Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich — a delicious pretzel of absurdism — stars Cusack as a frustrated puppeteer who happens upon a gateway into the titular star’s consciousness. Hosannas have justly been sung to screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, director Spike Jonze, and costar Catherine Keener. But most impressive is John Malkovich’s dead-on impersonation of the deadpan persona of John Malkovich. A master of cool insolence, menacing distance, and glorious hamminess, Malkovich here builds up a satirical version of his actorly self and then hilariously warps it according to the Borgesian demands of the brilliant script. It’s a role he was born to play.