Being John Malkovich

A very original, genre-defying flick. Kaufman, the screenwriter, is undoubtly bonkers. A must-see for anyone who thinks that the film world can't surprise them with anything anymore. And by the way, I came to like John Cusack in this film, he's a really good actor. (04/13/2003)

Wow! I really wasn’t expecting something so brilliantly insane given the rather modest reviews. It has a great script and also excellent actors who are clearly having fun in their ungrateful roles – John Cusack was especially surprising. The scene where Malkovich gets inside himself must be one of the most bizarre ever. (07/30/2010)

An exceptionally innovative social-relationship satire full of absurd situations, wrapped in a unique bizarre feeling and strange atmosphere. Jonze is not afraid to experiment, and Kaufman is a master at all sorts of bizarre stories and the result corresponds to that. It's a bit too theatrical at times, and the supporting storyline may not quite make sense here and there, but it does make sense between the lines. Something completely different, hard to grasp and extremely original. A film about the relationship problems of modern times in the most atypical way you can imagine. (07/20/2017)

A film that probably deserves more than one viewing, though it’s something I wouldn't want to see a second time. That idea is just... weird. Yes, that's the only right word, and it's a pretty big one in this case. The idea of looking directly into the head of a famous person and experiencing a few moments from their point of view presents a wealth of possibilities and plots for a quality director. I'm not saying that Spike Jonze is an elite director, but here he did the best job he could, yet I couldn't shake the impression that I was watching a terribly weird film, not that he intended me to. He lets the viewer be swept up in the story from head to toe and at the same time manages to present the whole film in such a way that it doesn't fade into oblivion after a few hours. And John Malkovich was a great choice; I would have preferred Nicholson perhaps, but hats off to his performance, and three hurrays for the restaurant scene, it was really spicy. And that’s the comedy as a whole, actually: fun, unique, unreadable, and weird. 75% (01/13/2013)

You haven't seen a similar movie before if you haven't seen it yet. Well, Charlie Kaufman has a similar style, but each of his scripts is still different. "Being John Malkovich" is a unique film, an unforgettable experience, but it may not appeal to everyone. I like it, but I don't consider it completely perfect. (04/04/2016)