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Being John Malkovich (1999)

7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 204,746 users   Metascore: 90/100
Reviews: 811 user | 238 critic | 36 from Metacritic.com

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.

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Title: Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich (1999) on IMDb 7.8/10

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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 50 wins & 48 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Derek Mantini
...
Father at Puppet Show
Madison Lanc ...
Daughter at Puppet Show
...
Woman in Elevator (as Octavia L. Spencer)
...
...
...
K.K. Dodds ...
Wendy
...
Don (as Reggie Hayes)
Byrne Piven ...
Captain Mertin
Judith Wetzell ...
Tiny Woman
...
...
Cab Driver
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Storyline

Puppeteer Craig Schwartz and animal lover and pet store clerk Lotte Schwartz are just going through the motions of their marriage. Despite not being able to earn a living solely through puppeteering, Craig loves his profession as it allows him to inhabit the skin of others. He begins to take the ability to inhabit the skin of others to the next level when he is forced to take a job as a file clerk for the off-kilter LesterCorp, located on the five-foot tall 7½ floor of a Manhattan office building. Behind one of the filing cabinets in his work area, Craig finds a hidden door which he learns is a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, the visit through the portal which lasts fifteen minutes after which the person is spit into a ditch next to the New Jersey Turnpike. Craig is fascinated by the meaning of life associated with this finding. Lotte's trips through the portal make her evaluate her own self. And the confident Maxine Lund, one of Craig's co-workers who he tells about the ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

portal | puppeteer | office | pet | actor | See more »

Taglines:

Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 November 1999 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Being John Malkovich  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£296,282 (UK) (17 March 2000)

Gross:

£1,882,462 (UK) (5 May 2000)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

John Cusack actually took some marionette-puppeteering lessons in order to prepare for the film. See more »

Goofs

When Craig Schwartz first boards the elevator, the alarm stops when the stop button is released, before the door closes. But when Maxine boards the elevator to descend from floor 7-1/2, the alarm keeps ringing until the door closes. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Lotte Schwartz: Craig, honey, it's time for bed.
[fade out and in]
Orrin Hatch the bird: Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up, Craig, honey, time to get up,
Craig Schwartz: Lotte...
Lotte Schwartz: I'm sorry. I didn't know Orrin Hatch was out of his cage.
See more »

Crazy Credits

at the end of the cast listing is noted ...and John Malkovich See more »

Connections

Featured in The 2000 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

Documentary Music
Written by Les Hooper
Performed by Les Hooper
Courtesy of Hooperman Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A brilliantly original dark comedy.
20 February 2000 | by (Los Angeles, CA) – See all my reviews

The most original film to come out in ages! A film that has "one-joke premise" written all over it, but this film has about four dozen good jokes, each one brilliantly conceived and executed. Acted to perfection, beautifully written, directed by the insanely original and wild Spike Jonze, this is a great great film.


62 of 99 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Why John Malkovich? miles_fierce_larson
Something that I didn't understand. DylbertReviews
I completely do NOT get this movie, care to explain? yuan-van
Catherine Keener as Maxine? metanthrax
Highly Overrated chironaphelion
what happens to the physical bodies? aussiemiguel
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