Being John Malkovich (1999) Movie Script
Craig, honey, it's time for bed.
Craig, honey, time to get up.
Craig, honey, time to get up.
I'm sorry. I didn't know Orrin Hatch
was out of his cage.
- Come here. Morning, sweetheart.
- Morning.
What are you gonna do today, honey?
Working in the workshop.
I was thinking, maybe you'd feel better
if you got a job.
We've been over this.
Nobody's looking for a puppeteer
in today's wintry economic climate.
I know, honey, but I thought, you know...
...maybe something else
until this puppet thing turns around.
Derek Mantini doesn't need a day job.
Not everybody can be Derek Mantini.
I gotta get to the shop. We have
a shipment of kitty litter coming in.
Will you do me a favor?
Will you take a look at Elijah today?
- He's not feeling very good again.
- Which one is Elijah again?
- The chimp, honey.
- Yeah, okay.
On the lighter side of the news
in Westchester County today...
... puppeteer Derek Mantini
thrilled onlookers as he performed...
...The Belle of Amherst
with a 60-foot Emily Dickinson puppet.
"How dreary to be somebody!"
"How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day"
Gimmicky bastard.
You don't know how lucky you are,
being a monkey.
Because consciousness...
...is a terrible curse.
I think, I feel, I suffer.
And all I ask in return
is the opportunity to do my work.
And they won't allow it...
...because I raise issues.
While we enjoyed the pleasures
of an uneasy love...
... and abandoned ourselves to fornication...
... we were spared God's severity.
Say no more, I beg you,
and cease from complaints like these...
... which are so far-removed
from the true depths of love.
Look, a puppet show!
Okay, honey, just for a minute.
Mommy's waiting.
Even during the celebration of Mass
when our prayers should be pure...
... lewd visions of these pleasures
take such a hold upon my unhappy soul...
... that my thoughts are
on their very wantonness...
... instead of my prayers.
Sometimes my thoughts are betrayed...
... by the movement of my body.
I took my fill
of my wretched pleasures in you...
... and this was the sum total of my love.
You motherfucker!
Oh, Craig!
Honey, not again!
Why do you do this to yourself, honey?
I'm a puppeteer.
Seven and a half, right?
- Yeah.
- I'll take you through it.
Seven and a half.
Thank you.
Welcome to Lestercorp.
How may we meet your filing needs?
No. My name's Craig Schwartz.
I have an interview with Dr. Lester.
- Please have a seat, Mr. Juarez.
- Schwartz.
- Pardon?
- Schwartz.
I'm sorry, I have no idea
what you're saying to me right now.
- My name is Schwartz.
- "My name is Warts."
Mr. Juarez?
Yes?
- Chest?
- I said, "Yes".
You suggest what?
I'm sorry. I have no time for piddling
suggestions from mumbling job applicants.
Besides, Dr. Lester will see you now.
Come in, Mr. Juarez.
My name is Craig Schwartz, Dr. Lester.
Security!
No, sir, it's just a little mix-up
with your secretary.
My name is Craig Schwartz.
I tried to explain that to her.
She's not my secretary.
She's what they call an executive liaison.
And I am not banging her,
if that's what you're implying.
No, sir, not at all.
I think I must have simply misspoke.
Well, now, tell me, Dr. Schwartz...
...what do you feel
you can bring to Lestercorp?
Well, sir, I'm an excellent filer.
Are you? All right. Let's see about that.
Which of these two letters comes first?
This one or this one?
The symbol on the left is not a letter, sir.
Damn, you're good.
- I was trying to trick you.
- I see.
- Well then, put these in order.
- Yes, sir.
Floris, get Guinness on the phone.
Yes, sir. Genghis Khan Capone. Fine.
Damn fine woman, Floris.
I don't know how she puts up
with this speech impediment of mine.
You don't have a speech impediment,
Dr. Lester.
Flattery will get you everywhere, my boy.
I'm afraid I have to trust Floris on that one.
You see, she's got her doctorate...
...in Speech Impedimentology
from Case Western.
I apologize if you can't understand
a word I'm saying.
No, I understand perfectly.
It's very kind of you to lie.
You see, I've been very Ionely...
...in my isolated tower
of indecipherable speech.
You got the job.
- Any questions?
- Well, just one.
Why are these ceilings so low?
Low overhead, my boy!
We pass the savings on to you.
But seriously, that'll all be covered
in orientation.
Welcome to the 7 1/2 floor
of the Mertin-Flemmer building.
As you'll now be spending
your workday here...
... it's important that you learn a bit
about the history of this famous floor.
- Hello, Don.
- Hello, Wendy.
Don, I was wondering, do you know why...
... our workplace has such low ceilings?
It's an interesting story.
Many years ago in the late 1800s...
... James Mertin, an Irish ship captain,
came to this town...
... and decided to erect an office building.
He called this building the Mertin-Flemmer
building after himself and...
... someone else, who local legend
has it was named Flemmer.
Well, one day, old Captain Mertin received
an unexpected visitor.
- Captain Mertin?
- Aye. What want ye, girl child?
I'm not a child, but rather an adult lady
of miniature proportions.
I see. Well, if it's charity you're after...
... be gone with ye, you foul demon!
I'm not asking for alms, Captain...
... but, rather, the ear of a kind man
with a noble heart.
Well, speak then, if you must.
Captain Mertin, I'm afraid that the world
was not built with me in mind.
Doorknobs are too high,
chairs are unwieldy...
... and high-ceilinged rooms
mock my stature.
Why cannot there be a place for me
to work that's safe and comfortable?
Thy story has moved me like no other.
Therefore, I shall make ye me wife.
And I shall build a floor for ye...
... between the seventh and the eighth
in me own building...
... so at least there'll be one place
on God's green earth...
... where ye and your accursed kind
can live in peace.
So that's the story of 7 1/2.
Since the rents are considerably lower,
this floor has been adopted...
... by businesses which have been forced
to cut corners.
After all, the overhead is low.
Moving story, huh?
Unfortunately, the story's bullshit.
Listen, I'm Craig Schwartz.
I'm just starting out at Lestercorp.
Where are you starting out?
Shut up! Shut up!
- Shut up! Shut up!
- Hey, shut up!
- Shut up!
- I'm sorry, honey.
Sorry, honey.
Sorry, honey.
- Shut up!
- Sorry!
- Help! She's locking me in a cage.
- Isn't that cute?
- I just taught him that today.
- Yeah, that's adorable.
- You want to do some dishes for me?
- Put that down.
Here, Elijah. Here you go.
You know, I have an appointment
tomorrow with Elijah's shrink.
I think we're finally getting down
to the bottom...
...of this acid stomach, aren't we?
Come here.
Get down from the...
She thinks that it's some sort
of childhood trauma.
Feelings of inadequacy as a chimp,
you know?
Careful. Isn't that interesting?
I find it really interesting.
So, honey, have you thought any more
about us having a baby?
I think it's just so tough right now,
economically and all...
...that I think maybe we should just wait
and see if this job thing pays off.
You know?
I was thinking about what you said
the other day...
...about the orientation film being bullshit.
- Yes?
I think maybe you're on to something.
- And 50 other lines to get in a girl's pants.
- No, no!
No, I was just talking about the film.
Here's the thing.
If you ever got me, you wouldn't
have a clue what to do with me.
I wasn't. I was talking about the film.
What magic those fingers could work
on the right cabinet.
Maybe you could alphabetize me.
And don't forget...
..."I" comes before "U".
Floris, I think you're very nice...
...but the truth is that I'm in love
with someone else.
I'm afraid I have no idea
what you're saying to me.
- You bastard.
- What?
- Don't toy with Floris, Schwartz.
- No.
If I was 80 years younger, I'd box your ears.
I wasn't toying with her, sir. I wouldn't...
- Pardon me. How old are you, sir?
- 105.
Carrot juice, and lots of it.
I swear, sometimes it's not worth it.
I piss orange.
And I have to piss sitting down...
...like a goddamn girly-girl,
every 15 minutes.
But nobody wants to die.
To be a young man again.
Maybe then Floris would care for me.
The elderly have so much to offer.
They're our link with history.
I don't wanna be your goddamn link,
damn ya.
I want to feel Floris's naked thighs
next to mine.
I want my body to inspire lust...
...in that beautiful, complex woman.
I want her to shiver
with a spasm of ecstasy...
...as I penetrate her wet...
Dr. Lester, while I'm flattered
you would share your feelings with me...
...the workplace isn't the most suitable
environment for this type of discussion.
You're right. I'll tell you what.
Meet me after work today
at Jerry's Juiceteria on Lex...
...and I'll spill my goddamn guts for ya.
No, I won't be late, Lotte.
I just have to, you know...
...listen to Lester's sexual fantasies
and drink carrot juice for a while.
It's a job thing, really.
So, I'll talk to you later, okay?
Yeah. You, too.
Gotta go back to work. Okay, bye.
Hi. Do you know that I don't even know
your name or where you work?
Yeah.
How about this?
If I can guess your name in three tries,
you have to have a drink with me tonight.
Why not?
Okay.
You look like a...
...Bar...
...Ru...
...Bell...
...Carol...
...Ta, Cher...
...Susan...
...Emily...
...Marlar...
...Maxine. Maxine?
Yeah! Who told you?
Nobody told me.
That just came out. Isn't that odd?
So where do you live and stuff?
I am dubious...
...but I don't welsh.
Okay, meet me at The Stuck Pig, 7:00.
If you're late, I walk.
Nubile. Blonde.
Wet with desire. Me in leather.
A harness, if you like.
And all eyes, Craig,
are upon me as I speak.
"Ladies", I begin.
"I am the love god Eros." They like that.
"I intoxicate you."
"My spunk is, to you, manna from heaven."
Dr. Lester, this is all really fascinating
and stuff...
...but I gotta get back home to my wife.
- You have a wife. I'd like to meet her.
- Yes, sir.
Shall we say dinner Thursday?
You can come, too, if you like.
