Being John Malkovich
1999 · Movie · R · 113 min · ★ 7.4 · 92% critics
A struggling artist discovers a hidden portal at work that lets anyone briefly experience life through a famous actor’s eyes. What starts as a bizarre thrill quickly turns into an obsession, as people try to profit from the experience and push the limits of control, identity, and desire.
Also known as The Hole of Malkovich
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Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Peacock — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1999
- Release date
- 1999-10-29
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Critic score
- 92/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (4,801 votes)
- Box office
- $23,106,667
- Budget
- $13,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an offbeat, funny, mind-bending story about identity and control that stays surprisingly engaging; Not for you if you dislike surreal setups, awkward humor, or moral messiness like in Adaptation.
Pros: wildly original premise; dark, funny absurdity; thought-provoking identity themes | Cons: deliberately weird tone; uneven humor for some; ending may frustrate
Themes
- witch
- sexual identity
- individual
- secret love
- transvestism
- identity
- subconsciousness
- new identity
- pet
- chimpanzee
- puppeteer
- appropriation of another human being
- +3 more
Awards & recognition
- Grand prix du Festival de Deauville · 1999
- BAFTA Award — Best Original Screenplay
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 2000 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 2000 · nominated
Show all 7 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Director · 2000 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Film · nominated
Cast & crew
John Cusack
as Craig Schwartz
Cameron Diaz
as Lotte Schwartz
John Malkovich
as John Horatio Malkovich
Catherine Keener
as Maxine Lund
Orson Bean
as Dr. Lester
Mary Kay Place
as Floris
W. Earl Brown
as First J.M. Inc. Customer
Carlos Jacott
as Larry the Agent
Willie Garson
as Guy in Restaurant
Byrne Piven
as Captain Mertin
Directed by Spike Jonze