MovieChat Forums > Being John Malkovich (1999) Discussion > Like the movie; hate the ending

Like the movie; hate the ending

posted 10 years ago by hoochiemoochie
5 replies | jump to latest

Everyone gets what they want except for John Malkovich and Craig!

First off, I don't understand how Lester and all those other people were able to control Malkovich and be conscious all at the same time.

Also, Craig is made out to be the villain. How was he any worse than Lotte or Maxine? Besides locking Lotte away in the cage he was no worse than those two witches who got everything they wanted while Craig got nothing that he wanted. It's like they were trying to make a point that Craig got what he deserved...what a load of bull.

Also, what about the complete innocent in the film? Malkovich? He is tossed back and forth and back and forth. He has his emotions played with and THEN he has his body snatched away from him forever!

All I can say is this...this movie is about a bunch of sick lunatics who are completely self-obsessed getting over on people who didn't deserve to be mistreated.

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Sir Ian McKellen? That dude must be knee-deep in boob.

[–] j-thyrhaug 10 years ago

Agreed.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

You said you liked the movie, but it doesn't sound that way from your post.

It's a really dark, absurdist type comedy and needs to be viewed that way.

All of the main characters are basically out for what they can get, not worrying too much about whose toes they tread on and whose body they might need to inhabit.

Craig starts off as a loser and kind of ends up that way, being stuck in a sort of Purgatory. By no means is he any sort of hero, being more than happy to anonymously find fame, fortune and Maxine, by controlling and inhabiting JM's body for 8 months. His addiction to body control through being a puppeteer finally seals his fate.

I liked the ending though granted there are others on these boards who didn't. I'm not sure how they wanted it to conclude. I certainly have no complaints or problems with the "two witches" ending up happy together with a lovely daughter, nor the old crew making that final escape into JM.🐭

[–] london777 8 years ago

this movie is about a bunch of sick lunatics who are completely self-obsessed getting over on people who didn't deserve to be mistreated.
This is a black comedy, a twisted rom-com, and a science-fiction or supernatural fantasy. But from your description it sounds like social satire as well. Is that not the definition of consumer capitalism? A tiny minority of obsessively greedy and materialistic people who "get inside our heads" by brainwashing us with advertising and slanted media, so that we relentlessly buy stuff we do not need, endorse murdering millions of innocent people in other countries, destroy our own bodies with drugs and junk-food, are so dependent on our cars that we carpet the landscape with concrete and tarmac and fill the air with noxious fumes, etc, etc.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] anikkane 8 years ago

I really liked the first parts, with everything and everybody being so weird around Graig. It had a very eerie atmosphere, like something was badly wrong, but not knowing exactly what.

But I think the movie started going downhill in the second half, once the 'sane' people started acting all crazy too.