Poster of Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Director: Spike Jonze

Release Date: December 3, 1999

Where to Watch

I think that the closest that Americans will consistently get to magical realism is anything written by Charlie Kaufman. Being John Malkovich is familiar enough for the viewer to adjust with a soupçon of insensitive dialogue that gradually increases and is seemingly acceptable in this world. Unfortunately I was exhausted and done with everyone after I got my footing. I know that one of the points is that everyone is kind of horrible, selfish & vampiric in their need to feed their id & there is some larger message about everyone wanting to be someone who becomes someone else AND manages to be unique, but in the end, as an object of desire becomes erased by everyone’s desires. It is also a meta message about intellectual acceptance and success. I simultaneously found the movie brilliant, unique, a must see that I just did NOT like.

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