Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes

Being John Malkovich

R

Now Playing

1 hr. 52 min.

Comedy

List

94%

135 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this quirky cult-favorite comedy, unemployed New York City puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) reluctantly takes a temp job as a filing clerk for the eccentric Dr. Lester (Orson Bean). While at work, Craig discovers a portal that leads into the mind of renowned actor John Malkovich. When he lets his attractive co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) in on the secret, they begin both an unusual business scheme and an odd relationship that involves Craig's restless wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz).

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Critics Consensus

Smart, funny, and highly original, Being John Malkovich supports its wild premise with skillful direction and a stellar ensemble cast.

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Blu B

A Classic Drama Fantasy. The editing is masterful as this weaves effortlessly between Fantasy, comedy, drama, and a love "Square" to boot and is super sharp. It's filled with tons of underlying commentary about the concept of an individual and the collectiveness of humanity in a satircal but very clever fashion and highly original. There is truly nothing like this that I can think of. It's such a bizarre concept that feels like it's its own thing and not borrowing from anything. The acting, cinematography, and pacing are all really good. The music is solid also but not neccesarily catchy or memorable on it's own. This is a film that relies solely on it's original idea and lifts everything up with it as the direction is pretty good but not amazing. It can look a little dull throughout and none of the characters are truly that likeable, which feels on purpose save for John. The dialouge can be very quirky at times but it fits for such a unique subject matter. Anyone who is a fan of any actors in this, the director, Kaufman screeplays, or just very out there original ideas will like this a lot.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Boring and confusing. I don’t really understand why this movie has high ratings!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/23

Full Review

Maggie S

Wow. This movie blew my mind. It was so weird. Highly enjoyable

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/23

Full Review

Gareth v

One of the most original and imaginative movies of the 1990's and arguably the best movie of 1999. Jonze & Kaufman are a match made in heaven in this whimsical and smart comedy. Must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

Full Review

Sebastin G

Spike Jonze brings us perfection. I would say it is a fresh but amazingly dense, funny, and slightly dystopian way to express the pain/life we are going through.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/16/23

Full Review

StephenPaul C

LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 52 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/17/23

Full Review

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Spike Jonze

Director

John Cusack

Craig Schwartz

Cameron Diaz

Lotte Schwartz

Catherine Keener

Maxine Lund

Orson Bean

Dr. Lester

Mary Kay Place

Floris

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Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Dance of Despair and Disillusionment

2:14

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Craig's Escape From Malkovich

2:13

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - John Malkovich Becomes a Puppeteer

2:11

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Malkovich Inside Malkovich

2:14

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Malkovich Discovers J.M. Inc.

2:13

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Malkovich Gets Paranoid

1:38

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Sad Man Becomes John Malkovich

2:11

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - Craig Wins a Date With Maxine

2:10

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - 7 1/2 Floor Orientation

2:13

Being John Malkovich: Official Clip - The Speech Impediment

2:23

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Kaufman and Jonze steer us through a truly twisted psychological and existential swamp.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 30, 2019

Full Review

David Germain

Associated Press

Fabulously funny and delightfully disturbed, "Being John Malkovich'' is the ultimate voyeur movie, a dark and at times malevolent take on what it's like to be in someone else's skull, looking out.

Jun 12, 2018

Full Review

Chris Chang

Film Comment Magazine

The beauty of the film is the way it elevates John Malkovich from an actor to an axiom.

Mar 22, 2018

Full Review

Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

It sometimes seems like there is more legitimate creativity in [Malkovich] than there's been in almost every other movie released this year. The script is completely insane and consistently brilliant, and it's funny on almost every level imaginable.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 30, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a devastatingly funny portrait of unhappiness, desperation, desire, and the vicious things we do for love...

Apr 8, 2023

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

The very meta tale stars and is about thespian and sometime Cambridge resident John Malkovich and the puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a portal into his brain.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this quirky cult-favorite comedy, unemployed New York City puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) reluctantly takes a temp job as a filing clerk for the eccentric Dr. Lester (Orson Bean). While at work, Craig discovers a portal that leads into the mind of renowned actor John Malkovich. When he lets his attractive co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) in on the secret, they begin both an unusual business scheme and an odd relationship that involves Craig's restless wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz).

Director: Spike Jonze
Executive Producer: Charlie Kaufman, Michael Kuhn
Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman
Distributor: USA Films
Production Co: Gramercy Pictures, Single Cell Pictures, Propaganda Films
Rating: R (Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 29, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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