To: George Papadopoulos who wrote (1241 ) 11/12/1999 1:01:00 PM From: Neocon Read Replies (1) | Respond to
I am now getting around to mentioning the movies I saw in the last couple of weekends. First, "Being John Malkovitch" is a surreal adventure raising a number of somewhat poorly elucidated themes. First, the lure of celebrity, and the desire to experience what it is like to be someone famous even when such experience amounts to little. Second, infantile fantasies of control frustrated by the recalcitrance of the actual, and the violence that might well up when the frustration becomes acute. Third, the allure of the admiring gaze, and the desperation to feel that validation.There are a few other things, but this covers the main thrust. The question is, does the film, which is amusing, well- executed, and off- beat, do enough with these themes to make it more than a playful muddle, with the drama overwhelmed by the central conceit, or is there an underlying coherence and substance? On balance, I would say that it is a substantial film, but dangerously close to muddle.....
