Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a puppeteer. Not only that, he's a good one... ...and he's out of work. You see, these days, no one needs a puppeteer. They just aren't in demand. (Where they ever?)
Craig's wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), is a veterinarian who cares just a little bit too much for her animals. She brings them home with her; Craig and Lotte's home is a veritable zoo of sorts.
Craig, wallowing in despair, sleeps all day with nothing to do, as there is no work available for his specailty. Lotte kicks his butt out of bed one day. "Get a job," she commands. And so he does.
Craig lands a job at a filing company, located on the 7½ floor of a downtown New York highrise. It's an OK job, and it pays well. The bonus to the job is Maxine Lund (Catherine Keener), a co-worker. Even though Craig is married, he hits on her. Braig is soundly brushed off, however. "Here's the thing," she starts, "If you ever got me, you wouldn't have a clue what to do with me."
And Craig knows that what she said is true.
Craig is down but not out. He still tries to win her over, but to no avail. That's when something weird happens. MAgical even. By accident, Craig drops a file folder behind a large, old filing cabinet in his office. Moving the cabinet, Craig discovers a tiny door. Behind the door is nothing but black space. Curious about the contents of the black space, Craig climbs inside.
The doorway is, in fact, a portal into the mind of the actor John Malkovich (played by John Malkovich). Any person who enters the door becomes trapped inside Malkovich's head for 15 minutes before being deposited into a ditch on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Craig is excited. Oh, what a thrill it is! Craig decides to tell Maxine about his adventure. Intrigued, Maxine tries out Malkovich and is hooked. Together, they hatch a plot to let people try out the "ride" for $200 a pop. Craig even tells his wife, Lotte.
Lotte goes into Malkovich just as Maxine is about to have sex with him. However, once Lotte tries out the "ride," she finds she can't stop. She want's more and more. Lotte has fallen in love with Maxine. BUt now it's craig's turn to use Mslkovich. Craig finds out that he can control Malkovich, like a puppet, and uses him to become that famous puppeteer he always wanted to be...
This is one weird movie! It was Written by Charlie Kaufman the one who also wrote Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The movie has a floor 7½; a secret doorway; a woman who falls in love with another married woman only when she is inside a mans body and Cameron Diaz at her ugliest. (I mean this in a nice way, of course; Cameron is one of the best looking actresses in Hollywood these days, but come on, that hair!)
Being John Malkovich proves the old addage that "Absolute power corrupts, absolutly." Craig's eight or so months in control of Malkovich also confirm that "With great power comes great responsability." (Ok, Ok, enough with the clichés). Craig basically ruins Malkovich's life, but he doesn't care. He is only using Malkovich to do what he has always wanted, but could never, do.
So Why are people so eager to enter John Malkovich's dome? For the novelty, I guess. We spend our whole lives as ourselves, wishing we could be someone else. Of course we can never be ayone but ourselves, so even if you could become another person, even for the briefest of time, why pass up the chance? At one point, there's a traffic jam of people eager to try out this new "thrill ride." Lotte finds herself inside John's mind while Maxine is "undressing" him. Lotte enjoys this experience and decides to become a lesbian, or a man. Whatever it takes to win Maxine. The movie is hard to explain, but trust me. It just keeps getting better. "Got to admit, it's gettin' better..."
Plot: 
The whole story is fresh and inventive. Above all else it is new.
Visual Effects:
Sound: 
Character Development:
The main characters (Craig, Lotte and Maxine) each go through their own different change. Craig becomes obsessed with contoling Malkovich; Lotte is obsessed with winning over Maxine, and all Maxine want is to have Malkovich.
Each character is a stark contrast from the way they started out. Do they change for the better? Maybe. Maybe not. But they do change. Big time.
Atmosphere: 
The film starts out with this marionette dance which is hard to watch, but if you can get through that you will find an incredibly entertaining film that you'll not want to miss.
Realism:
Warren’s Rating:
9.14/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
07-01-05