Get that? That was a joke.
You hear what I said? You can come, too.
That was a good one.
- All right. Thank you.
- Yeah.
Maxine.
- I made it, Maxine.
- Just.
Buy you a drink, Maxine?
Are you married?
- Yeah. But enough about me.
- Yeah.
- What'll you have?
- I'll have more of the same, please, Barry.
And I'll have a light beer, or something.
So...
I don't know, I like you.
- I don't know what it is about you. I just...
- My tits?
- No!
- No?
It's your energy,
the way you carry yourself.
You're not a fag, are you?
No. I am really attracted to you.
"I am really attracted to you."
You are a fag.
Well, we can share recipes, Darlene.
- Wait! I love your tits. I wanna fuck 'em.
- Now we're gettin' somewhere.
Not a chance.
So tell me about yourself.
If you can get your mind
out of the gutter long enough, dog boy.
Well, I'm a puppeteer.
- I've been...
- Check.
I'm sorry I'm so late.
Lester just wouldn't let me get away.
Hi, Elijah. We're supposed to have dinner
with him on Thursday...
...but I can get us out of it, if you want.
It's amazing. He's like this insane old lech,
and it's kind of amusing...
...once you get past
how disgusting it actually is.
- Did you eat?
- No. I'm not hungry.
I'm sorry I didn't call.
It was just hard to get away.
- I was worried.
- I'm sorry.
You know...
...you wanted me to work.
How was your evening?
Tom-Tom's puncture wound is infected.
- The ferret?
- The iguana.
So I just dressed the wound...
...and I've just been feeding everyone
and putting everybody to bed.
- You want a beer?
- No. I think I'm going to go to bed.
Elijah's gonna sleep with us tonight.
- I don't think he's feeling very well.
- Okay.
You know what? I'm gonna go
in my workshop for a little while.
- But I'll be in in a little while.
- Okay.
Tell me, why do you love puppeteering?
Well, Maxine, I'm not sure exactly.
Perhaps it's the idea of becoming
someone else for a little while.
Being inside another skin...
...thinking differently, moving differently...
...feeling differently.
Interesting, Craig.
Would you like to be inside my skin...
...think what I think, feel what I feel?
More than anything, Maxine.
It's good in here, Craig.
It's better than your wildest dreams.
You're not somebody
I could get interested in.
You play with dolls.
Puppets, Maxine.
It's the idea of being inside
someone else's skin...
...and seeing what they see
and feeling what they feel.
Yikes!
It's just that, well...
Please, let me explain.
I've never done this before, but...
...I feel something for you,
and I've never felt this way before...
...you know, about anybody,
not even my wife.
And I just...
I really feel that you and I belong together.
Shit.
What's the file number?
You know what?
The puppeteer told me he loved me today.
I know. I can't think
of anything more pathetic.
I'm sorry.
Afternoon, sir.
The Broadhurst Theatre, please.
Say, ain't you that actor guy?
Yes.
John, what is, John...
Don't tell me. Maplethorpe?
- Malkovich.
- Malkovich. Right.
Yeah. I thought you were all right
in that one movie.
Thank you.
The one where you played a jewel thief.
- I never played a jewel thief.
- No?
- Who am I thinkin' of?
- I don't know.
No, no, I'm pretty sure it was you.
Yeah. Absolutely, doll.
I'm just about to close up.
Wanna meet at The Pig in 20 minutes?
Cool. Bye.
I'm splittin' for the day, puppet man.
Lock up for me, okay?
Don't you wanna know
what happened to me?
No.
- Please, this is important.
- Better be.
It is.
There's a tiny door in my office, Maxine.
It's a portal, and it takes you
inside John Malkovich.
You see the world
through John Malkovich's eyes...
...and then after 15 minutes,
you're spit out...
...into a ditch on the side
of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Sounds great!
Who the fuck is John Malkovich?
He's an actor. He's one of the great
American actors of the 20th century.
Oh, yeah? What's he been in?
Lots of things. That jewel thief movie.
He's very well-respected.
Anyway, the point is...
...this is a very odd thing.
It's supernatural, for lack of a better word.
I mean, it raises all sorts
of philosophical-type questions...
...about the nature of self,
about the existence of a soul.
You know, am I me?
Is Malkovich Malkovich?
I had a piece of wood in my hand, Maxine.
I don't have it any more. Where is it?
Did it disappear? How could that be?
Is it still in Malkovich's head?
I don't know!
Do you see what a metaphysical
can of worms this portal is?
I don't see how I could go on living my life
the way I've lived it before.
Yeah?
So I've been thinking,
is this Malkovich fellow appealing?
Maxine! Yes, of course, Maxine.
He's a celebrity.
Good. We'll sell tickets.
- Tickets to Malkovich?
- Exactly.
$200 a pop.
But, Maxine, there's something,
I don't know, like, profound here.
I don't know if we should exploit it.
You think?
I need you for this, Craigy.
You're my man on the inside.
You need me? I'm your man?
Sure, whatever.
Hey everybody, I'm home.
- Treats for everyone.
- Maxine?
- Yeah?
- We don't know the significance of this.
It might be dangerous to toy with?
I'll protect you, doll face.
Bye-bye.
Who was that?
I'm going to be working a lot of late nights
with this partner...
...'cause Lestercorp's open during the day,
so I'll be working a lot of nights.
It's a good thing. It'll get us
out of the hole financially...
...'cause we're gonna turn it
into a business.
But I don't understand.
There's no such thing as a hole,
or a portal into somebody's brain.
Yes, there is. A brain or soul or whatever.
I was inside John Malkovich lookin' out.
- Really?
- Yep.
- I wanna try it then.
- Pardon?
I want to be John Malkovich tomorrow.
That'd be perfect,
'cause then I can meet your partner.
The thing is, Lestercorp's open during
the day, so we can't go during the day.
But if you want to, we can do it right now.
- Now? Right now?
- Tonight, on the way to Lester's.
I'll meet you on the side of the road
by the New Jersey Turnpike.
I'm scared.
You don't have to do this, you know.
No.
No, I wanna go.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
It's wet.
Weird.
That's nice.
God, I feel sexy.
Lotte, are you all right?
Craig, I gotta go back!
- No!
- Maybe tomorrow.
- No! I gotta go back now!
- We'll talk about it later.
Being inside did something to me.
I knew who I was.
It's like everything made sense.
I knew who I was.
But you weren't you.
You were John Malkovich.
God, I was. I was, wasn't I?
I was John Malkovich.
I was John fucking Malkovich!
- Take me back, Craig.
- We're late for Lester.
So tell me, Lotte,
can you understand a word I'm saying?
Oh, yes, Dr. Lester. Absolutely.
You were just explaining
the nutritional value...
...of ingesting minerals through a colloidal
form which I couldn't agree more with.
Be still, my heart.
Dr. Lester, would you point me
in the direction of the restroom?
With the greatest pleasure, my dear.
You go up the grand "escalier"...
...and once atop the stairs you'll want
to enter the fifth door on my left.
- Watch the step down. It's sunken.
- Okay. Thank you.
What do you think Lester's relationship
with John Malkovich is?
That portal's been boarded up forever.
I bet Lester's not even aware of it, him,
the portal. Why?
No reason. I was just thinking.
Do you think that it's kind of weird
that John Malkovich has a portal?
Do you think it might have some sort
of significance, for example?
I don't know. Why do you think that?
I don't even care.
I think it's kind of sexy
that John Malkovich has a portal.
Sort of like he's a vagina.
It's sort of vaginal, like he has a...
...he has a penis and a vagina.
It's sort of like...
...Malkovich's feminine side.
I like that.
"Visit J.M. Inc., Mertin-Flemmer Building...
...nightly from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m."
Sounds good. Oblique, but intriguing.
Phone it in.
- Want me to phone it in?
- No.
- Lotte!
- Hi.
- I heard your voice.
- What are you doing here?
Is this your partner? She's pretty.
I had to do the Malkovich ride again,
you know? Is this her?
- Hi. You're Craig's wife?
- Yeah. Hi.
Lotte, Maxine. Maxine, Lotte.
- Have you done Malkovich yet?
- Hi. Yeah, I want to place an ad.
Okay. "Ever want to be someone else?"
No, that's the ad, but we can talk
about you in a minute.
"Ever want to be someone else?"
"Now you can. Visit J.M. Inc."
"Inc. Mertin."
"M-E-R-T-I-N. Flemmer."
You should really be at work.
I've been going over and over
my experience last night, Craig.
It was amazing.
I've decided...
...that I'm a transsexual.
- I know it's the craziest thing, Craig!
- Are you fuckin' nuts?
No. It's just that for the first time,
everything just felt right.
I've got to make sure.
But if the feeling is still there...
...I'm going to talk to Dr. Feldman
about sexual reassignment surgery.
This is absurd!
Besides, Feldman is an allergist.
If you're going to do something, do it right.
You get these half-assed ideas
and do a half-assed job.
Just drop it.
It's just that I really like Dr. Feldman.
All right?
So I thought
that I would ask him his opinion.
Is there something so terrible about that?
- Why do you always yell at me like this?
- Sweetie, I'm sorry.
It's just a phase. It's the thrill of seeing
through somebody else's eyes.
Okay? It'll pass.
Don't stand in the way
of my actualization as a man.
Let her go, Craig.
- Okay.
- I mean him.
Right now?
It's the middle of the day.
How will I get her past Lester?
- Yawn. Figure it out.
- Okay.
Let's go. Come on.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Davey, it's Max.
Listen, can you get me
John Malkovich's home phone?
"But what I had been through."
"I am hungry as the winter."
"I am sick, anxious, poor as a beggar."
"Fate has tossed me hither and thither."
"I have been everywhere. Everywhere."
- "So strong."
- "But wherever I have been..."
- "...every minute, day and night..."
- I want that voice.
- "...my soul has been full..."
- "My soul has been full..."
- "...of mysterious anticipation."
- "I feel the approach of happiness."
