Review of Being John Malkovich (1999) by Calumrhys — 08 Jan 2017

Upon my first viewing of this film, I initially saw it as an absurdly incomprehensible and arty picture, but that may have been due to me being a naive student at the time. Now, upon my second viewing many years later, I can honestly say that I now appreciate this film for the gloriously weird marvel that it is.

The directorial debut from indie auteur Spike Jonze, written by the fantastic Charlie Kaufman, 'Being John Malkovich' is a brilliant fantasy black comedy that delves into an area of originality that no other movie has ever approached. With a premise that reeks of confidence and a plot that has its audience questioning the very nature of it, this film takes its viewers on a ride through a confusing yet rewarding adventure full of twists, turns and outright hilarious scenes.

The acting is superb from all throughout, and the humour, whilst mostly quite subtle, has a dark overtone that acts as more of a satire - my favourite scene being when (spoiler alert) Malkovich enters his own portal and is thrust into a world where everyone is John Malkovich, with their vocabulary being limited to a single word: "Malkovich", a scene that I appreciated as both original and pure comedy gold. Both Jonze and Kaufman should be proud of this monumental feat of moviemaking.