Being John Malkovich is a dark comedy with a premise that is so out of this solar system that it's too unbelievable to comprehend on paper. John Cusack plays a puppeteer who finally gets a 9 to 5 office job to make ends meet. In the process he falls in love with Maxine (Catherine Keener) who wants nothing to do with him. As his days of filing continue boredom overlapped with boredom he discovers a hidden door that leads to John Malkovich's head. As the story progresses a love triangle develops between Cusack and Keener's characters and the puppeteers wife played by Cameron Diaz. The funny thing is that Malkovich is the vessel that this triangle takes its physical form.What Spike Jonze has created with Malkovich is a world that is so unbelievable populated with unbelievable characters that you suddenly realize ARE believable. Everyone knows a guy like Cusacks character, obsessed with his chosen artistic profession even if it isn't the hip thing to do. You know a scheming bitch like Keener's character. You know a pathetic person that's just "there" in life like Diaz. John Malkovich is the most normal of the lot.
The film is different. There's no doubt about that, but it's this shot out of left field that makes it a more interesting film. The cast gives us performances that are a complete break from their usual film fare and it works because you're seeing these people again for the first time. A great film that will twist your mind into a pretzel and you won't care.
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