"Anya, I see it coming."
- Yeah?
- Mr. John Malkovich?
- Yeah. Who's calling?
- Oh, my goodness!
You don't know me, but I know you.
I'm a great admirer of yours.
How did you get this number?
It's just that...
... I dream about you.
And well, even speaking to you now
has gotten me sort of excited, you know?
The way this woman's talking to him.
Listen, I really don't find this amusing.
Don't call here anymore, okay?
My nipples are at attention,
General Malkovich, sir.
What, her nipples?
So why don't we have dinner tonight?
Bernardo's? 8:00?
I really want to see you.
I just loved you in that jewel thief movie.
You're not gonna meet her there?
Come on!
Meet her. Meet here there.
- Meet her there!
- "...as the winter."
"I am sick, anxious, poor as a beggar."
- Meet her there!
- "Fate has tossed me hither and thither."
"I have been everywhere. Everywhere."
"But wherever I have been,
every minute, day and night..."
Meet her there. Meet her there.
Yes!
- How was it?
- I have to go back at 8:00 exactly tonight.
- Why?
- Don't crowd me, Craig.
- Excuse me. Are you John Malkovich?
- Yes, I am.
Wow. You really are great in that movie
where you play that retard.
Thank you very much.
- I have a cousin who's a retard.
- Thank you.
So, as you might imagine,
it means a lot to me...
...to see retards...
...portrayed on the silver screen
so compassionately.
Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Good night.
- Maxine? It's Maxine.
- Hi.
I'm so glad you decided to come.
I'm Maxine.
I'm John. How do you do?
Good.
I wasn't sure I was going to come,
but I felt oddly compelled.
You're so beautiful.
The way you're looking at me,
I mean, at him, at us.
I've never been looked at like this
by a woman before.
I think I'm sweating.
I must say, I was intrigued by your voice.
And the funny thing is, Mr. Malkovich...
...my voice is probably
the least intriguing thing about me.
So, I mean, how was it?
What was he doing?
He wasn't doing anything, really.
He was just hanging around his apartment.
I think he's probably
just a really Ionely guy.
See, men can feel unfulfilled too, Lotte.
I'm glad you're finally realizing that.
You shouldn't assume
that switching bodies...
...is gonna be the answer to your problems.
You're right, Craig. You're right.
You know what I was thinking?
I was thinking that maybe...
...we should invite Maxine
over for dinner one night...
...because you're partners and
I thought it might be a really nice gesture.
- I think she'd like that.
- Maxine?
The thing is, there's been some tension
between us at work...
...business stuff,
and I would hate to expose you to that.
It'll be okay.
I'll cook my lasagna,
we'll smoke a joint, and...
...tensions will just melt away.
Now, when you say that I can be
somebody else, what do you mean exactly?
Well, we mean exactly that.
We can put you inside someone else's body
for 15 minutes.
Can I be anybody that I wanna be?
- Actually...
- You can be John Malkovich.
That's perfect!
It's my second choice, but it's wonderful.
I'm a fat man. I am sad and fat...
$200?
Yes.
Okay. You gotta crawl in there.
Oh, my God.
No, that's what I'm saying.
See, I don't really need an extra bath mat.
So if I get the set, would it be possible...
...if I could just get maybe three...
...extra hand towels...
...if I get the set, instead of the bath mat?
- Yes, sir. Sure, we can do that.
- Great. That sounds good.
And for the color: Periwinkle?
I'm sorry. We're out of stock in periwinkle.
Do you want to back order?
No. I'll go with the Ioden.
Would you like to order anything else?
What is the difference between
the foot-pampering, looped cotton rug...
...and the bath mat?
You're my friends. Thank you.
Did you know that Eskimos have not one...
...but...
...forty-nine words for snow?
It's because they have so much of it.
So much snow.
After dinner, I'll show you my puppets.
After dinner, I'll introduce you
to my chimp Elijah.
He has an ulcer right now
due to suppressed childhood trauma...
...but we're working through it.
Psychotherapy.
- This the bedroom?
- Yeah.
The thing is, the way that I see it...
...I think the world is divided...
...into those who go after what they want
and then those who don't, right?
- Right.
- The passionate ones...
...the ones who go after what they want...
...well, they may not get what they want.
But at least they remain vital.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
So when they lie on their death beds,
they have few regrets.
Right?
And the ones who don't go after
what they want...
...well, who gives a shit
about them anyway?
- Lotte!
- Craig!
I don't find you attractive.
And, Lotte, I'm smitten with you.
I am. But only when you're in Malkovich.
When I looked into his eyes last night,
I could feel you peering out.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Behind the stubble and the too-prominent
brow and the male-pattern baldness...
...I sensed your feminine longing.
And it just slew me.
Oh, my God!
Only as John, sweetie. Sorry.
Thanks for a wonderful dinner.
No hard feelings, partner?
J.M. Inc.
Hi. It's Lotte.
I'd like very much to see you again.
Can you call him and invite yourself over?
When?
Tonight after you close?
Okay, 4:11.
- Thank you, Maxine.
- You're welcome.
Thanks so much for having me over,
sugarplum.
I'm glad you called.
Shall we to the "boudoir"?
A couple of minutes. I'm early.
So do you enjoy being an actor?
Sure. It's very rewarding.
- Hi.
- Hi.
My sweet Maxine.
- My darling.
- I love you, Lotte.
Did you call me Lotte?
Do you mind?
No, not really.
- Oh, God.
- My sweet, beautiful Lotte.
Maxine!
Yes, Maxine. Yes.
Maxine, this is so right.
- You were him, weren't you?
- Yeah.
And he was with her!
We love her, Craig.
- We?
- John and me.
Don't forget about me!
You have the Maxine action figure
to play with!
I'm sorry. That was nasty.
You are late, my little cowboy.
Are you torturing me on purpose?
- I've fallen in love.
- I don't think so.
You know why?
Because I've fallen in love!
This is what people
who've fallen in love look like.
You picked the unrequited variety.
It's very bad for the skin.
You're evil, Maxine.
Do you have any idea what it's like
to have two people look at you...
...with total lust and devotion...
...through the same pair of eyes?
No, I don't suppose you would.
It's quite a thrill, Craigy.
What are you doing?
- Oh, my God! Is that real? What is that?
- Yes!
I don't know how to use it very well,
so don't make any sudden moves!
I'm serious! I'm serious.
Suck my dick!
Shut up, okay? Just shut up.
- Craig!
- Tell her you need to see her.
J.M. Inc. Be all that someone else can be.
I need to see you.
Sweetie!
I had so much fun with you last night.
Shoot. But it's business hours.
Tell her, "What the hell,
close early, live dangerously."
Say it.
What the hell, you know?
Live dangerously. Close early.
Doll.
I love this new devil-may-care side of you.
All right. I'll track down lover-boy
and see both of you in one hour.
Exactamundo.
- What's the matter with you? Stop it!
- Sit up, okay? Just sit up. Just sit up.
Help! He's locking me in a cage!
Shut the hell up!
Shut up!
"Was ever woman in this humor wooed?"
"Was ever woman in this humor won?"
Tommy, can I take 15?
Good night, everybody.
See you back here at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Lotte, this is so good!
My God! This is amazing.
I want to touch her breast.
Touch her breast.
Move right hand across left breast now.
Move right hand across left breast now!
Move right hand across left breast now!
- Holy shit, yes!
- Holy shit, yes!
- Holy shit, he said what I said!
- Shit, he said what I said!
- Lotte? Is that you?
- Yes, yes, sweetheart.
Yes, sweetheart, yes.
What the fuck is going on?
That's not me! I didn't say that.
- Lotte.
- Maxine.
Something was making me talk.
Some goddamn thing
was making me move.
- I've gotta get out of here.
- Doll face!
It was just your passion for me taking hold.
No, doll face. I know what
my passion taking hold feels like.
Bye!
I did it!
I made him move his arm
across your girlfriend's glorious tit!
And I made him talk, sort of.
It's just a matter of practice
before Malkovich...
...is nothing more than another puppet
hanging next to my work table.
I'll tell you about it when I get home, okay?
All right?
Craig! I wanna...
No, man, I'm sorry...
...I'm sorry to have called you like that,
but I was just really scared.
I was so freaked out.
I mean, it was like, somebody was
just moving all the way through me...
...moving my arms, moving my hands,
talking for me.
I mean, literally,
I feel like I'm going crazy, Charlie.
I'm sure you're not going crazy.
You don't understand, man.
It was like nothing I've ever felt before.
- Were you stoned?
- Yes, I was...
Jesus.
Yes, I was stoned.
But that doesn't have
anything to do with it.
Charlie, someone was talking
through my mouth.
You were stoned.
Case closed. End of story.
- How hot is this babe?
- You know what?
Maybe it was this Lotte woman talking...
...because it could have been her
talking through me.
Because the weird thing is...
...this Maxine likes to call me Lotte.
Ouch. That is hot.
Maybe she's using you
to channel some dead, lesbian lover.
She's my kind of gal.
Tell me when you're done with her.
What are you talking about,
"done with her"? Tonight freaked me out.
You're nuts to let a girl go
that calls you Lotte.
I don't know anything about the girl.
She could be a fucking witch or something.
That's even better!
Hot, lesbian witches.
Think about it. It's fucking genius.
I gotta know the truth, Charlie.
The truth is for suckers, Johnny boy.
Thanks.
This way.
Excuse me. Exactly what type of service
does this company provide?
You get to be John Malkovich
for 15 minutes.
I see.
- No cutting, by the way.
- No cutting!
Come on! Break it up!
Break it up! Cut it out!
Everybody gets...
It's him. It's John Malkovich.
Sorry, Mr. Malkovich.
Hope we didn't hurt you too terribly.
Get inside!
- Darling!
- What the fuck is going on?
John Malkovich. Mr. Malkovich, sir.
- Mr. Malkovich, I think I can explain.
- Yeah, explain.
My name is Craig Schwartz...
