View source for Being John Malkovich

{{Short description|1999 film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Being John Malkovich
| image          = Being John Malkovich poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Spike Jonze]]
| producer        = {{plainlist|
* [[Michael Stipe]]
* [[Sandy Stern]]
* [[Steve Golin]]
* [[Vincent Landay]]
}}
| writer         = [[Charlie Kaufman]]
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[John Cusack]]
* [[Cameron Diaz]]
* [[Catherine Keener]]
* [[Orson Bean]]
* [[Mary Kay Place]]
* [[John Malkovich]]}}
| music          = [[Carter Burwell]]
| cinematography = [[Lance Acord]]
| editing        = [[Eric Zumbrunnen]]
| studio         = [[Gramercy Pictures]]<br />[[Propaganda Films]]<br />Single Cell Pictures
| distributor    = [[USA Films]] (United States)<br /><!--Credits state, "UNIVERSAL PICTURES INTERNATIONAL Presents"-->[[Universal Pictures|Universal Pictures International]] (International)
| released       = {{Film date|1999|9|2|[[56th Venice International Film Festival|Venice]]|1999|10|29|United States}}
| runtime        = 113 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $13 million<ref name="The-Numbers" />
| gross          = $23.1 million<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120601/|title=Being John Malkovich|website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
}}

'''''Being John Malkovich''''' is a 1999 American [[surrealist cinema|surrealist]] [[fantasy]] [[comedy drama]] film<ref name="allm_Bein">{{Cite web| title = Being John Malkovich (1999) - Spike Jonze | author = | publisher = AllMovie| date = | access-date = March 30, 2021| url = https://www.allmovie.com/movie/being-john-malkovich-v180993 | archive-date = April 14, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414112526/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/being-john-malkovich-v180993| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last= name=Bitner|first=Brian|title='Why It Works': Being John Malkovich|website=[[JoBlo.com]] |date=June 9, 2017 |url=https://www.joblo.com/why-it-works-being-john-malkovich-227-02/ }}</ref> directed by [[Spike Jonze]] and written by [[Charlie Kaufman]], both making their feature film debut. The film stars [[John Cusack]], [[Cameron Diaz]], and [[Catherine Keener]], with [[John Malkovich]] as a version of himself. Cusack plays a puppeteer who finds a portal that leads into Malkovich's mind.

Released by [[USA Films]], the film received widespread acclaim, with praise for its writing and direction, and grossed $23 million against a $13 million budget. The film was nominated in three categories at the [[72nd Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Best Original Screenplay]], and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for Keener.<ref name="OverhypedOscars">{{cite news |last=Rinaldi |first=Ray Mark |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-crystal-has-a-si/124979015/ |title=Crystal has a sixth sense about keeping overhyped, drawn-out Oscar broadcast lively |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519205244/https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-crystal-has-a-si/124979015/ |date=March 27, 2000 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |page=27 |work=Off the Post-Dispatch |publisher=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> The film ranked 441st on ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest films of all time,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/500-greatest-movies/ |title=The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time |work=EmpireOnline.com |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310180609/http://www.empireonline.com/500/91.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> while Malkovich's performance is ranked number 90 on ''Premiere's'' "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmsite.org/100characters.html |title=100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time |work=FilmSite.org |access-date=December 17, 2010 |archive-date=July 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708202219/http://www.filmsite.org/100characters.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Plot ==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should not exceed 700 words. -->
Craig Schwartz is an unemployed puppeteer in New York City, in a forlorn marriage with his pet-obsessed wife, Lotte. He finds work as a file clerk for the eccentric Dr. Lester in the Mertin-Flemmer building, on a floor between the 7th and 8th, where the ceiling is very low. He develops an attraction to co-worker Maxine Lund, who does not return his affections. While filing, Craig accidentally discovers a small hidden door. He crawls through it into an earthen tunnel and finds himself inside the mind of actor [[John Malkovich]]. After fifteen minutes, Craig is ejected, landing on the side of the [[New Jersey Turnpike]]. He tells Maxine about the door, and she realizes they can sell the experience for profit.

