---
title: "Being John Malkovich"
year: 1999
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/being-john-malkovich"
fi1m_id: "being-john-malkovich"
imdb_id: "tt0120601"
tmdb_id: 492
wikidata_id: "Q649165"
fi1m_score: 89
critics_score: 86
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:21.355462+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Being John Malkovich (1999)

Directed by Spike Jonze · 1h 53m · MPA R · Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

## Identity

Being John Malkovich

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/being-john-malkovich
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** being-john-malkovich
- **IMDb ID:** tt0120601
- **TMDB ID:** 492
- **Wikidata ID:** Q649165
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/492, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q649165

**Fi1m score: 89** · Critics 86 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* John Malkovich has enough trouble being John Malkovich without taking in lodgers

> Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman’s excellent fantasy comedy makes borrowing an actor’s identity funny, troubling and surprisingly sad. The plotting can get busy, but John Malkovich and Catherine Keener keep the people interesting.

## Synopsis

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), Lotte Schwartz (Cameron Diaz) and Maxine Lund (Catherine Keener) become involved in an opportunity to experience life as John Malkovich. Malkovich plays a version of himself, an actor whose identity becomes available to other people. The possibility of being someone else draws their desires towards him, raising questions about fame, gender and what they want from their own lives. Their competing wishes make the prospect of escape more complicated than it first appears. Spike Jonze directs Charlie Kaufman’s fantasy comedy.

## Review

*Being John Malkovich* is a fine comedy about wanting to get away from yourself and failing to consider what that might cost somebody else. Spike Jonze directs Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay with enough composure to make borrowing an actor’s identity seem almost practical. We recommend it, although its ingenious plotting sometimes hurries past the characters’ feelings. The people here want relief from themselves, admiration and someone else’s affection.

Comedy built around one peculiar idea can wear thin quickly, so it matters that Kaufman is interested in more than surprise. Celebrity is part of the attraction, but questions of gender and desire make the wish to become someone else harder to dismiss as vanity. Jonze handles this without suddenly declaring that the serious part has begun. The same selfish behaviour that gets the laughs also makes it difficult for these people to find affection.

Cusack gives Craig Schwartz the aggrieved seriousness of a man who thinks wanting something badly makes him entitled to it. Diaz’s Lotte Schwartz feels less certain of who she wants to be, and her vulnerability stops the fantasy becoming entirely smug. Keener’s Maxine Lund hardly needs to announce her contempt; she makes other people’s neediness do the work for her. There is pleasure in watching such incompatible temperaments pursue satisfaction, although being stuck with them is sometimes wearing.

Malkovich is the crucial piece of casting, and not simply because his name is in the title. He is funny because he takes the interference seriously and allows the indignity to show. We laughed at his humiliation, then felt rather ashamed: other people are treating a living man as a solution to their own disappointments. He gives this version of himself enough dignity for us to understand why the arrangement might not be much fun for him.

Lance Acord’s cinematography keeps our attention on the faces, where irritation and longing make the odd premise credible. K.K. Barrett’s production design makes the absurdity feel drably plausible, giving the actors somewhere convincing to behave badly. Eric Zumbrunnen’s editing makes selfish decisions feel alarmingly quick and easy, though the accumulation of complications becomes tiring. Carter Burwell’s music allows some sadness without asking us to pardon anyone. That restraint helps when the screenplay is already giving us so much to think about.

The cost is a certain impatience with anyone who needs time to feel. Kaufman can be so busy finding another use for the premise that an emotional consequence seems to have been registered and hurried past. Diaz gives Lotte enough vulnerability for us to want more attention paid to her, especially when the film is sorting out its cleverer complications. Keener is wonderfully exact, but Maxine’s disdain can become predictable once we know how little respect she has to spare.

Allow its 113 minutes your full attention, and avoid having the later complications explained beforehand. There is enough pleasure in discovering how far Jonze and Kaufman will take the idea to make advance preparation a waste. Choose it when a comedy need not provide anyone you would willingly invite round.

*Fi1m score 89, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are unanimous in favour. Nearly every critic reaches for the word original, and most credit Charlie Kaufman’s script first, for holding to its own logic while the premise gets stranger, and Spike Jonze’s direction second, for playing the absurdity straight. The performances draw the next cluster of praise: Malkovich sending himself up, and Catherine Keener and Cameron Diaz cast against expectation. Several later reviews find the film’s ideas about celebrity and identity have grown more pointed with time.