...and we operate a little business here...
...that simulates for our clientele...
...the experience...
...of being you, actually.
- Simulates?
- Yeah, after a fashion.
- What exactly does that mean?
- Well, it's hard to describe.
I want to do it.
That'd pale compared
to the real experience.
- I want to do it!
- Right now Mr. Hiroshi's in the tube...
- Let him do it, Craig.
- Of course.
Right this way, Mr. Malkovich,
compliments of the house.
Jesus.
What happens when a man
goes through his own portal?
We'll see.
Malkovich.
Malkovich. Malkovich.
- How was it?
- It was amazing this time.
- That was no simulation!
- I know. I'm sorry.
It's an honor.
I have been to the dark side.
I've seen a world that no man should see!
Really? For most people,
it's a rather pleasant experience.
That portal is mine,
and it must be sealed forever...
...for the love of God.
But, Mr. Malkovich, sir,
with all due respect...
...I discovered that portal.
It's my livelihood. You understand?
It's my head, Schwartz! It's my head!
I will see you in court!
What makes you think
I won't be seeing what you're seeing...
...in court?
Hey, Malkovich, think fast!
Fuck!
Dinner.
You know, Craig,
once this was a relationship...
...built on love.
Well, you gave up that claim...
...after the first time you stuck your dick
in Maxine, Lotte.
You fell in love with her first, Craig.
But I didn't do anything about it,
out of respect for our marriage.
You didn't do anything about it, Craig...
...because she wouldn't let you near her
with a 10-foot pole!
That's true.
God, Lotte, what have I become?
My wife, in a cage with a monkey.
I need to go to the bathroom
and take a shower.
What am I, some kind of monster?
I don't want to be a monster, Lotte,
I don't want to.
Craig, you're not a monster. No.
I know you're not a monster, honey.
You're just...
...a very, very confused man.
I love you so much.
I love you.
Come on, Craig.
- J.M. Inc.
- Maxine.
Lotte.
I've been thinking about us, you know?
We have to meet.
Okay, I'll see you in Malkovich in one hour.
Craig!
I hate you.
Elijah!
You really are magnificent.
- J.M. Inc.
- Maxine!
Honey pie! I was just heading
out the door to meet you.
Listen, Maxine.
It hasn't been me in Malkovich last time.
It's been that son of a bitch Craig.
He had me locked in a cage with my chimp,
holding a gun to my head.
- Oh, my God!
- He made me call you.
I'm sorry, Maxine.
It's been him the whole time.
I'm so sorry. That's horrible.
I miss you so much, Maxine.
So, but...
...that was Craig inside of Malkovich?
- Yes, it was him.
It's because he's a puppeteer, I think.
Well, boy, I'm...
I'm surprised. That's pretty impressive.
- What?
- So if Craig can control Malkovich...
- ... and I can control Craig...
- But, Maxine...
...I thought it was me that you loved!
I do.
It's confusing, you know?
This is a very confusing situation.
I know.
Listen, I should really get going, okay?
'Cause I'm gonna be late
for Malkovich now.
- What?
- We'll talk about this later.
- Maxine! Wait!
- Okay?
What the fuck do you want?
I can explain about the portal, darling.
Listen, don't con me, Maxine.
I don't know who the hell you people are,
but this insanity is now over.
Shut up.
Craigy. Craig.
Schwartzy, are you in there?
How did you know it was me?
Lotte called me.
She escaped your evil clutches.
Really? Well, I'm really sorry
I did that, Maxine...
...but I'm really in love with you,
and I didn't know how else to be with you.
Apparently you can control
this Malkovich fellow now?
Yes, I'm getting better all the time.
I'll say you are.
Hey, let's do it on his dining room table.
Then we'll make him
eat an omelet off of it.
No!
Shut up, you overrated sack of shit!
Craigy.
Yes?
Hi, Dr. Lester.
It's Lotte Schwartz, Craig's wife.
Yes.
Oh, my God.
You'll catch your death out here.
Look at you. You're soaking wet.
Please come in, come in.
- Here you are, my dear.
- Thank you.
How's that?
Much better, thank you.
So, my dear...
...what is it that brings you to my doorway
on such an inhospitable evening?
Well, Dr. Lester...
See, I...
I have a very unhealthy obsession
with John Malkovich.
I see.
You mean, the performer.
Yes.
And what prompted you
to come to me with this issue?
Well, when I was here
with my husband for dinner...
...I came upon a room that seemed to be
some sort of John Malkovich museum.
So I thought, perhaps, maybe you would...
...have some appreciation
for my state of mind.
You look so lovely, my dear...
...standing before the fire
in my oversized man's robe.
Thank you, Dr. Lester.
Tell me...
...what is this strange power
that Malkovich exudes?
You've gotta help me understand.
All I think about is wanting to be him.
- Wanting to what?
- Wanting to be him.
Wanting to be John Malkovich.
I see.
Well, perhaps you can.
But, Dr. Lester...
I am not Dr. Lester.
I am Captain Mertin.
I don't understand.
It was 90 years ago
that I discovered a strange portal.
And I found that this portal led
to a vessel body...
...and that I could live forever
by leaping from vessel to vessel.
- So Dr. Lester is such a vessel?
- Yes, he is.
You still there, sweets?
I figured out how to hang on
as long as I want.
It's all a matter of making friends
with the Malkovich body.
Rather than thinking of it as an enemy
that has to be pounded into submission...
...I've begun imagining it
as a really expensive suit...
...that I enjoy wearing.
This illustrates...
...how I will move
into my next vessel, Malkovich...
...on his 44th birthday.
That's when he becomes ripe.
But I must enter by midnight on that day.
After that, I'd get diverted
into the next newly forming infant vessel.
I don't want that to happen.
- I'd be absorbed.
- Absorbed? What does that mean?
Well, trapped, held prisoner,
if you like, in the host's brain...
...unable to control anything...
...forever doomed to watch the world
through someone else's eyes.
Now I'd like you to meet some friends.
See, I got Ionely in Lester by myself...
...so I figured out a way this time
to take others along with me.
Come.
Everyone, this is Lotte.
- Hi, Lotte!
- She's a new friend of mine.
Do a puppet show for me, Craig, honey.
You mean, with Malkovich?
- I'd love to see your work.
- Really?
Okay.
This is something that I call:
"Craig's Dance of Despair
and Disillusionment."
That was incredible! You're brilliant!
You see, Maxine,
it isn't just playing with dolls.
My darling, it's so much more!
It's playing with people.
Stay in him forever.
How will we make a living
if our clientele can't access to our product?
Well, we'll have all the money
in Malkovich's bank account...
...plus he does get
acting work occasionally.
No, please!
Shut up! We're trying to think here.
It is sort of like puppeteering.
- I like that about it.
- Exactly!
And no one would ever even
have to know it's not him.
And I could use Malkovich's
existing notoriety...
...to launch my own puppeteering career.
Craigy, that's brilliant.
So lovely. I've always wondered
what it would be like to have a penis.
- Now I'll know.
- Really? I know it's very...
Lotte? We like you.
We can see you're a kind
and decent woman...
...and so...
...we've decided to offer you a place
in John Malkovich with us...
...if you like.
Dr. Lester...
...you've been so kind to me...
...and trusting.
And...
...there's something I think you should
know about the Malkovich vessel.
John's here to see you.
Should I send him in?
Of course send him right in. Don't ever
keep him waiting again, you understand?
Hey, John.
Great to see you.
Sorry about the cunt at reception.
- This is my fiance, Maxine.
- Great to see you, Maxine.
Sorry about the cunt at reception.
Please, have a seat.
Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?
No, thank you.
- Teresa, get me chicken soup.
- Okay.
Chicken soup?
Larry? I want to get right to the point.
From now on, I'm no longer an actor.
I'm a puppeteer.
Okay. Great.
And I would like to redirect my career...
...so that from now on
the name John Malkovich...
...will be synonymous with puppets.
Sure. No problemo.
Poof, you're a puppeteer.
Just let me make a couple calls.
Honey? Maxine?
Maxine?
I'm busy.
Maxine, honey, it's on!
Yeah, there's the truth, and there are lies...
... and, art always tells the truth,
even when it's lying.
The enigmatic John Malkovich...
... one of the world's greatest entertainers
and the man who reinvented...
... how we view puppeteering.
Tonight we look at the man
above the strings...
... and the woman behind the man.
Raised in Evanston, Illinois, Malkovich
had a lifelong interest in theatre arts...
... and as a young man,
was one of the founding members...
... of Chicago's world-renowned
Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
From there, it was a simple transition
to Broadway accolades...
... and Hollywood stardom.
But nothing could prepare the public
for what was to come next.
And so it was,
that just eight short months ago...
... John Malkovich dropped the bombshell
that sent shock waves...
... through the entertainment community.
Turning his back on his former profession,
Malkovich had to start from scratch...
... and pay his dues all over again
as a fledgling puppeteer.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen,
I'm John Malkovich.
I'm really John Malkovich.
From these inauspicious beginnings...
... John Malkovich's rise to stardom
was fast and furious.
His breakout performance was
at this year's Emmy Awards...
It's really good! I look really amazing.
I'd fuck me.
If there's anything that upsets me
about it...
... it's feeling like if I move
into it too quickly...
... l'll be, you know, deemed an imitator.
But, I think that
once we all get the courage...
... to follow through on our instincts,
like Malkovich has...
... I think that a lot of us
will move into puppetry.
Malkovich's rise to fame brought about
a renaissance in puppeteering.
No, no, no. What are you doing?
I'm making him weep, John.
You're making him weep,
but you're not weeping.
Don't ever... with your audience.
Until the puppet becomes...
... an extension of you, it's a novelty act.
It's Topo Gigio.
No?
He's a technical genius.
He breathes life into inanimate objects.
It's a very godlike thing...
... to be able to take something and,
you know, make it live.
He was the talk of the town...
... from the Beltway to Broadway...
... aided in no small part by his new wife
and manager, Maxine Lund.
