Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)

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This movie is a strange experience. It is a true rarity - an arty movie which is a genuine comedy. It features tremendous characterizations from the four leads (including John Malkovich as himself), a hilarious cameo from Sean Penn, and some brilliantly imaginative concepts. Plus the best puppetry you'll ever see.

If you don't already know the premise, John Cusack plays a puppeteer who accidentally stumbles upon a magical portal that leads one into the mind of John Malkovich for 15 minutes, and thence to the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Some people want to use this to achieve alternate experiences, some want to exploit it for profit or "love", and some really need the portal for matters of great cosmic significance.

I laughed hard during the first 15 minutes or so, but then the tone turns dark, and somewhat ugly when Cusack uses his skill as a puppeteer to gain permanent control of Malkovich's body.

Truly offbeat movie, with many moments of great artistic achievement. If you want your comedies ha-ha funny, you'll get lost when the story finds its pace, but if you like black comedy, it's one of the ornriest since Dr. Strangelove. Example - Malkovich in a restaurant, patron comes up and sincerely thanks Malkovich for his "compassionate portrayal of retards". I think you will either treasure it as one of your all-time favorites, or hate it completely.

Unfortunately, probably the darkest photography of any movie I've ever seen. Makes SE7EN look like the outdoor scenes in Sound of Music. Almost no flesh, so it didn't matter that much.

Written by: Scoopy...Scoopy.net