Being John Malkovich is the weirdest movie that I have ever seen. Directed by Spike Jonze, the 1999 film is equal-parts surrealist cinema and comedy. Charlie Kaufman, the acclaimed writer of the film, is at his most bizarre with this script. The premise is so unusual that it is nearly laughable: through a magical portal, the film's characters are able to become the actor John Malkovich for fifteen minutes.
With any other director, it is easy to imagine this film completely flopping. However, Spike Jonze has consistently shown his ability to fully embrace bizarre premises throughout his career. Take his recent film Her for example. Theodore, the main character, falls in love with a Siri-like artificial intelligence. Although it's not Being John Malkovich, Her's plot certainly has its fair share of "weirdness."
Jonze isn't the type of director who will toe the line between what is and what isn't considered normal. This is what allows a story as incredibly bizarre as Being John Malkovich to work, and even win a couple of Oscars.
This "stylistic weirdness" is apparent from the opening minutes of Being John Malkovich. We watch as Craig Schwartz, the protagonist of the film, puts on a dramatic puppet show. A female figure excitedly dances around, culminating in a show of rage where she destroys everything around her. Craig calls this the "Dance of Despair and Disillusionment." Although we don't know it yet, Jonze is giving us an inner look at Craig's mental state through this puppet show. This unusual choice to use a puppet show as a motif is surprisingly effective.
The next scene of the film ramps up the weirdness a little more. Craig is woken up by a parrot who repeatedly screeches "Honey, time to get up!" As Craig groggily stumbles out of bed, we see that his apartment is full of animals. There is the parrot, a chimpanzee, a cat, and a lizard scattered throughout the space. Within the first five minutes of the film, the audience already knows that they are in for a uniquely bizarre ride.
The epicenter of Being John Malkovcich's weirdness is Craig's workplace. As a struggling puppeteer, Craig is able to find a job as a filing clerk due to his dexterity and nimble fingers. However, everything about "Lester Corp" is out of place. The corporation itself is found in between the seventh and eight floor of an office building, requiring Craig to use a crowbar to force the elevator door open. The secretary insists on calling Craig "Mr. Warts," no matter how many times he corrects her. Mr. Lester repeatedly mentions that he has a serious speech impediment, yet speaks perfectly clearly. Perhaps most strikingly, the entire office floor has ridiculously low ceilings, forcing everyone to walk bent over.
Frames like this are so bizarre that the audience is forced to laugh. Making normal things abnormal is a hallmark of surrealist cinema, and Jonze uses this trope to full effect.
However, the most memorable scene from this film is undeniably the "Malkovich inside Malkovich" scene. John Malkovich has found J.M. Inc, where Craig and his associate have created a business where they sell access to "being John Malkovich." Craig and his dozens of excited customers are stunned to see John in person, after spending so long in his head. Malkovich is furious. Who do they think they are to sell access to his head? Fuming, he forces his way into the portal, and becomes himself.
"Malkovich. Malkovich? Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich. Malkovich!"
It's hard to put how weird this is into words. The first time I watched this scene was in a digital video class, about two years before I watched the film itself. However, the image of a feminine looking John Malkovich romantically saying "Malkovich" over and over again never left my head. This scene is the epitome of Jonze's amazing weirdness.
As John Malkovich (the real person) says,"It never occurred to me that anyone would be goofy enough to actually make that movie, but of course I hadn't met Spike Jonze then."