The spread is narrow. Where reservations appear they concern stamina rather than conception. The Independent finds the first three-quarters of an hour hilarious and fears the film runs out of steam after that, and Time Out thinks it loses its way once the sexual rivalries take over. Slant Magazine, rating it similarly, locates the only honest relationship in the film between Lotte and a chimpanzee. Nobody disputes the premise; the argument is about whether the film sustains it.

## Straight answers

**Is Being John Malkovich worth watching?**

*Being John Malkovich* is worth watching for anyone who likes a comedy built on one strange idea and followed through with composure, and we scored it 89. Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman make borrowing an actor's identity funny, troubling and rather sad. The plotting can get busy and nobody here is likeable, but that is much of the point.

**How long is Being John Malkovich, and what is it rated?**

*Being John Malkovich* runs 1h 53m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Being John Malkovich in the US?**

*Being John Malkovich* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Being John Malkovich, and is it suitable for children?**

*Being John Malkovich* is a UK 15, and it earns that certificate through adult themes rather than violence or fear. The comedy turns on desire, gender and people treating a living man as a solution to their own disappointments, so it is not for children. Teenagers old enough for the certificate should find little to frighten them and a good deal to think about.

**How does Being John Malkovich compare to The Double Life of Véronique?**

*Being John Malkovich* and [*The Double Life of Véronique*](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique) are both unsettled films about identity, but Kieślowski's is the more tender and Jonze's the more deliberately cruel. Kaufman's comedy finds its laughs in selfishness and hurries past some of the feelings it stirs; Kieślowski's drama moves quietly and asks us to care. Choose Jonze for wit, Kieślowski for warmth.