Lotte enters the portal, and, based on her experience being Malkovich, becomes fascinated with the idea of [[transgender|becoming a man]]. She and Craig visit Dr. Lester's home, where Lotte finds a room filled with Malkovich memorabilia. Maxine arranges a date with Malkovich while he is inhabited by Lotte. Lotte becomes smitten with Maxine, who reciprocates, but only when Lotte is inside Malkovich; Maxine manipulates him into having sex with her while Lotte is in his mind. Craig, forsaken by both women, locks Lotte in a cage and forces her to set up another tryst with Maxine. He inhabits Malkovich instead, and discovers that his puppeteering skills allow him some control over Malkovich's body.

Meanwhile, the real Malkovich, disturbed by his loss of control, confides in his friend [[Charlie Sheen]] and becomes suspicious of Maxine. Malkovich follows her to the Mertin-Flemmer building, where she and Craig are charging customers to use the portal. When Malkovich enters it himself, he finds himself in a world where everyone looks like him and says only "Malkovich." After he is ejected, Malkovich demands that Craig close the portal, but Craig refuses. Lotte is freed by her pet chimpanzee and warns Maxine that Craig is inhabiting Malkovich, but Maxine is attracted to Craig's ability to control him.

Lotte confronts Dr. Lester, who reveals that he is in fact Captain Mertin, who, having discovered the portal to a "vessel body" in the late 1800s, erected the Mertin-Flemmer building to conceal it. He has obtained immortality by moving from one body to the next, which becomes "ripe" on the host's 44th birthday, allowing him to take possession. If he's late he'd become trapped in a newborn body. This time, Lester has invited a group of friends to join him in occupying Malkovich once he turns 44, and Lotte warns them that Craig has taken control. Craig discovers he can occupy Malkovich indefinitely. Inhabiting him over the next eight months, he makes Malkovich into a world-class puppeteer and marries Maxine, who is pregnant.

On Malkovich's 44th birthday, Lester and Lotte kidnap Maxine. They call to demand that Craig leave Malkovich, threatening to kill Maxine, but he hangs up. In desperation, Lotte decides to shoot Maxine, who escapes into the portal. Lotte pursues her through Malkovich's subconscious before they are both ejected. Maxine confesses that she kept her unborn child because it was conceived while Lotte was in Malkovich's mind, meaning that it is Lotte's child, too, and the women cement their love for each other. Craig, believing Maxine is still in danger, leaves Malkovich's mind, allowing Lester and his friends to enter. Discovering that Maxine has discarded him for Lotte, Craig swears to reenter the portal to take back Malkovich's mind.

Seven years later, an older Malkovich, now inhabited by multiple people, tells Sheen about Lester and his friends' plan to extend their lives via the portal, which now leads to the mind of Maxine's daughter Emily. Craig, having entered the portal too late to enter Malkovich but too early to have any control over Emily, is permanently trapped inside her, forced to watch Lotte and Maxine live happily together.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[John Cusack]] as Craig Schwartz
* [[Cameron Diaz]] as Lotte Schwartz
* [[Catherine Keener]] as Maxine Lund
* [[John Malkovich]] as himself and John Horatio Malkovich
* [[Ned Bellamy]] as Derek Mantini
* [[Orson Bean]] as Dr. Lester
* [[Mary Kay Place]] as Floris
* [[Charlie Sheen]] as himself
* [[W. Earl Brown]] as First J.M. Inc. Customer
* [[Carlos Jacott]] as Larry the Agent
* [[Byrne Piven]] as Captain James Mertin
* [[Octavia Spencer|Octavia L. Spencer]] as Woman in Elevator
* [[James Murray (puppeteer)|James Murray]] as Student Puppeteer
}}

