"Being John Malkovich," the directorial debut of Spike Jonze, is one of the most original films of all time. It expounds upon the fantasy of becoming another person for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not only is it one of the funniest films of 1999 and certainly the most original, but it is also one of the most emotionally moving films of the year.

John Cusack ("High Fidelity," "Grosse Point Blank") stars as Craig Schwartz, an extremely skilled puppeteer who has trouble finding work with his unique talent. Cameron Diaz ("There's Something About Mary," "Any Given Sunday," "Feeling Minnesota") stars as Lotte, Craig's wife, a pet fanatic who is searching for something to give her life new meaning. With Lotte's encouragement, Craig finds a 9-5 job sorting files to help bring some much needed cash into the household. At his new job, which is interestingly located on the 7 1/2th floor of a downtown office building, Craig becomes smitten by a beautiful co-worker, Maxine (Catherine Keener - "Your Friends & Neighbors," "8MM"). With this setup, Jonze establishes (almost) all of his main characters, and gives them all unique and engaging personalities. The real fun begins when Craig discovers, behind a file cabinet, a secret portal which lets anybody who enters spend 15 minutes "being" John Malkovich. If you think that's weird (which it certainly is), the plot quickly gets even more complicated with each new participant in the experiment. Craig and Maxine decide to exploit there discovery by selling tickets into Malkovich's head for $200 a trip. I won't go farther into the plot as it would certainly ruin your surprise, but know that you are in for an experience unlike any you have ever imagined on film.

John Malkovich is in top form as a public version of himself in one of the most interesting and technically amusing roles ever attempted on film. He stars in one of the the weirdest and most inspired scenes in motion picture history when he inevitably enters his own portal.

All of the characters involved are interesting and well rounded, and the acting is very good, but the star here is definitely the story. Jonze has created the most original, unique story of the 1990s. He has mixed intelligent comedy - most of which is based on premise, not one-liners - with intense drama and well-crafted science fiction involving the terrifying and exploitive possibilities that come along with the portal. In this reviewer's opinion though, Jonze's most amazing accomplishment with this film is that he managed to make Cameran Diaz UNattractive! And this is important because if she had been her usual beautiful self, there is no way her character could have worked. With this as his first direction job under his belt, Jonze's next directorial attempt will certainly be enormously anticipated.

"Being John Malkovich" is #13 on my list of best films of the 1990s! Although I haven't made my list for 1999 yet because I still haven't seen all the films I must watch before I make it, "Malkovich" will certainly be near the top.

"Being John Malkovich" is finally out on video, and I encourage all who missed the ride in the theatres to rent a copy of this dazzling masterpiece tonight!

Rated R for language and sexuality

My Top 13 films of the 90's:
1) American History X
2) Schindler's List
3) Shawshank Redemption
4) American Beauty
5) Pulp Fiction
6) Fargo
7) Goodfellas
8) Forrest Gump
9) Primal Fear
10) Bound
11) Dark City
12) Natural Born Killers
13) Being John Malkovich



Recommended: Yes