Parents' Guide to

Being John Malkovich

By Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Kids won't get this sex-driven, head-trip comedy.

Movie R 1999 112 minutes
Being John Malkovich Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

thegermaniclanguageb
thegermaniclanguageb Adult
January 18, 2018
age 14+

sarge123
sarge123 Adult
February 5, 2015
age 15+

See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a self-centered, struggling puppeteer who prefers his love unrequited and his self-worth to come from public acclaim. When his wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz) urges him to get a job, Craig becomes a file clerk on the 7 1/2 floor of a building with a special feature: a portal into the brain and life of John Malkovich. See him ordering towels, reading the Wall Street Journal, going to a playhouse, having sex. It's all better, it seems through Malkovich's eyes. When Craig reveals the portal to conniving coworker Maxine (Catherine Keener), she uses his attraction for him to convince him to rent the portal out. When Lotte tries the portal, she realizes that she might be attracted to women, and Maxine in particular. But as Maxine, Craig, and Lotte get sucked further into the rabbit hole of being John Malkovich, their relationships and lives start to unravel.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Dude, here's a head trip for you: Being John Malkovich, like The Big Lebowski, is like taking a wild ride through a surreal world. Unlike Lebowski, Malkovich is expressly not about being yourself and getting your rug back, man. It's about the joy of being someone else -- someone famous and therefore better.

The characters are unabashedly narcissistic and borderline sociopaths. Craig, for instance, creates a puppet of himself and choreographs him having a meltdown. The fun is in watching them do completely unbelievable things. And there's no need for sympathy for the characters -- it's about watching the train wreck that ensues and enjoying all the bizarre and funny lines in the truly inventive script. Of course it's weird. That's what's so fun. Don't think, just watch it and enjoy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what celebrities they'd like to be and why. Do you think being someone famous would give you the rush it gives the people who go inside John Malkovich's brain? It's a good opportunity to talk about the cult of celebrity and how it makes us feel bad about ourselves in order to sell us more things.

Movie Details

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