=== Cameo appearances ===
Director [[Spike Jonze]] makes a [[cameo appearance]] as Derek Mantini's assistant; Mantini is billed in the story as the greatest puppeteer in the history of the world and arouses Craig's envy. [[Brad Pitt]] also has a brief [[Cameo appearance|cameo]], as a miffed star in the documentary on Malkovich's career, who seems to be on the verge of saying something before the shot ends. [[Sean Penn]] appears as himself, a fan of Malkovich's puppeteer work. Film director [[David Fincher]] makes an uncredited appearance as Christopher Bing in the American Arts & Culture [[pseudo-documentary]] on John Malkovich. [[Winona Ryder]], [[Andy Dick]], and the members of [[Hanson (band)|Hanson]] can be seen in the audience of a Malkovich puppet show.<ref name="IMDb">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/fullcredits#cast |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) – Full Cast & Crew |work=[[IMDb]] |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014130213/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/fullcredits#cast |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Production ==
=== Development ===
Writer [[Charlie Kaufman]]'s idea of ''Being John Malkovich'' originated simply as "a story about a man who falls in love with someone who is not his wife." Gradually he added further elements to the story which he found entertaining, such as floor {{frac|7|1|2}} of the Mertin Flemmer building; among his first ideas, Malkovich was "nowhere to be seen".<ref name="Salon" /> He wrote the script [[Spec script|on spec]] in 1994 and though it was widely read by [[production company]] and [[film studio]] executives, all turned it down.<ref name="NYTimes" /> Hoping to find a producer, Kaufman sent the script to [[Francis Ford Coppola]], who passed it on to his daughter [[Sofia Coppola|Sofia]]'s then-boyfriend [[Spike Jonze]].<ref>{{cite web |title=''Being John Malkovich'' a quirky wonder |work=[[Arizona Daily Star]] |url=https://tucson.com/entertainment/movies/article_ee681184-48ef-558a-956f-8f431ab4dc0c.html |first=Phil |last=Villarreal |date=January 7, 2007 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829160819/https://tucson.com/entertainment/movies/article_ee681184-48ef-558a-956f-8f431ab4dc0c.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Jonze first read the script in 1996 and had agreed to direct the film by 1997.<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="Variety" /> Jonze took the script to [[Propaganda Films]], which agreed to produce the film in partnership with production company Single Cell Pictures.<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="Variety" /> Single Cell producers [[Michael Stipe]] and [[Sandy Stern]] pitched the film to numerous studios, including [[New Line Cinema]], who dropped the project after chairman [[Robert Shaye]] asked, "Why the fuck can't it be ''Being [[Tom Cruise]]''?"<ref name="Advocate" /> Jonze recalled that Malkovich asked the same question, and that Malkovich had felt that "Either the movie's a bomb and it's got not only my name above the title but my name in the title, so I'm fucked that way; or it does well and I'm just forever associated with this character."<ref name="Chris">{{cite news |title=Spike Jonze on letting ''Her'' rip and ''Being John Malkovich'' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/sep/09/spike-jonze-her-scarlett-johansson |access-date=September 13, 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=September 9, 2013 |first=Chris |last=Michael |archive-date=December 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201194852/http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/sep/09/spike-jonze-her-scarlett-johansson |url-status=live }}</ref> Jonze explained in the same interview that he had not realized how brave Malkovich's performance was.<ref name="Chris" />

