(c) 1999 Universal Pictures International BV.
all rights reserved
photo: Melissa Moseley
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Alice in Wonderland meets Dr. Faustus in a world where gender
bending goes mind bending and soul searching winds up in a
whirlpool of torment and possession. Sound like a comedy?
Well, it most definitely is. This film will not only keep you
laughing, but also thoroughly entertained and astonished; both
amused and bemused at the same time. Welcome to a new
world where your footing is never sure and the ceilings are
closing in.
Craig Schwarz (John Cusack) is a sleep-in late, alternative-
lifestyled, artistic street puppeteer who survives, for the most
part, off the earnings of his wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz). Lotte,
an animal lover with a sensitive side who spends her time at
home talking to the parakeet and worrying about her pet
chimp's acid stomach, is also heavily concerned with Craig's
plight. She suggests that he find a job, at least until things pick
up for him in the puppeteering market. Whenever he sits at
home, his frustrations only become more enhanced by the
notoriety of a puppeteer mega-star (big like in David Copperfield
proportions) whose frequent appearances on television
inordinately rub salt into Craig's wounds.
(c) 1999 Universal Pictures International BV.
all rights reserved
photo: Melissa Moseley
|
He finally finds a paid position as a filing clerk at a company on
the 7th and a half floor of the Merton-Flemmer Building working
for a company where everyone crouches because of the "low
overhead." As employee indoctrination begins, his eyes catch
sight of the ravishing Maxine (Catherine Keener) who
immediately becomes an obsession for him. He must have her,
but she doesn't want to know anything about it. When she
meets Lotte, however, her interests take another turn, but there
are (naturally) barriers to be overcome. All tides are about to
turn, as a matter of fact, once Craig accidentally drops a file
behind a cabinet and attempts to retrieve it. Alice's inimitable
"drink me" door opens upon an unexpected world for Craig and
many others. What occurs once the dark tunnel is opened and
entered must be seen to be believed.
Love, frustrations, desires, obsessions, affections, lusts, and
egos dance around inside the empty and filled vessels on the
screen. The addiction has hit upon a portion of the populace
and the victims are falling out of the sky. What could be more
human? Doesn't everyone want to have a life? And if you don't
have one, maybe you can get one for $200 and a twenty-minute
ride. There are undoubtedly many people roaming the earth
who might prefer being a star in order to experience real life,
even if only for short time. What exactly would you give to be
John Malkovich?
This fantastic voyage signals both the feature directorial debut
of video director Spike Jonze and the feature screenwriting
debut of Charlie Kaufman. The union is a fascinating one.
Kaufman, commenting on his mind-boggling creation, says, "I
wrote Being John Malkovich without an outline, blindly, with no
sense of direction or purpose. I don't have any interest in
working that way. It's important to me that I don't have a map
before I start. This allows me to surprise myself, stay engaged,
discover things, and, hopefully allows the unconscious to
surface. So I had some characters in mind and I had some
things I was interested in, either because they made me
anxious or sad or angry or horny or lonely or because they
seemed funny. Just a bunch of things I was drawn to. And I
combined them. As I did this, different ideas came up or stories
evolved and I incorporated them, went back and made the
necessary revisions, then continued working like this until I was
done."
Catch, if you can, flashes of such people as Brad Pitt, Michelle
Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder as well as other tantalizing figures
who burst onto the screen and disappear just as quickly as the
Goethe program does past our dazzled eyes. Are these the
stars you idolize or are they empty vessels hoarding secrets of
immortality? What do you think? Want to go along for the ride?
Cusack, who perfectly portrays the dimensions demanded by
his role as celebrant, says that the film is "the sickest thing I
could ever conceive of: totally original, totally new, intricate,
twisted, sophisticated, and lowbrow - all at the same time. It's
like an Escher painting. It has doors and stairways leading into
themselves. It's totally wild."
The tale of Faust has been told in many ways. This is, without
question, one of the most entertaining and contemporary ways.
A MUST SEE
I wish you all a Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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