In Maxine,
Malkovich had found his mentor...
... his muse, his inspiration.
In Malkovich,
Maxine had found the love of her life.
There, there, my dear. Relax.
This travesty will all be over with
by morning.
And the crowds have been
absolutely sensational...
... and I'djust like to thank God
for giving us this opportunity...
... to share our creative vision.
Nothing was impossible for John
and Maxine in the early days.
Their union was a joyous one,
and together they worked tirelessly...
... to further Malkovich's
puppeteering career.
John Malkovich, the artist...
... and Maxine, the entrepreneur...
... they make this character...
... this protean figure
that we call John Malkovich.
But some say Maxine has changed
since becoming pregnant...
... recoiling from the limelight...
... and, rumor has it,
from her husband's affections.
I'm so sorry.
Malkovich shows us...
... a reflection of ourselves, our frailties...
... and our, you know, desperate humanity.
That's what makes him one
of the most relevant artists of our time.
And what does the future hold
for John Horatio Malkovich?
Well, to quote the Bard,
"He's got the world on a string."
As the poet said, "The puppeteer's voice
need not merely be the record of man."
"It can be one of the pillars, the props...
...to help him endure and prevail",
and I believe that.
It's over!
Max?
I've gotta head down to ABT now.
I've got the "Swan Lake" benefit tonight.
But when I come back,
we can maybe celebrate...
...Malkovich's big four-four.
Okay?
Jesus! Why couldn't I have found
the portal to a younger body?
What if I fall tonight and break my hip?
Like that, little girl?
Huh, lamb?
I love you.
Bravo!
Maxine?
Hello? Hello?
- We have Maxine.
- Oh, my God.
Please, please, don't hurt her.
Listen, I'll give you
anything you want. Please.
You listen to me, asshole.
I don't want your fucking money.
What I want is for you
to leave John Malkovich now!
- Who is this, Lester?
- Does it matter?
We're gonna kill Maxine
if you don't leave the body immediately!
But I can't do that.
I mean, if I leave Malkovich,
then I'm Craig Schwartz again.
No career, no money.
Maxine will have nothing to do...
She barely has anything
to do with me now.
Jesus, we're going to kill your wife,
you fucking lunatic!
God.
Listen, Schwartz, Malkovich is our vessel.
We're old.
We're going to die if we don't
get into him by midnight...
He called our bluff.
Shit!
Can't we just go inside the portal
and push Craig out?
No, he's much too powerful.
Schwartz would just jam us down
into Malkovich's subconscious.
Lotte.
If I can't have you, no one will.
Lotte, no!
No, Lotte!
God, no, we can't really kill her!
She's carrying Malkovich's seed!
My next vessel!
Hey! Help me!
- Where the fuck am I?
- We're in Malkovich's subconscious.
The last thing you'll ever see, Maxine.
Fag-o-vitch!
Johnny, baby, Johnny.
Bad. I am bad. I am bad.
Maxine, I am gonna kill you!
You're creepy.
Little Johnny Malk-o-pee!
I loved you so much!
Why did you have to hurt me like that?
I'm sorry, Lotte.
I guess I loved you, too, in my way.
You are so full of shit, Maxine!
I know.
I know!
It's your baby, okay?
What?
The baby, it's yours.
It's ours. I got pregnant
when you were in Malkovich.
- You can't fuck with me any more, Maxine!
- I'm not!
I kept it because I knew
you were the father...
...the other mother, whatever...
...because it was yours.
So, we're parents?
Together?
Yeah.
- Aren't you John Malkovich?
- No.
- Yeah, you are.
- No.
I can't believe you're in this shithole, man.
- This is John Malkovich.
- I'm not John Malkovich.
- This is John Malkovich.
- I am not John Malkovich!
Yes?
Lester, please don't do it.
Please don't kill Maxine.
- So you'll leave?
- Yes, I am leaving.
All right. Do it now
while I'm on the phone so I can hear...
...and your lovely bride walks.
Okay. Okay.
I'm going.
Now, my friends. The time is now.
I'm free.
I'm back!
Lotte.
Hello. Hello, young lady.
We're Malkovich.
Maxine! I did it, Maxine!
I left Malkovich for you, sweetie!
It's no good being Malkovich without you.
- It proves I love you!
- Fuck off!
- Doesn't it?
- He's not with us.
Maxine, I love you!
I'm gonna go right back into Malkovich,
and kick Lester out!
And then you'll love me again! Maxine!
- Machine.
- Hey. Malcatraz.
- How are you?
- I'm very well. And you?
- Good, good.
- You look well.
Thank you. How's Celeste?
She's good.
She's sorry she couldn't make it today.
- She had to go to the store.
- That's okay.
Charlie, hi! I didn't even hear the door.
- Lookin' great, Flo.
- I'm looking grateful?
Charlie, we are not getting any younger.
Well, don't rub it in.
Listen, Charlie,
I know this is going to sound crazy...
...but what would you think
if I told you that I'd found a way...
...for us to live forever?
All of us.
- Johnny boy, what are you talking about?
- All of us.
Celeste, Floris, you, me.
Gary Sinise, maybe.
I don't really understand.
Charlie, this is Emily.
Isn't she lovely?
Pass the Cheetos.
- You need more puffs?
- No, I want more.
- Okey-doke. They're covered in grease.
- Shut up.
- Can I swim yet?
- Can you swim yet?
- What time is it?
- Shall we do the cramp test?
Check her.
Let me see.
Are you gonna throw up? Let me see!
Are you gonna throw up?
Are you gonna vomit?
Okay, you can swim.
Maxine.
Maxine.
I love you, Maxine.
Oh, look away.
Craig, honey, time to get up.
Craig, honey, time to get up.
I'm sorry. I didn't know Orrin Hatch
was out of his cage.
- Come here. Morning, sweetheart.
- Morning.
What are you gonna do today, honey?
Working in the workshop.
I was thinking, maybe you'd feel better
if you got a job.
We've been over this.
Nobody's looking for a puppeteer
in today's wintry economic climate.
I know, honey, but I thought, you know...
...maybe something else
until this puppet thing turns around.
Derek Mantini doesn't need a day job.
Not everybody can be Derek Mantini.
I gotta get to the shop. We have
a shipment of kitty litter coming in.
Will you do me a favor?
Will you take a look at Elijah today?
- He's not feeling very good again.
- Which one is Elijah again?
- The chimp, honey.
- Yeah, okay.
On the lighter side of the news
in Westchester County today...
... puppeteer Derek Mantini
thrilled onlookers as he performed...
...The Belle of Amherst
with a 60-foot Emily Dickinson puppet.
"How dreary to be somebody!"
"How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day"
Gimmicky bastard.
You don't know how lucky you are,
being a monkey.
Because consciousness...
...is a terrible curse.
I think, I feel, I suffer.
And all I ask in return
is the opportunity to do my work.
And they won't allow it...
...because I raise issues.
While we enjoyed the pleasures
of an uneasy love...
... and abandoned ourselves to fornication...
... we were spared God's severity.
Say no more, I beg you,
and cease from complaints like these...
... which are so far-removed
from the true depths of love.
Look, a puppet show!
Okay, honey, just for a minute.
Mommy's waiting.
Even during the celebration of Mass
when our prayers should be pure...
... lewd visions of these pleasures
take such a hold upon my unhappy soul...
... that my thoughts are
on their very wantonness...
... instead of my prayers.
Sometimes my thoughts are betrayed...
... by the movement of my body.
I took my fill
of my wretched pleasures in you...
... and this was the sum total of my love.
You motherfucker!
Oh, Craig!
Honey, not again!
Why do you do this to yourself, honey?
I'm a puppeteer.
Seven and a half, right?
- Yeah.
- I'll take you through it.
Seven and a half.
Thank you.
Welcome to Lestercorp.
How may we meet your filing needs?
No. My name's Craig Schwartz.
I have an interview with Dr. Lester.
- Please have a seat, Mr. Juarez.
- Schwartz.
- Pardon?
- Schwartz.
I'm sorry, I have no idea
what you're saying to me right now.
- My name is Schwartz.
- "My name is Warts."
Mr. Juarez?
Yes?
- Chest?
- I said, "Yes".
You suggest what?
I'm sorry. I have no time for piddling
suggestions from mumbling job applicants.
Besides, Dr. Lester will see you now.
Come in, Mr. Juarez.
My name is Craig Schwartz, Dr. Lester.
Security!
No, sir, it's just a little mix-up
with your secretary.
My name is Craig Schwartz.
I tried to explain that to her.
She's not my secretary.
She's what they call an executive liaison.
And I am not banging her,
if that's what you're implying.
No, sir, not at all.
I think I must have simply misspoke.
Well, now, tell me, Dr. Schwartz...
...what do you feel
you can bring to Lestercorp?
Well, sir, I'm an excellent filer.
Are you? All right. Let's see about that.
Which of these two letters comes first?
This one or this one?
The symbol on the left is not a letter, sir.
Damn, you're good.
- I was trying to trick you.
- I see.
- Well then, put these in order.
- Yes, sir.
Floris, get Guinness on the phone.
Yes, sir. Genghis Khan Capone. Fine.
Damn fine woman, Floris.
I don't know how she puts up
with this speech impediment of mine.
You don't have a speech impediment,
Dr. Lester.
Flattery will get you everywhere, my boy.
I'm afraid I have to trust Floris on that one.
You see, she's got her doctorate...
...in Speech Impedimentology
from Case Western.
I apologize if you can't understand
a word I'm saying.
No, I understand perfectly.
It's very kind of you to lie.
You see, I've been very Ionely...
...in my isolated tower
of indecipherable speech.
You got the job.
- Any questions?
- Well, just one.
Why are these ceilings so low?
Low overhead, my boy!
We pass the savings on to you.
But seriously, that'll all be covered
in orientation.
Welcome to the 7 1/2 floor
of the Mertin-Flemmer building.
As you'll now be spending
your workday here...