With a budget of $10 million,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Write Stuff: Sea change for scribe's future |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/columns/the-write-stuff-sea-change-for-scribe-s-future-1117801689/ |first=Jonathan |last=Bing |date=June 19, 2001 |access-date=November 4, 2010}}</ref> [[principal photography]] of ''Being John Malkovich'' began on July 20, 1998, and continued through August.<ref name="Variety" /><ref name="Filming">{{cite web |title=Bean, Place in ''Malkovich'' |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/bean-place-in-malkovich-1117479351/ |first=Benedict |last=Carver |date=August 10, 1998 |access-date=November 4, 2010}}</ref> Filming took place primarily in [[Los Angeles]];<ref name="Filming" /> specific locations included the [[University of Southern California]] campus and the Observation Bar on board the [[RMS Queen Mary|RMS ''Queen Mary'']].<ref>{{cite web |title=Campuses a favorite locale for filming |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-12-me-125locations12-story.html |first=Steve |last=Padilla |date=September 12, 2006 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103113445/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/12/local/me-125locations12 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Queen Mary: Location Filming |work=[[RMS Queen Mary|QueenMary.com]] |url=http://www.queenmary.com/Filming-Locations.aspx |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126200422/http://queenmary.com/Filming-Locations.aspx |archive-date=November 26, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The puppets were created by Kamela Portuges-Robbins and Images in Motion. Phillip Huber animated the puppets.<ref>{{cite web |last=Meltzer |first=Steve |title=Marionettes In Hollywood |url=http://www.hubermarionettes.com/bjm/bjminterview.html |work=Puppetry Journal |publisher=HuberMarionettes.com |access-date=May 25, 2014 |archive-date=October 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023134621/http://www.hubermarionettes.com/bjm/bjminterview.html |url-status=live }}</ref> About Huber's puppetry, Jonze has said he was a full-time puppeteer and controlled his puppets with impressive means, such as using strings and no rods to control them, as well as swinging the puppets on high wires.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/107755-im-in-you-director-spike-jonze-and-screenwriter-charlie-kaufman-talk-being-john-malkovich/#.Xk81wTJKi00|title=I'm In You: Director Spike Jonze and Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman Talk Being John Malkovich|last=Macaulay|first=Scott|website=Filmmaker Magazine|date=July 7, 2019|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224211128/https://filmmakermagazine.com/107755-im-in-you-director-spike-jonze-and-screenwriter-charlie-kaufman-talk-being-john-malkovich/#.Xk81wTJKi00|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Casting===
Diaz's [[make-up artist]] Gucci Westman described styling Diaz in the role as "a challenge, to make her look homely."<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Minutes with Gucci Westman |work=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue Australia]] |url=http://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/five+minutes+with/5+minutes+with+gucci+westman,2819 |first=Sigourney |last=Cantelo |date=March 11, 2010 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226194306/http://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/five+minutes+with/5+minutes+with+gucci+westman,2819 |archive-date=February 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The script included minimal physical descriptions of characters, and thus when Diaz took up the role she did not know that "people weren't going to recognize me."<ref>{{cite web |title=Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener |work=CrankyCritic.com |url=http://www.crankycritic.com/qa/diaz_keener.html |first=Paul |last=Fischer |access-date=November 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107062624/http://www.crankycritic.com/qa/diaz_keener.html |archive-date=January 7, 2010 }}</ref> Cusack read the film's script after he had asked his [[Talent agent|agent]] to present him with the "craziest, most unproduceable script you can find." Impressed with the script, he asked his agent to follow its progress and book him an audition, which won him the role.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Cusack |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=https://www.avclub.com/john-cusack-1798212832 |first=Tasha |last=Robinson |date=December 27, 2007 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112002211/http://www.avclub.com/articles/john-cusack%2C14181 |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Keener cited ''Being John Malkovich'' as an instance of her taking up a role based on the director's previous work. She had heard about Jonze's experience with [[music video]]s and took up the part of Maxine although she initially disliked the character and did not feel that she was right for the part.<ref>{{cite web |title=Being Catherine Keener |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/style/tmagazine/t_w_1595_1597_well_keener_.html |first=Lynn |last=Hirschberg |date=August 27, 2006 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=February 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228050654/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/style/tmagazine/t_w_1595_1597_well_keener_.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Being John Malkovich |work=[[DVD Verdict]] |url=https://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/beingjohnm.php |first=Mike |last=Jackson |date=May 5, 2000 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011221148/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/beingjohnm.php |archive-date=October 11, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> She was subsequently nominated for an Oscar.

