Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich (1999)

  • 92% of critics liked it
    (117 reviews)

  • 85% of users liked it
    (227,791 ratings)

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… More

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R, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By
Spike Jonze, Spike Jones
Written By
Charlie Kaufman
Genres
Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
In Theaters
Oct 29, 1999 Wide
On DVD
May 2, 2000
Gramercy Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • David Rooney, Variety

    Devilishly inventive and so far out there it's almost off the scale.

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    This outrageous comic fantasy may not sustain its brilliance throughout its 112 minutes, but it keeps cooking for so much of that time that I don't have many complaints.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    By the time the tunnel worthy of the likes of Gulliver and Alice becomes a freeway clogged with bit players, a big chill has descended on all the characters.

  • Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

    It is hard to mix moods -- the film is manic, subtle, comic and vaguely sad -- but [Jonze] does it masterfully.

  • Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

    It's clever, witty, dark and, most importantly, unwaveringly bizarre.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tyler C


    Boosted by Charlie Kaufman's supremely original and clever script, along with great performances and stylish direction by Spike Jonze, "Being John Malkovich" is one of the strangest, oddest yet astoundingly clever comedy I've seen in quite a long time. Could be a… More

  • Albert K


    Freakin weird movie. John Malkovich is always entertaining to watch and the movie has some very original plot elements but there are some big pacing issues. Nevertheless, "Being John Malkovich" is worth watching.

  • Jameson W


    Excellent excellent film, brilliant concept, perfect execution!

  • xGary X


    An out of work puppeteer finds an accounting job in the 7 1/2th floor of an office building where he finds a doorway into the mind of John Malkovich in which he decides to squat in order to win the affection of a co-worker. Being John Malkovich is just strange; not Donnie Darko or… More

  • moon r


    Charles Kaufman's insightful exaggeration about the cult of celebrity, and the cult of self(fishness). Never conventional and very witty, a comedy of neuroses delivered by a cast that give their all.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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