... it's important that you learn a bit
about the history of this famous floor.
- Hello, Don.
- Hello, Wendy.
Don, I was wondering, do you know why...
... our workplace has such low ceilings?
It's an interesting story.
Many years ago in the late 1800s...
... James Mertin, an Irish ship captain,
came to this town...
... and decided to erect an office building.
He called this building the Mertin-Flemmer
building after himself and...
... someone else, who local legend
has it was named Flemmer.
Well, one day, old Captain Mertin received
an unexpected visitor.
- Captain Mertin?
- Aye. What want ye, girl child?
I'm not a child, but rather an adult lady
of miniature proportions.
I see. Well, if it's charity you're after...
... be gone with ye, you foul demon!
I'm not asking for alms, Captain...
... but, rather, the ear of a kind man
with a noble heart.
Well, speak then, if you must.
Captain Mertin, I'm afraid that the world
was not built with me in mind.
Doorknobs are too high,
chairs are unwieldy...
... and high-ceilinged rooms
mock my stature.
Why cannot there be a place for me
to work that's safe and comfortable?
Thy story has moved me like no other.
Therefore, I shall make ye me wife.
And I shall build a floor for ye...
... between the seventh and the eighth
in me own building...
... so at least there'll be one place
on God's green earth...
... where ye and your accursed kind
can live in peace.
So that's the story of 7 1/2.
Since the rents are considerably lower,
this floor has been adopted...
... by businesses which have been forced
to cut corners.
After all, the overhead is low.
Moving story, huh?
Unfortunately, the story's bullshit.
Listen, I'm Craig Schwartz.
I'm just starting out at Lestercorp.
Where are you starting out?
Shut up! Shut up!
- Shut up! Shut up!
- Hey, shut up!
- Shut up!
- I'm sorry, honey.
Sorry, honey.
Sorry, honey.
- Shut up!
- Sorry!
- Help! She's locking me in a cage.
- Isn't that cute?
- I just taught him that today.
- Yeah, that's adorable.
- You want to do some dishes for me?
- Put that down.
Here, Elijah. Here you go.
You know, I have an appointment
tomorrow with Elijah's shrink.
I think we're finally getting down
to the bottom...
...of this acid stomach, aren't we?
Come here.
Get down from the...
She thinks that it's some sort
of childhood trauma.
Feelings of inadequacy as a chimp,
you know?
Careful. Isn't that interesting?
I find it really interesting.
So, honey, have you thought any more
about us having a baby?
I think it's just so tough right now,
economically and all...
...that I think maybe we should just wait
and see if this job thing pays off.
You know?
I was thinking about what you said
the other day...
...about the orientation film being bullshit.
- Yes?
I think maybe you're on to something.
- And 50 other lines to get in a girl's pants.
- No, no!
No, I was just talking about the film.
Here's the thing.
If you ever got me, you wouldn't
have a clue what to do with me.
I wasn't. I was talking about the film.
What magic those fingers could work
on the right cabinet.
Maybe you could alphabetize me.
And don't forget...
..."I" comes before "U".
Floris, I think you're very nice...
...but the truth is that I'm in love
with someone else.
I'm afraid I have no idea
what you're saying to me.
- You bastard.
- What?
- Don't toy with Floris, Schwartz.
- No.
If I was 80 years younger, I'd box your ears.
I wasn't toying with her, sir. I wouldn't...
- Pardon me. How old are you, sir?
- 105.
Carrot juice, and lots of it.
I swear, sometimes it's not worth it.
I piss orange.
And I have to piss sitting down...
...like a goddamn girly-girl,
every 15 minutes.
But nobody wants to die.
To be a young man again.
Maybe then Floris would care for me.
The elderly have so much to offer.
They're our link with history.
I don't wanna be your goddamn link,
damn ya.
I want to feel Floris's naked thighs
next to mine.
I want my body to inspire lust...
...in that beautiful, complex woman.
I want her to shiver
with a spasm of ecstasy...
...as I penetrate her wet...
Dr. Lester, while I'm flattered
you would share your feelings with me...
...the workplace isn't the most suitable
environment for this type of discussion.
You're right. I'll tell you what.
Meet me after work today
at Jerry's Juiceteria on Lex...
...and I'll spill my goddamn guts for ya.
No, I won't be late, Lotte.
I just have to, you know...
...listen to Lester's sexual fantasies
and drink carrot juice for a while.
It's a job thing, really.
So, I'll talk to you later, okay?
Yeah. You, too.
Gotta go back to work. Okay, bye.
Hi. Do you know that I don't even know
your name or where you work?
Yeah.
How about this?
If I can guess your name in three tries,
you have to have a drink with me tonight.
Why not?
Okay.
You look like a...
...Bar...
...Ru...
...Bell...
...Carol...
...Ta, Cher...
...Susan...
...Emily...
...Marlar...
...Maxine. Maxine?
Yeah! Who told you?
Nobody told me.
That just came out. Isn't that odd?
So where do you live and stuff?
I am dubious...
...but I don't welsh.
Okay, meet me at The Stuck Pig, 7:00.
If you're late, I walk.
Nubile. Blonde.
Wet with desire. Me in leather.
A harness, if you like.
And all eyes, Craig,
are upon me as I speak.
"Ladies", I begin.
"I am the love god Eros." They like that.
"I intoxicate you."
"My spunk is, to you, manna from heaven."
Dr. Lester, this is all really fascinating
and stuff...
...but I gotta get back home to my wife.
- You have a wife. I'd like to meet her.
- Yes, sir.
Shall we say dinner Thursday?
You can come, too, if you like.
Get that? That was a joke.
You hear what I said? You can come, too.
That was a good one.
- All right. Thank you.
- Yeah.
Maxine.
- I made it, Maxine.
- Just.
Buy you a drink, Maxine?
Are you married?
- Yeah. But enough about me.
- Yeah.
- What'll you have?
- I'll have more of the same, please, Barry.
And I'll have a light beer, or something.
So...
I don't know, I like you.
- I don't know what it is about you. I just...
- My tits?
- No!
- No?
It's your energy,
the way you carry yourself.
You're not a fag, are you?
No. I am really attracted to you.
"I am really attracted to you."
You are a fag.
Well, we can share recipes, Darlene.
- Wait! I love your tits. I wanna fuck 'em.
- Now we're gettin' somewhere.
Not a chance.
So tell me about yourself.
If you can get your mind
out of the gutter long enough, dog boy.
Well, I'm a puppeteer.
- I've been...
- Check.
I'm sorry I'm so late.
Lester just wouldn't let me get away.
Hi, Elijah. We're supposed to have dinner
with him on Thursday...
...but I can get us out of it, if you want.
It's amazing. He's like this insane old lech,
and it's kind of amusing...
...once you get past
how disgusting it actually is.
- Did you eat?
- No. I'm not hungry.
I'm sorry I didn't call.
It was just hard to get away.
- I was worried.
- I'm sorry.
You know...
...you wanted me to work.
How was your evening?
Tom-Tom's puncture wound is infected.
- The ferret?
- The iguana.
So I just dressed the wound...
...and I've just been feeding everyone
and putting everybody to bed.
- You want a beer?
- No. I think I'm going to go to bed.
Elijah's gonna sleep with us tonight.
- I don't think he's feeling very well.
- Okay.
You know what? I'm gonna go
in my workshop for a little while.
- But I'll be in in a little while.
- Okay.
Tell me, why do you love puppeteering?
Well, Maxine, I'm not sure exactly.
Perhaps it's the idea of becoming
someone else for a little while.
Being inside another skin...
...thinking differently, moving differently...
...feeling differently.
Interesting, Craig.
Would you like to be inside my skin...
...think what I think, feel what I feel?
More than anything, Maxine.
It's good in here, Craig.
It's better than your wildest dreams.
You're not somebody
I could get interested in.
You play with dolls.
Puppets, Maxine.
It's the idea of being inside
someone else's skin...
...and seeing what they see
and feeling what they feel.
Yikes!
It's just that, well...
Please, let me explain.
I've never done this before, but...
...I feel something for you,
and I've never felt this way before...
...you know, about anybody,
not even my wife.
And I just...
I really feel that you and I belong together.
Shit.
What's the file number?
You know what?
The puppeteer told me he loved me today.
I know. I can't think
of anything more pathetic.
I'm sorry.
Afternoon, sir.
The Broadhurst Theatre, please.
Say, ain't you that actor guy?
Yes.
John, what is, John...
Don't tell me. Maplethorpe?
- Malkovich.
- Malkovich. Right.
Yeah. I thought you were all right
in that one movie.
Thank you.
The one where you played a jewel thief.
- I never played a jewel thief.
- No?
- Who am I thinkin' of?
- I don't know.
No, no, I'm pretty sure it was you.
Yeah. Absolutely, doll.
I'm just about to close up.
Wanna meet at The Pig in 20 minutes?
Cool. Bye.
I'm splittin' for the day, puppet man.
Lock up for me, okay?
Don't you wanna know
what happened to me?
No.
- Please, this is important.
- Better be.
It is.
There's a tiny door in my office, Maxine.
It's a portal, and it takes you
inside John Malkovich.
You see the world
through John Malkovich's eyes...
...and then after 15 minutes,
you're spit out...
...into a ditch on the side
of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Sounds great!
Who the fuck is John Malkovich?
He's an actor. He's one of the great
American actors of the 20th century.
Oh, yeah? What's he been in?
Lots of things. That jewel thief movie.
He's very well-respected.
Anyway, the point is...
...this is a very odd thing.
It's supernatural, for lack of a better word.
I mean, it raises all sorts
of philosophical-type questions...
...about the nature of self,
about the existence of a soul.
You know, am I me?
Is Malkovich Malkovich?
I had a piece of wood in my hand, Maxine.
I don't have it any more. Where is it?
Did it disappear? How could that be?
Is it still in Malkovich's head?
I don't know!
Do you see what a metaphysical
can of worms this portal is?