Kaufman said that there was never another actor in Malkovich's place in the script: "The screenplay was always {{'}}''Being John Malkovich''{{'}}, even before I had any expectation that John Malkovich would even read the script."<ref name="Variety">{{cite web |title=Charlie Kaufman |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/charlie-kaufman-1117792734/ |first=Robert |last=Holfer |date=September 14, 1999 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106205022/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117792734 |url-status=live }}</ref> He chose Malkovich because he believed there to be "an enigmatic quality about him that works",<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Leigh interview, and ''Being John Malkovich'' premiere |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/nov/10/mikeleigh |date=November 10, 1999 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219023511/http://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/nov/10/mikeleigh |url-status=live }}</ref> though Malkovich was partly chosen because of the sound of his name in repetition. Kaufman explained that "When we were thinking of alternatives, we found that a lot of them weren't fun to say."<ref name="Salon">{{cite web |title=Being Charlie Kaufman |work=[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]] |url=http://www.salon.com/ent/col/srag/1999/11/11/kaufman/print.html |first=Michael |last=Sragow |date=November 11, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307105429/http://www.salon.com/ent/col/srag/1999/11/11/kaufman/print.html |access-date=November 4, 2010|archive-date=March 7, 2005 }}</ref> Jonze's then-father-in-law Francis Ford Coppola was able to contact Malkovich,<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |title=FILM; The Fun and Games of Living a Virtual Life |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/arts/film-the-fun-and-games-of-living-a-virtual-life.html |first=Peter |last=Kobel |date=October 24, 1999 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128172027/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/arts/film-the-fun-and-games-of-living-a-virtual-life.html |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Jonze flew with producer [[Sandy Stern]] to Malkovich's home in France. Stern said that Malkovich was "half intrigued and half horrified" when he first read the script, but he eventually agreed to star in the film.<ref name="Advocate">{{cite news |title=Being Sandy Stern |work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |first=Stacie |last=Stukin |page=68 |issue=798 |date=November 9, 1999}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Being John Malkovich: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = Various artists
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = 1999
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Soundtrack]]
| length     =
| label      = [[Astralwerks]]
| producer   = Various
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r447737|pure_url=yes}} |title=''Being John Malkovich'' Review |work=Allmusic.com |access-date=April 24, 2011}}</ref>
}}

{{Track listing
| headline    = Track listing
| all_writing = [[Carter Burwell]], except where noted
| title1 = Amphibian
| note1 = [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]] Mix, written by [[Björk]]
| length1 = 2:47
| title2 = Malkovich Masterpiece Remix
| note2 = Written by Spike Jonze, performed by [[John Malkovich]]
| length2 = 2:22
| title3 = Puppet Love
| length3 = 2:02
| title4 = Momentary Introspection
| length4 = 1:07
| title5 = You Should Know
| length5 = 0:34
| title6 = Craig Plots
| length6 = 3:40
| title7 = Malkovich Shrine
| length7 = 0:45
| title8 = Embarcation
| length8 = 1:46
| title9 = Subcon Chase
| length9 = 2:03
| title10 = The Truth
| length10 = 1:21
| title11 = Love on the Phone
| length11 = 0:46
| title12 = To Lester's
| length12 = 0:26
| title13 = Maxine Kidnapped
| length13 = 1:15
| title14 = To Be John M
| length14 = 1:59
| title15 = Craig's Overture
| length15 = 1:00
| title16 = Allegro from [[Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta]], SZ106
| note16 = [[Béla Bartók]]
| length16 = 7:21
| title17 = Carter Explains Scene 71 to the Orchestra
| length17 = 0:29
| title18 = Lotte Makes Love
| length18 = 1:28
| title19 = Monkey Memories
| length19 = 1:32
| title20 = Future Vessel
| length20 = 3:40
| title21 = Amphibian
| note21 = Film Mix, written by Björk
| length21 = 4:37
}}

