Classic 90s Movie: “Being John Malkovich”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from ‘John Malkovich’.

Movie Title: Being John Malkovich

Year: 1999

Writers: Charlie Kaufman (Nominated for an Oscar)

Lead Actors: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener (Nominated for an Oscar), John Malkovich

Director: Spike Jonze (Nominated for an Oscar)

IMDB Plot Summary: “A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.”

Why I Think This Is A Classic 90s Movies: The first movie written by Charlie Kaufman introduced us to the mind-bending style of movies he became known for, including the subsequent “Adaptation” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
“Being John Malkovich” explores the concept of wanting to be someone else in an unprecedented fashion. It displays the ability of Charlie Kaufman to take you on a mind-bending journey, while also keeping the story grounded in reality, even if it is a fantastical reality. Watching the movie once is great. But, anyone who watches it once will probably want to watch it a second time. Also, like many great movies, you can watch this movie at different times in your life and extract a new experience from it.

My Favorite Moment In The Movie: The initial experience of arriving at, encountering and traversing the 7 and a 1/2th floor is fun, but this really only begins to open the door upon where the movie is going, through a small portal in a wall behind a filing cabinet, which thrusts you into the mind of a famous actor, who many perceive to be mercurial. Why wouldn’t a slew of people line the hallway of the 7 and a 1/2th floor for that? Picking one favorite moment from the movie seems to do disservice to the rest of it. So, let me just say…

My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie: “Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich.”

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: As with most Charlie Kaufman films, you’ll want and/or need to watch this movie a second time, so answering this question is almost moot. Just enjoy it the first time. The second time, look for whatever you want to look for, and there will be plenty you’ll want to look for.

Thanks, ‘John’! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

We already have a set of 80s Movies. This month we cover 90s movies. So thanks to all of you for your participation in this project, creating a resource for writers, movies they should watch to help learn the craft of screenwriting!

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