I don't see how I could go on living my life
the way I've lived it before.
Yeah?
So I've been thinking,
is this Malkovich fellow appealing?
Maxine! Yes, of course, Maxine.
He's a celebrity.
Good. We'll sell tickets.
- Tickets to Malkovich?
- Exactly.
$200 a pop.
But, Maxine, there's something,
I don't know, like, profound here.
I don't know if we should exploit it.
You think?
I need you for this, Craigy.
You're my man on the inside.
You need me? I'm your man?
Sure, whatever.
Hey everybody, I'm home.
- Treats for everyone.
- Maxine?
- Yeah?
- We don't know the significance of this.
It might be dangerous to toy with?
I'll protect you, doll face.
Bye-bye.
Who was that?
I'm going to be working a lot of late nights
with this partner...
...'cause Lestercorp's open during the day,
so I'll be working a lot of nights.
It's a good thing. It'll get us
out of the hole financially...
...'cause we're gonna turn it
into a business.
But I don't understand.
There's no such thing as a hole,
or a portal into somebody's brain.
Yes, there is. A brain or soul or whatever.
I was inside John Malkovich lookin' out.
- Really?
- Yep.
- I wanna try it then.
- Pardon?
I want to be John Malkovich tomorrow.
That'd be perfect,
'cause then I can meet your partner.
The thing is, Lestercorp's open during
the day, so we can't go during the day.
But if you want to, we can do it right now.
- Now? Right now?
- Tonight, on the way to Lester's.
I'll meet you on the side of the road
by the New Jersey Turnpike.
I'm scared.
You don't have to do this, you know.
No.
No, I wanna go.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
It's wet.
Weird.
That's nice.
God, I feel sexy.
Lotte, are you all right?
Craig, I gotta go back!
- No!
- Maybe tomorrow.
- No! I gotta go back now!
- We'll talk about it later.
Being inside did something to me.
I knew who I was.
It's like everything made sense.
I knew who I was.
But you weren't you.
You were John Malkovich.
God, I was. I was, wasn't I?
I was John Malkovich.
I was John fucking Malkovich!
- Take me back, Craig.
- We're late for Lester.
So tell me, Lotte,
can you understand a word I'm saying?
Oh, yes, Dr. Lester. Absolutely.
You were just explaining
the nutritional value...
...of ingesting minerals through a colloidal
form which I couldn't agree more with.
Be still, my heart.
Dr. Lester, would you point me
in the direction of the restroom?
With the greatest pleasure, my dear.
You go up the grand "escalier"...
...and once atop the stairs you'll want
to enter the fifth door on my left.
- Watch the step down. It's sunken.
- Okay. Thank you.
What do you think Lester's relationship
with John Malkovich is?
That portal's been boarded up forever.
I bet Lester's not even aware of it, him,
the portal. Why?
No reason. I was just thinking.
Do you think that it's kind of weird
that John Malkovich has a portal?
Do you think it might have some sort
of significance, for example?
I don't know. Why do you think that?
I don't even care.
I think it's kind of sexy
that John Malkovich has a portal.
Sort of like he's a vagina.
It's sort of vaginal, like he has a...
...he has a penis and a vagina.
It's sort of like...
...Malkovich's feminine side.
I like that.
"Visit J.M. Inc., Mertin-Flemmer Building...
...nightly from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m."
Sounds good. Oblique, but intriguing.
Phone it in.
- Want me to phone it in?
- No.
- Lotte!
- Hi.
- I heard your voice.
- What are you doing here?
Is this your partner? She's pretty.
I had to do the Malkovich ride again,
you know? Is this her?
- Hi. You're Craig's wife?
- Yeah. Hi.
Lotte, Maxine. Maxine, Lotte.
- Have you done Malkovich yet?
- Hi. Yeah, I want to place an ad.
Okay. "Ever want to be someone else?"
No, that's the ad, but we can talk
about you in a minute.
"Ever want to be someone else?"
"Now you can. Visit J.M. Inc."
"Inc. Mertin."
"M-E-R-T-I-N. Flemmer."
You should really be at work.
I've been going over and over
my experience last night, Craig.
It was amazing.
I've decided...
...that I'm a transsexual.
- I know it's the craziest thing, Craig!
- Are you fuckin' nuts?
No. It's just that for the first time,
everything just felt right.
I've got to make sure.
But if the feeling is still there...
...I'm going to talk to Dr. Feldman
about sexual reassignment surgery.
This is absurd!
Besides, Feldman is an allergist.
If you're going to do something, do it right.
You get these half-assed ideas
and do a half-assed job.
Just drop it.
It's just that I really like Dr. Feldman.
All right?
So I thought
that I would ask him his opinion.
Is there something so terrible about that?
- Why do you always yell at me like this?
- Sweetie, I'm sorry.
It's just a phase. It's the thrill of seeing
through somebody else's eyes.
Okay? It'll pass.
Don't stand in the way
of my actualization as a man.
Let her go, Craig.
- Okay.
- I mean him.
Right now?
It's the middle of the day.
How will I get her past Lester?
- Yawn. Figure it out.
- Okay.
Let's go. Come on.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Davey, it's Max.
Listen, can you get me
John Malkovich's home phone?
"But what I had been through."
"I am hungry as the winter."
"I am sick, anxious, poor as a beggar."
"Fate has tossed me hither and thither."
"I have been everywhere. Everywhere."
- "So strong."
- "But wherever I have been..."
- "...every minute, day and night..."
- I want that voice.
- "...my soul has been full..."
- "My soul has been full..."
- "...of mysterious anticipation."
- "I feel the approach of happiness."
"Anya, I see it coming."
- Yeah?
- Mr. John Malkovich?
- Yeah. Who's calling?
- Oh, my goodness!
You don't know me, but I know you.
I'm a great admirer of yours.
How did you get this number?
It's just that...
... I dream about you.
And well, even speaking to you now
has gotten me sort of excited, you know?
The way this woman's talking to him.
Listen, I really don't find this amusing.
Don't call here anymore, okay?
My nipples are at attention,
General Malkovich, sir.
What, her nipples?
So why don't we have dinner tonight?
Bernardo's? 8:00?
I really want to see you.
I just loved you in that jewel thief movie.
You're not gonna meet her there?
Come on!
Meet her. Meet here there.
- Meet her there!
- "...as the winter."
"I am sick, anxious, poor as a beggar."
- Meet her there!
- "Fate has tossed me hither and thither."
"I have been everywhere. Everywhere."
"But wherever I have been,
every minute, day and night..."
Meet her there. Meet her there.
Yes!
- How was it?
- I have to go back at 8:00 exactly tonight.
- Why?
- Don't crowd me, Craig.
- Excuse me. Are you John Malkovich?
- Yes, I am.
Wow. You really are great in that movie
where you play that retard.
Thank you very much.
- I have a cousin who's a retard.
- Thank you.
So, as you might imagine,
it means a lot to me...
...to see retards...
...portrayed on the silver screen
so compassionately.
Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Good night.
- Maxine? It's Maxine.
- Hi.
I'm so glad you decided to come.
I'm Maxine.
I'm John. How do you do?
Good.
I wasn't sure I was going to come,
but I felt oddly compelled.
You're so beautiful.
The way you're looking at me,
I mean, at him, at us.
I've never been looked at like this
by a woman before.
I think I'm sweating.
I must say, I was intrigued by your voice.
And the funny thing is, Mr. Malkovich...
...my voice is probably
the least intriguing thing about me.
So, I mean, how was it?
What was he doing?
He wasn't doing anything, really.
He was just hanging around his apartment.
I think he's probably
just a really Ionely guy.
See, men can feel unfulfilled too, Lotte.
I'm glad you're finally realizing that.
You shouldn't assume
that switching bodies...
...is gonna be the answer to your problems.
You're right, Craig. You're right.
You know what I was thinking?
I was thinking that maybe...
...we should invite Maxine
over for dinner one night...
...because you're partners and
I thought it might be a really nice gesture.
- I think she'd like that.
- Maxine?
The thing is, there's been some tension
between us at work...
...business stuff,
and I would hate to expose you to that.
It'll be okay.
I'll cook my lasagna,
we'll smoke a joint, and...
...tensions will just melt away.
Now, when you say that I can be
somebody else, what do you mean exactly?
Well, we mean exactly that.
We can put you inside someone else's body
for 15 minutes.
Can I be anybody that I wanna be?
- Actually...
- You can be John Malkovich.
That's perfect!
It's my second choice, but it's wonderful.
I'm a fat man. I am sad and fat...
$200?
Yes.
Okay. You gotta crawl in there.
Oh, my God.
No, that's what I'm saying.
See, I don't really need an extra bath mat.
So if I get the set, would it be possible...
...if I could just get maybe three...
...extra hand towels...
...if I get the set, instead of the bath mat?
- Yes, sir. Sure, we can do that.
- Great. That sounds good.
And for the color: Periwinkle?
I'm sorry. We're out of stock in periwinkle.
Do you want to back order?
No. I'll go with the Ioden.
Would you like to order anything else?
What is the difference between
the foot-pampering, looped cotton rug...
...and the bath mat?
You're my friends. Thank you.
Did you know that Eskimos have not one...
...but...
...forty-nine words for snow?
It's because they have so much of it.
So much snow.
After dinner, I'll show you my puppets.
After dinner, I'll introduce you
to my chimp Elijah.
He has an ulcer right now
due to suppressed childhood trauma...
...but we're working through it.
Psychotherapy.
- This the bedroom?
- Yeah.
The thing is, the way that I see it...
...I think the world is divided...
...into those who go after what they want
and then those who don't, right?
- Right.
- The passionate ones...
...the ones who go after what they want...
...well, they may not get what they want.
But at least they remain vital.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
So when they lie on their death beds,
they have few regrets.
Right?
And the ones who don't go after
what they want...
...well, who gives a shit
about them anyway?
- Lotte!
- Craig!
I don't find you attractive.
And, Lotte, I'm smitten with you.
