Being John Malkovich

94%

Tomatometer

136 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

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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Being John Malkovich

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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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Critics Reviews

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

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

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 30, 2019

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

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

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

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

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Alan Jones

Radio Times

The fact that it manages to carry its open-mouthed audience through every awesomely enigmatic turn is its greatest accomplishment.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 7, 2024

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

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

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Being John Malkovich | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

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

Apr 8, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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M R A very strange film to say the least. But intriguing enough at times to keep the viewer entertained. It is a very weird plot but the performances are wonderful.Rating: 8/10 Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/16/24 Full Review 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 4.5/5 Stars • 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 2.5/5 Stars • 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 5/5 Stars • 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 5/5 Stars • 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 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Being John Malkovich

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Cast & Crew

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

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