Director
Spike Jonze
Leading Actors/Actresses
John Cusack and Cameron Diaz
Supporting Actors/Actresses
John Malkovich and Catherine Keener
Genre
Fantasy-Comedy
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Keener
Date of Release
October 29, 1999
Producer
ichael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Steve Golin, and Vincent Landay
Setting and Context
New York City
Narrator and Point of View
Through the point of view of narrator Craig Schwartz
Tone and Mood
Comical, Whimsical, Smart, Serious, and Interesting
Protagonist and Antagonist
Craig vs. Himself
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the film is over Maxine and what she means to both Lotte and Craig.
Climax
Malkovich calls Lester and begs him to spare Maxine. With that, Craig exits Malkovich's body.
Foreshadowing
Craig performs "Craig's Dance of Despair" with a puppet at the opening, then, after entering Malkovich's body (as a puppeteer of sorts) he performs the same thing using John Malkovich's body.
Maxine asks Craig, "Are you a fag?" By the end of the movie, she's in a lesbian relationship
Understatement
The whole movie is a brilliant use of understatement. However, the existence and usage of the portal is one of the biggest examples of understatement in the entire film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Although not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques, the film - particularly the shots of the portal and Craig inside of Malkovich, controlling him - is exceptionally well shot.
Allusions
Allusions to Malkovich's career, films, puppetry, references to various pop culture items, and pop culture icons.
Paradox
Maxine asks Craig, "Are you a fag?" But by the end of the movie, she's in a lesbian relationship
Parallelism
No significant examples of parallelism.