== Release ==
=== Theatrical release and box office ===
''Being John Malkovich'' was given [[limited release]] in the United States theatres on October 22, 1999, and opened across 25 screens. On its opening weekend, the film grossed US$637,731 across 25 screens with a per-screen average of $25,495.<ref name="BO1">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/b-o-full-house-1117757571/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=B.O. full ''House'' |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=October 31, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> It expanded to another 150 screens the following week,<ref name="BO1" /> bringing in $1.9 million with a per-screen average of $10,857.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/auds-bone-up-1117757810/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Auds ''Bone'' up |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=November 7, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=December 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205061016/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117757810.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In its third week, the film's release widened to 467 locations and grossed $2.4 million, averaging a lower $5,041 per screen with a cumulative gross of $6.1 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/poke-pockets-monster-b-o-1117758046/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=''Poke'' pockets monster B.O. |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=November 14, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> It moved into a [[wide release]] the next week, expanding to 591 screens, and grossed $1.9 million with a 20% drop in ticket sales.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/b-o-shaken-stirred-by-bond-1117758270/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=B.O. shaken, stirred by Bond |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=November 21, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=October 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018172701/http://variety.com/article/VR1117758270.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Its fifth week brought in $2.2 million with a 17% increase in ticket sales,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/greatest-story-ever-sold-1117758382/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Greatest ''Story'' ever sold |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=November 28, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> which dropped a further 33% the following week despite further expansion to 624 screens.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/toy-keeps-b-o-in-toon-1117758642/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=''Toy'' keeps B.O. in toon |first=Dade |last=Hayes |date=December 5, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> It finished its theatrical run after 26 weeks with a total gross of $22,863,596.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1834845697/ |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher=[[IMDb]] |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=March 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309013624/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1834845697/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]] was originally supposed to release this film outside the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bean, Place in 'Malkovich'|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Benedict|last=Carver|date=August 11, 1998|access-date=November 19, 2021|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/bean-place-in-malkovich-1117479351/}}</ref> However, as a result of [[Seagram]] acquiring PolyGram's assets, its film division was folded into a new entity named [[Universal Pictures|Universal Pictures International]], with all projects in different stages of development now transferred to that company.<ref>{{cite web|title=PolyGram now U Pictures Intl.|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Erich|last=Boehm|date=April 27, 1999|access-date=November 19, 2021|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/polygram-now-u-pictures-intl-1117493669/}}</ref> The film opened in the United Kingdom in March 2000, earning £296,282 in its debut week<ref>{{cite news |title=Film: Box Office |work=[[The Independent]] |date=March 26, 2000 |author1=Thompson, Jonathan |author2=Redvers, Louise }}</ref> and closing after fifteen weeks with a total gross of £1,098,927.<ref>{{cite news |title=Film: Box Office |work=[[The Independent]] |date=April 9, 2000 |author1=Thompson, Jonathan |author2=Redvers, Louise }}</ref> In France, the film opened in December 1999 with a gross of US$546,000 from 94 venues and went on to further success due to positive reviews and [[word of mouth]].<ref name="BO2">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/holiday-hit-parade-1117759947/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Holiday Hit Parade |first=Don |last=Groves |date=December 13, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/overseas-auds-bonding-1117760142/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Oversees auds Bonding |first=Don |last=Groves |date=December 19, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> It grossed $205,100 from 109 screens on its opening weekend in Italy and ticket sales dropped by 37% the following week with a cumulative gross of $480,000 from 82 screens.<ref name="BO2" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/toy-joy-bond-blast-1117758661/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=''Toy'' joy, Bond blast |first=Mark |last=Woods |date=December 6, 1999 |access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> Its German release brought in a total of $243,071.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=beingjohnmalkovich.htm |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) – Foreign Box Office |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026060039/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=beingjohnmalkovich.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Being John Malkovich'' had a total foreign gross of $9,523,455, combined with its domestic gross to give an international total of over $32 million.<ref name="The-Numbers">{{cite news |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1999/BEING.php |work=The-Numbers.com |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=September 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918123428/http://the-numbers.com/movies/1999/BEING.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Home media ===
''Being John Malkovich'' was initially released in 2000 on [[VHS]], both as a regular edition and a limited edition collector's set,<ref>{{cite book |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (VHS) |asin=630580706X }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Being-John-Malkovich-Limited-Collectors/dp/B00004Z4TT |work=[[Amazon.com]] |title=''Being John Malkovich'' Limited Edition Collector's Set (VHS) (1999) |date=October 2, 2001 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=June 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618082946/http://www.amazon.com/Being-John-Malkovich-Limited-Collectors/dp/B00004Z4TT |url-status=live }}</ref> and on [[DVD]], with special features including a theatrical trailer, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, the director's photo album and featurettes on floor 7½ and puppeteering.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,64702,00.html |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |title=''Being John Malkovich'' |first=David |last=Hochman |date=January 25, 2001 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020031346/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,64702,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A special edition DVD, released later the same year, included the aforementioned features, an interview with Jonze and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews/beingjohnmalkovich.html |work=The Digital Bits |title=''Being John Malkovich'' |first=Bill |last=Hunt |date=May 8, 2000 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107151923/http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews/beingjohnmalkovich.html |archive-date=November 7, 2011 }}</ref> It was released on [[HD DVD]] in 2008. [[The Criterion Collection]] released a special edition of the film on [[Blu-ray]] and DVD in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/28055-being-john-malkovich|title=Being John Malkovich|website=The Criterion Collection|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=August 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831080833/https://www.criterion.com/films/28055-being-john-malkovich|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==