**What should I watch after Being John Malkovich?**

After *Being John Malkovich*, try [*Seconds*](https://film.one/film/seconds) (1966, Fi1m 84): Another chance to become somebody else, treated with considerably more dread. Then [*The Exterminating Angel*](https://film.one/film/the-exterminating-angel) (1962, Fi1m 87): A social gathering turns absurd, with manners proving no defence against panic; and [*The Double Life of Véronique*](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique) (1991, Fi1m 86): Another unsettled account of identity, with more tenderness and less deliberate cruelty.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (5/5): The review describes the film as a crazy, surreal comedy that dazzles with its daring originality as a metaphysical fantasy while pondering identity and gender. It singles out the subversive, Kafkaesque mind trip and the classic sequence inside Malkovich's head as highlights. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-cp6tha/being-john-malkovich/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (A): The critic praises the film as one of the most original American comedies of its time whose themes of identity and desire have only grown more resonant. It singles out Charlie Kaufman's script for its emotional complexity, framing the surreal story as ultimately a passionate love story. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/being-john-malkovich-1798172825)
- **Empire**, Caroline Westbrook (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film dazzlingly original and one of the most startling pictures in a long time, managing to be hysterically funny and achingly poignant. Jonze and Kaufman's script and the performances, especially Malkovich sending himself up, are singled out as outstanding. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/john-malkovich-review/)
- **Film Comment**, Chris Chang (90/100, inferred): The film is celebrated as a paradoxically cerebral yet ridiculous debut that brilliantly extends the director's offbeat, visually illogical commercial idiom to feature length. It singles out the inspired casting of Malkovich as elevating the actor to an axiom while probing displaced desire, celebrity, and identity through surreal persona transfer. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/head-wide-open-being-john-malkovich/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique and unpredictable, praising its surreal premise, playful dialogue, and the way Jonze and Kaufman treat the bizarre scenario as normal while slyly raising philosophical questions about identity. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-ca-27339-story.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Jonathan Romney (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an incredibly rich and entertaining metaphysical comedy that transcends its premise through its inquiry into personality, fame, and desire. They single out the subversive use of Malkovich's image and the strong, unexpected performances, especially from Catherine Keener. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/304)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as one of the funniest and cleverest of the year, an outrageous comedy of pure gold with an unanswerably brilliant premise. They single out the inventive script and direction for turning the absurd concept into a sustained delirium of comedy that also touches on celebrity and identity. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/mar/17/1)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (NYT Critic’s Pick): The critic finds the film endearingly nutty and the most fun version of its identity-swapping premise, calling it an irresistible first feature by Spike Jonze with a terrific screenplay by Charlie Kaufman that turns identity inside out. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/01/movies/film-festival-reviews-a-portal-leading-to-self-parody.html)
- **Total Film** (90/100, inferred): The review praises the film as twisted, smart, funny, demented and hugely entertaining, one of the most thrillingly original movies Hollywood has produced. It highlights the surreal comic fantasy, the deranged and hilarious metaphysical theme-park ride, and the performances that make it work. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/being-john-malkovich-review/)
- **Variety**, David Rooney (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a bracingly original metaphysical comic love story with an endlessly resourceful script that retains its own logic despite absurdity. They single out Jonze's focus on performances and the cast's embrace of the wild material, especially Malkovich's game self-parody. [Read](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/being-john-malkovich-1117752080/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (70/100, inferred): The film is a Kafkaesque romp that grapples with celebrity, identity and subconscious desire through a surrealist style indebted to Buñuel and Svankmajer. It singles out the pure, non-sexual relationship between Lotte and her chimpanzee Elijah as the one honest element amid the characters' existential pursuits. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/being-john-malkovich/)
- **The Independent** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the first 45 minutes stunningly original and hilarious, but fears it runs out of steam later. They single out the film's surreal conceit and John Malkovich's unique persona for praise. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-studies-bald-blank-brainy-it-can-only-be-john-malkovich-1123899.html)
- **Time Out**, TCh (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a true original from the demented minds of Jonze and Kaufman, describing it as a hundred-carat cult item that must be seen to be believed. They single out Malkovich's willingness to play along for praise while noting it loses its way a little in the sex-war department. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/being-john-malkovich)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a triumph of imagination as the feature debut for both Jonze and Kaufman. They single out its outlandish, surreal scenario and the unexpected performances, especially Malkovich's graceful handling of the humiliations and Diaz's transformation. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/being-john-malkovich-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **The Ringer**, Rob Harvilla (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as a head-trip masterpiece and the best of 1999, lauding its surreal premise involving a portal into Malkovich’s mind along with its blend of whimsy, darkness, and metaphysical ideas. They single out the inventive storytelling, strong performances (including Cusack, Diaz, and Keener), and how it remains intellectually provocative and darkly funny two decades later. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/03/25/movies/being-john-malkovich-spike-jones-best-movies-1999)
- **The Skinny**, Peter Simpson (80/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a beguiling and prescient work that remains relevant 25 years on for its take on celebrity, parasocial relationships and identity. It singles out the film's surreal flourishes and existential depth, particularly the unsettling experience of entering another person's consciousness. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/opinion/head-canon-being-john-malkovich-in-the-social-media-age)

## Details

- **Director:** Spike Jonze
- **Director:** Spike Jonze
- **Writer:** Charlie Kaufman
- **Cinematography:** Lance Acord
- **Editor:** Eric Zumbrunnen
- **Music:** Carter Burwell
- **Production design:** K.K. Barrett
- **Costume design:** Casey Storm
- **Producer:** Michael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Steve Golin
- **Cast:** 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
- **Runtime:** 1h 53m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 3 December 1999
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 1999)
- **Budget:** $13 million
- **Box office:** $23 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEtlqumjXLw

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-14.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2000: Best Director (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated)
- Grand prix du Festival de Deauville 1999: Grand prix du Festival de Deauville (won)

## If you liked this

- *Seconds* (1966), Fi1m 84: Another chance to become somebody else, treated with considerably more dread. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/seconds.md)
- *The Exterminating Angel* (1962), Fi1m 87: A social gathering turns absurd, with manners proving no defence against panic. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-exterminating-angel.md)
- *The Double Life of Véronique* (1991), Fi1m 86: Another unsettled account of identity, with more tenderness and less deliberate cruelty. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-double-life-of-veronique.md)
- *After Life* (1998), Fi1m 85: A bureaucratic fantasy about what remains of us, handled with unusual tenderness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-life.md)
- *Adaptation.* (2002), Fi1m 83: Jonze and Kaufman turn another impossible premise into painfully recognisable creative anxiety. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/adaptation.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/being-john-malkovich