorial debut Being John Malkovich comes to DVD in an equally quirky and thoughtful package that sheds light on the film's most intriguing details and also reflects its absurdist, fantastic feel. Along with the disc's widescreen transfer and Dolby 2.0 Surround Sound, it also includes special features that provide a portal into the film's world. The theatrical trailer and the pseudo-scientific TV spots -- which explain the film's concept of the "ripe vessel" -- are just the beginning: full-screen versions of the "7 1/2 Floor Orientation" and "American Arts & Culture Presents: John Horatio Malkovich, Dance of Despair and Disillusionment" also pull the viewer deeper into the Malkovich universe. The interview with a car-sick Jonze and the "page with nothing on it" are almost as inspiredly nonsensical as the film itself, while "An Intimate Portrait of Puppeteering" -- a profile of Being John Malkovich's expert puppeteer Phil Huber -- and "An Intimate Portrait of Background Driving" -- an interview with one of the drivers in the scenes shot on the New Jersey Turnpike -- provide more practical insight into the making of the film. Cast and crew filmographies and Jonze's photo album complete this enjoyable and detailed disc. Though commentaries with Jonze, John Cusack, Catherine Keener, or any of the film's other stars would have elevated this disc from "very good" to "great," like the film, it doesn't need to explain everything to be a unique and worthwhile work. ~ Heather Phares, All Movie Guide

These movies feature Being John Malkovich...
65	Adaptation (R)
These movies are similar to Being John Malkovich...
49	All of Me (PG)
25	Brazil (R)
2	How to Get Ahead in Advertising [Widescreen]
4	The Purple Rose of Cairo (PG)
35	The Fisher King (R)
21	The Hudsucker Proxy (PG)
S	Schizopolis [Criterion Collection]
S	Waydowntown
3	Haiku Tunnel (R)
4	Human Nature (R)
30	Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (R)
48	I Heart Huckabees [Special Edition] (R)
96	Stranger Than Fiction [Widescreen] (PG-13)
13	The Science of Sleep (R)