=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 136 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smart, funny, and highly original, ''Being John Malkovich'' supports its wild premise with skillful direction and a stellar ensemble cast."<ref>{{cite web |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/being_john_malkovich |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-date=July 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730023053/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/being_john_malkovich |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100 based on 36 critics reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |title=''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/being-john-malkovich |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Flixster]] |access-date=January 14, 2016 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013943/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/being-john-malkovich |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] awarded the film a full four stars, writing: "What an endlessly inventive movie this is! Charlie Kaufman, the writer of ''Being John Malkovich'', supplies a dazzling stream of inventions, twists, and wicked paradoxes. And the director, Spike Jonze, doesn't pounce on each one like fresh prey, but unveils it slyly, as if there's more where that came from... The movie has ideas enough for half a dozen films, but Jonze and his cast handle them so surely that we never feel hard-pressed; we're enchanted by one development after the next". He concluded: "Every once in a long, long while a movie comes along that is unlike any other. A movie that creates a new world for us and uses it to produce wonderful things. ''[[Forrest Gump]]'' was a movie like that, and so in different ways were [[M*A*S*H (film)|''M*A*S*H'']], ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'', ''[[After Hours (film)|After Hours]]'', ''[[Babe (film)|Babe]]'' and ''[[There's Something About Mary]]''. What do such films have in common? Nothing. That's the point. Each one stakes out a completely new place and colonizes it with limitless imagination. Either ''Being John Malkovich'' gets nominated for best picture, or the members of the Academy need portals into their brains."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/being-john-malkovich-1999|title=''Being John Malkovich'' Review|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=October 29, 1999|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=[[Roger Ebert|RogerEbert.com]]|access-date=April 16, 2024|archive-date=July 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728024419/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/being-john-malkovich-1999|url-status=live}}</ref> He later named it the best film of 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Best 10 Movies of 1999 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-best-10-movies-of-1999 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |publisher=[[Roger Ebert|RogerEbert.com]] |date=December 31, 1999 |access-date=January 25, 2012 |archive-date=November 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105172941/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19991231%2FCOMMENTARY%2F40308007%2F1023 |url-status=live }}</ref> Peter Rainer, writing for ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'', commented that "dazzlingly singular movies aren't often this much fun"<ref>{{cite web |last=Rainer |first=Peter |title=Get Outta My Face |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/1362 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |access-date=December 16, 2013 |date=November 8, 1999 |archive-date=December 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216012849/http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/1362/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Owen Gleiberman]], writing for ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', called it "the most excitingly original movie of the year."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |title=''Being John Malkovich'' Review |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,271590,00.html |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=December 17, 2010 |date=November 12, 1999 |archive-date=April 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425220419/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,271590,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Accolades ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Award
!Award category
!Recipients
!Result
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[72nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|[[Spike Jonze]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
|[[Catherine Keener]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
|[[Charlie Kaufman]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[American Comedy Awards#2000 Awards|American Comedy Awards]]
|Funniest Motion Picture
|''Being John Malkovich''
|{{Nom}}
|-
|Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
|[[John Malkovich]]
|{{Won}}
|-
|Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
