maxine was kind of repulisve - Being John Malkovich (1999) Discussion

[–] kugar469 11 years ago

I wholeheartedtly agree. It just felt weird and pathetic how Craig fell for her. Like "oh look at human being with a vagina. I think I love her" despite she clearly being unable to mantain a loving relationship before she did even speak.

And she isn't what I would call a sex dream either...

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[–] DruzeTito 11 years ago

Glad you brought this up. She has no rack, too skinny, and fairly aged woman. Not huge appeal to what she was made out in the movie but I did like her hair though.

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[–] PatriceLeGraisseux 11 years ago

Besides the physical part, I thought Maxime was an obnoxious woman and I kept thinking 'does she give a flying fck about anything'. I came to the conclusion that Maxime, although void I feelings and sympathy is a very compete and full character, incredibly powerful and above it all, I actually liked her a lot less at the end when she ends up giving in to Lottie. I thought he embodied a very human character.

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[–] Pyro-Maniac500 11 years ago

I agree completely. Physically she was ok, but what really made her ugly was her personality. Just a horrible person and a total bitch on so many levels. What really bugged me about this film was that she was the most self-centered, mean spirited person in the film and she still got a happy ending at the end.

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[–] TeaBunny 11 years ago

Yeah, what does he like about her??

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"Love means never having to say you're ugly." - the Abominable Dr. Phibes

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[–] kylopod 10 years ago

Oh, and I suppose the other characters in the film are fountains of virtue?

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[–] Can_a_bitch_get_a_donut 10 years ago

Nobody said that, but we're to believe both members of a married couple throw everything away for this amazing human being. The point of this discussion is... what's so great about her?

And in the end she gets a happy ending, despite being nearly or just as bad as Craig, who's made out to be the villain.

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Boopee doopee doop boop SEX

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[–] kylopod 10 years ago

And in the end she gets a happy ending, despite being nearly or just as bad as Craig, who's made out to be the villain.

Where did you get the idea that Craig is "made out to be the villain"? He's made out to be a selfish bastard, but so are all the rest of the characters. Indeed, I'd say he's slightly more sympathetic than the others--we have to sympathize with him at the beginning, when he's shown as a failed but talented and passionate artist, and he's the only character who expresses any doubts about the rightness of his actions. (Very brief doubts, but that's better than you can say about any of the other characters.)

The point of this discussion is... what's so great about her?

And I have to question the asumption behind that question: that nobody could ever be attracted to an unprincipled, manipulative b!tch.

but we're to believe both members of a married couple throw everything away for this amazing human being

So, in a movie about a device enabling people to enter John Malkovich's mind, the thing you find hardest to believe is the notion that there are people in the world willing to act in stupid, self-destructive ways to satisfy their base desires? Are you really serious?

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[–] Can_a_bitch_get_a_donut 10 years ago

hurr because something supernatural happens in the movie, you should have no trouble believing whatever insane human behavior this movie throws at you without question

Are you really serious?

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Boopee doopee doop boop SEX

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[–] L_Ron_HubbaHubba 10 years ago

They were drawn to her because of her flinty narcissistic personality. Her emotional unattainability made her sexually alluring to them. Plenty of people fall for selfish a-holes and sociopaths. Her looks are beside the point.

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[–] DracTarashV 10 years ago

Kind of? No, she was flat-out repulsive. Craig was right when he called her evil. Craig himself, though, he was a fool of course. But, was he a bad person? I don't think so. I mean, he locked his wife in a cage, but he was a desperate fool in love; say what you want, but he didn't deserve that ending. Maxine, on the other hand, was a cold-hearted narcissist and there was just nothing redeeming about her whatsoever.... So she kept the baby because her lesbian lover was in Malkovich when she got pregnant? Please.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

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[–] bonniehudson 8 years ago

I find Maxine a little more complicated and sympathetic than other people seem to. She isn't actively trying to be a bitch, at the beginning of the film she gives Craig zero hints whatsoever that she's interested in him, but he keeps trying to woo her. I see her behaviour at the start as very straightforward and direct, but not bitchy. It's like cruel to be kind: "You're not someone I could get interested in Craig, you play with dolls" and she wants that to be the end of it, so he'll see it's hopeless and stop bothering her, but it doesn't work.

Admittedly she becomes extremely manipulative in the middle of the movie, and there's no excuse for that, but you can see she regrets it at the end. The line "I loved you too, in my way" is very telling for me.

As for why they were attracted to her, I think a lot of people are attracted to people who are completely different to them. Craig and his wife were shy, soft spoken and neurotic, while Maxine was very direct, forthright and confident. You tend to want to emulate people like Maxine when you have zero confidence.

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