The absurdly memorable debut from one of the most impactful American filmmakers to surface in the 1990s.
You ever have one of those movies that you only see a small portion of but you can’t get it out of your head? For me, that was
Being John Malkovich. I was visiting a friend in college and his roommates had the movie on. I only saw maybe 10 minutes of it, but I was hypnotized. The story and images planted themselves into my brain; every waking hour afterwards it’s absurdity and surrealism beckoned to me until I finally saw it in whole, satiating the hunger.
Director
Spike Jonze and writer
Charlie Kaufman are two of the most unique minds working today. Everything they touch bursts with originality, and while neither one has a terribly extensive filmography, their idiosyncrasies hit visionary heights so regularly that it makes one wonder why they’re not household names. Their movies could not be made by anyone but themselves.
In this particular film, featuring
John Cusack and
Cameron Diaz in what might be their most bizarre roles, Cusack plays a down-and-out puppeteer who gets a job working on the 7 1/2th floor of an office building, where he finds a secret portal that leads into the mind of famed actor
John Malkovich.
Jonze’s career is equally as wild as his films. He began by shooting skateboarding videos, which gained enough acclaim that he was hired to direct music videos, and for over 20 years he’s been working with the biggest names in music (e.g.,
Daft Punk,
Kanye West,
R.E.M.,
The Notorious B.I.G.,
Arcade Fire,
Lady Gaga). Around the same time
Being John Malkovich (his film debut) released, he co-created the controversial MTV show
Jackass - a franchise he’s still involved in, helping to write and produce the movies. As if that’s not enough, Jonze also holds the position of creative director for
Vice Media and
Viceland. At only the age of 50, whether you know the name or not, Spike Jonze and his works have made an inimitable, enduring mark on art and culture, maybe more than any other director so far this century, and if there’s any filmmakers capable of making real change in the world, he’s certainly one of them.
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