|[[Cameron Diaz]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[53rd British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]]
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]]
|Cameron Diaz
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay - Original]]
|Charlie Kaufman
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
|[[Eric Zumbrunnen]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[25th César Awards|César Awards]]
|[[César Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
|Spike Jonze
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[GLAAD Media Award]]s
|[[GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release|Outstanding Film – Wide Release]]
|''Being John Malkovich''
|{{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[57th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]]
|''Being John Malkovich''
|{{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]
|Cameron Diaz
|{{Nom}}
|-
|Catherine Keener
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
|Charlie Kaufman
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Hugo Award]]s
|[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]]
|Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman
|{{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[15th Independent Spirit Awards|Independent Spirit Awards]]
|[[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature|Best First Feature - Over $500,000]]
|Spike Jonze, [[Michael Stipe]], [[Sandy Stern]], [[Steve Golin]], [[Vincent Landay]]
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay|Best First Screenplay]]
|Charlie Kaufman
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead|Best Male Lead]]
|[[John Cusack]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[2000 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Awards]]
|[[MTV Movie Award for Best New Filmmaker|Best New Filmmaker]]
|Spike Jonze
|{{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[26th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
|[[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Best Fantasy Film]]
|''Being John Malkovich''
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
|Charlie Kaufman
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|Catherine Keener
|{{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[6th Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role]]
|Cameron Diaz
|{{Nom}}
|-
|Catherine Keener
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
|[[Orson Bean]], John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, [[Mary Kay Place]], [[Charlie Sheen]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[2000 Teen Choice Awards|Teen Choice Awards]]
|Choice Movie Actress
|Cameron Diaz
|{{Nom}}
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Film|1990s}}
* ''[[Being Michael Madsen]]''
* ''[[The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent]]''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Notelist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0120601}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|being_john_malkovich}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{Mojo title|beingjohnmalkovich}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141108044843/http://badassdigest.com/2014/11/05/the-original-ending-of-being-john-malkovich The Original Ending Of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH]

{{Spike Jonze}}
{{Charlie Kaufman}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards
|list1 =
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Film of the Year}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}
{{Satellite Award Best Motion Picture}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film 1991–2010}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Being John Malkovich}}
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1999 independent films]]
[[Category:1999 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s fantasy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:American self-reflexive films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of actors]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:Films about mind control]]
[[Category:Films about actors]]
[[Category:Films directed by Spike Jonze]]
[[Category:Films produced by Steve Golin]]
[[Category:Films scored by Carter Burwell]]
[[Category:Films set in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in offices]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Charlie Kaufman]]
[[Category:Gramercy Pictures films]]
[[Category:Lesbian-related films]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related independent films]]
[[Category:Magical realism films]]
[[Category:Marionette films]]
[[Category:Metaphysical fiction films]]
[[Category:National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film winners]]
[[Category:Puppet films]]
[[Category:Satellite Award–winning films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]
[[Category:Surrealist films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:USA Films films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Michael Stipe]]
[[Category:Surreal comedy films]]