Being John Malkovich
1999 · 113 min · Director: Spike Jonze, Spike Jonze
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Puppeteer Craig Schwartz and animal lover and pet store clerk Lotte Schwartz are just going through the motions of their marriage. Despite not being able to earn a living solely through puppeteering, Craig loves his profession as it allows him to inhabit the skin of others. He begins to take the ability to inhabit the skin of others to the next level when he is forced to take a job as a file clerk for the off-kilter LesterCorp, located on the five-foot tall 7½ floor of a Manhattan office building. Behind one of the filing cabinets in his work area, Craig finds a hidden door which he learns is a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, the visit through the portal which lasts fifteen minutes after which the person is spit into a ditch next to the New Jersey Turnpike. Craig is fascinated by the meaning of life associated with this finding. Lotte's trips through the portal make her evaluate her own self. And the confident Maxine Lund, one of Craig's co-workers who he tells about the portal if only because he is attracted to her, thinks that it is a money making opportunity in selling trips into Malkovich's mind after office hours for $200 a visit. Craig, Lotte and Maxine begin to understand that anyone entering the portal has the ability to control Malkovich's mind, which also alters his entire being. This experience makes Maxine fall in love with a composite. This ability to control Malkovich's mind begs the question of the ultimate psychedelic trip for Malkovich himself, who begins to feel that something is not right in the world as he knows it.
Emotional fingerprint
Being John Malkovich (1999) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Confusion 28%, Humor 25%, Disturbing 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Confusion28%
- Humor25%
- Disturbing20%
- Anxiety15%
- Surprise12%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Confusion, Humor, Disturbing. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Confusion, Humor and Disturbing. Its IMDb rating of 7.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 73/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Curiosity
- Disturbing
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Curiosity | Disturbing | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 42 % | 28 % | 12 % | 13 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Humor | 46 % | 34 % | 16 % | 16 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Humor | 50 % | 34 % | 20 % | 18 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Humor | 49 % | 33 % | 20 % | 20 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Curiosity | 53 % | 48 % | 23 % | 23 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 31′ | Curiosity | 61 % | 65 % | 26 % | 24 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Curiosity | 61 % | 66 % | 26 % | 28 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Curiosity | 53 % | 55 % | 24 % | 30 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Humor | 45 % | 43 % | 23 % | 29 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 54′ | Humor | 49 % | 36 % | 29 % | 35 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Tension | 63 % | 37 % | 48 % | 53 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Disturbing | 70 % | 45 % | 64 % | 63 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Disturbing | 70 % | 46 % | 65 % | 63 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 76′ | Tension | 71 % | 45 % | 65 % | 61 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Disturbing | 69 % | 49 % | 66 % | 53 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Disturbing | 63 % | 41 % | 60 % | 48 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Tension | 68 % | 32 % | 60 % | 63 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 99′ | Tension | 78 % | 35 % | 69 % | 76 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 105′ | Disturbing | 78 % | 38 % | 72 % | 75 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 110′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Being John Malkovich. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Captain Mertin
Don
Tiny Woman
Father at Puppet Show
Daughter at Puppet Show
Details
- Directed by
- Spike Jonze, Spike Jonze
- Written by
- Charlie Kaufman
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1999
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Confusion
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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