I am. But only when you're in Malkovich.
When I looked into his eyes last night,
I could feel you peering out.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Behind the stubble and the too-prominent
brow and the male-pattern baldness...
...I sensed your feminine longing.
And it just slew me.
Oh, my God!
Only as John, sweetie. Sorry.
Thanks for a wonderful dinner.
No hard feelings, partner?
J.M. Inc.
Hi. It's Lotte.
I'd like very much to see you again.
Can you call him and invite yourself over?
When?
Tonight after you close?
Okay, 4:11.
- Thank you, Maxine.
- You're welcome.
Thanks so much for having me over,
sugarplum.
I'm glad you called.
Shall we to the "boudoir"?
A couple of minutes. I'm early.
So do you enjoy being an actor?
Sure. It's very rewarding.
- Hi.
- Hi.
My sweet Maxine.
- My darling.
- I love you, Lotte.
Did you call me Lotte?
Do you mind?
No, not really.
- Oh, God.
- My sweet, beautiful Lotte.
Maxine!
Yes, Maxine. Yes.
Maxine, this is so right.
- You were him, weren't you?
- Yeah.
And he was with her!
We love her, Craig.
- We?
- John and me.
Don't forget about me!
You have the Maxine action figure
to play with!
I'm sorry. That was nasty.
You are late, my little cowboy.
Are you torturing me on purpose?
- I've fallen in love.
- I don't think so.
You know why?
Because I've fallen in love!
This is what people
who've fallen in love look like.
You picked the unrequited variety.
It's very bad for the skin.
You're evil, Maxine.
Do you have any idea what it's like
to have two people look at you...
...with total lust and devotion...
...through the same pair of eyes?
No, I don't suppose you would.
It's quite a thrill, Craigy.
What are you doing?
- Oh, my God! Is that real? What is that?
- Yes!
I don't know how to use it very well,
so don't make any sudden moves!
I'm serious! I'm serious.
Suck my dick!
Shut up, okay? Just shut up.
- Craig!
- Tell her you need to see her.
J.M. Inc. Be all that someone else can be.
I need to see you.
Sweetie!
I had so much fun with you last night.
Shoot. But it's business hours.
Tell her, "What the hell,
close early, live dangerously."
Say it.
What the hell, you know?
Live dangerously. Close early.
Doll.
I love this new devil-may-care side of you.
All right. I'll track down lover-boy
and see both of you in one hour.
Exactamundo.
- What's the matter with you? Stop it!
- Sit up, okay? Just sit up. Just sit up.
Help! He's locking me in a cage!
Shut the hell up!
Shut up!
"Was ever woman in this humor wooed?"
"Was ever woman in this humor won?"
Tommy, can I take 15?
Good night, everybody.
See you back here at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Lotte, this is so good!
My God! This is amazing.
I want to touch her breast.
Touch her breast.
Move right hand across left breast now.
Move right hand across left breast now!
Move right hand across left breast now!
- Holy shit, yes!
- Holy shit, yes!
- Holy shit, he said what I said!
- Shit, he said what I said!
- Lotte? Is that you?
- Yes, yes, sweetheart.
Yes, sweetheart, yes.
What the fuck is going on?
That's not me! I didn't say that.
- Lotte.
- Maxine.
Something was making me talk.
Some goddamn thing
was making me move.
- I've gotta get out of here.
- Doll face!
It was just your passion for me taking hold.
No, doll face. I know what
my passion taking hold feels like.
Bye!
I did it!
I made him move his arm
across your girlfriend's glorious tit!
And I made him talk, sort of.
It's just a matter of practice
before Malkovich...
...is nothing more than another puppet
hanging next to my work table.
I'll tell you about it when I get home, okay?
All right?
Craig! I wanna...
No, man, I'm sorry...
...I'm sorry to have called you like that,
but I was just really scared.
I was so freaked out.
I mean, it was like, somebody was
just moving all the way through me...
...moving my arms, moving my hands,
talking for me.
I mean, literally,
I feel like I'm going crazy, Charlie.
I'm sure you're not going crazy.
You don't understand, man.
It was like nothing I've ever felt before.
- Were you stoned?
- Yes, I was...
Jesus.
Yes, I was stoned.
But that doesn't have
anything to do with it.
Charlie, someone was talking
through my mouth.
You were stoned.
Case closed. End of story.
- How hot is this babe?
- You know what?
Maybe it was this Lotte woman talking...
...because it could have been her
talking through me.
Because the weird thing is...
...this Maxine likes to call me Lotte.
Ouch. That is hot.
Maybe she's using you
to channel some dead, lesbian lover.
She's my kind of gal.
Tell me when you're done with her.
What are you talking about,
"done with her"? Tonight freaked me out.
You're nuts to let a girl go
that calls you Lotte.
I don't know anything about the girl.
She could be a fucking witch or something.
That's even better!
Hot, lesbian witches.
Think about it. It's fucking genius.
I gotta know the truth, Charlie.
The truth is for suckers, Johnny boy.
Thanks.
This way.
Excuse me. Exactly what type of service
does this company provide?
You get to be John Malkovich
for 15 minutes.
I see.
- No cutting, by the way.
- No cutting!
Come on! Break it up!
Break it up! Cut it out!
Everybody gets...
It's him. It's John Malkovich.
Sorry, Mr. Malkovich.
Hope we didn't hurt you too terribly.
Get inside!
- Darling!
- What the fuck is going on?
John Malkovich. Mr. Malkovich, sir.
- Mr. Malkovich, I think I can explain.
- Yeah, explain.
My name is Craig Schwartz...
...and we operate a little business here...
...that simulates for our clientele...
...the experience...
...of being you, actually.
- Simulates?
- Yeah, after a fashion.
- What exactly does that mean?
- Well, it's hard to describe.
I want to do it.
That'd pale compared
to the real experience.
- I want to do it!
- Right now Mr. Hiroshi's in the tube...
- Let him do it, Craig.
- Of course.
Right this way, Mr. Malkovich,
compliments of the house.
Jesus.
What happens when a man
goes through his own portal?
We'll see.
Malkovich.
Malkovich. Malkovich.
- How was it?
- It was amazing this time.
- That was no simulation!
- I know. I'm sorry.
It's an honor.
I have been to the dark side.
I've seen a world that no man should see!
Really? For most people,
it's a rather pleasant experience.
That portal is mine,
and it must be sealed forever...
...for the love of God.
But, Mr. Malkovich, sir,
with all due respect...
...I discovered that portal.
It's my livelihood. You understand?
It's my head, Schwartz! It's my head!
I will see you in court!
What makes you think
I won't be seeing what you're seeing...
...in court?
Hey, Malkovich, think fast!
Fuck!
Dinner.
You know, Craig,
once this was a relationship...
...built on love.
Well, you gave up that claim...
...after the first time you stuck your dick
in Maxine, Lotte.
You fell in love with her first, Craig.
But I didn't do anything about it,
out of respect for our marriage.
You didn't do anything about it, Craig...
...because she wouldn't let you near her
with a 10-foot pole!
That's true.
God, Lotte, what have I become?
My wife, in a cage with a monkey.
I need to go to the bathroom
and take a shower.
What am I, some kind of monster?
I don't want to be a monster, Lotte,
I don't want to.
Craig, you're not a monster. No.
I know you're not a monster, honey.
You're just...
...a very, very confused man.
I love you so much.
I love you.
Come on, Craig.
- J.M. Inc.
- Maxine.
Lotte.
I've been thinking about us, you know?
We have to meet.
Okay, I'll see you in Malkovich in one hour.
Craig!
I hate you.
Elijah!
You really are magnificent.
- J.M. Inc.
- Maxine!
Honey pie! I was just heading
out the door to meet you.
Listen, Maxine.
It hasn't been me in Malkovich last time.
It's been that son of a bitch Craig.
He had me locked in a cage with my chimp,
holding a gun to my head.
- Oh, my God!
- He made me call you.
I'm sorry, Maxine.
It's been him the whole time.
I'm so sorry. That's horrible.
I miss you so much, Maxine.
So, but...
...that was Craig inside of Malkovich?
- Yes, it was him.
It's because he's a puppeteer, I think.
Well, boy, I'm...
I'm surprised. That's pretty impressive.
- What?
- So if Craig can control Malkovich...
- ... and I can control Craig...
- But, Maxine...
...I thought it was me that you loved!
I do.
It's confusing, you know?
This is a very confusing situation.
I know.
Listen, I should really get going, okay?
'Cause I'm gonna be late
for Malkovich now.
- What?
- We'll talk about this later.
- Maxine! Wait!
- Okay?
What the fuck do you want?
I can explain about the portal, darling.
Listen, don't con me, Maxine.
I don't know who the hell you people are,
but this insanity is now over.
Shut up.
Craigy. Craig.
Schwartzy, are you in there?
How did you know it was me?
Lotte called me.
She escaped your evil clutches.
Really? Well, I'm really sorry
I did that, Maxine...
...but I'm really in love with you,
and I didn't know how else to be with you.
Apparently you can control
this Malkovich fellow now?
Yes, I'm getting better all the time.
I'll say you are.
Hey, let's do it on his dining room table.
Then we'll make him
eat an omelet off of it.
No!
Shut up, you overrated sack of shit!
Craigy.
Yes?
Hi, Dr. Lester.
It's Lotte Schwartz, Craig's wife.
Yes.
Oh, my God.
You'll catch your death out here.
Look at you. You're soaking wet.
Please come in, come in.
- Here you are, my dear.
- Thank you.
How's that?
Much better, thank you.
So, my dear...
...what is it that brings you to my doorway
on such an inhospitable evening?
Well, Dr. Lester...
See, I...
I have a very unhealthy obsession
with John Malkovich.
I see.
You mean, the performer.
Yes.
And what prompted you
to come to me with this issue?
Well, when I was here
with my husband for dinner...
...I came upon a room that seemed to be
some sort of John Malkovich museum.
So I thought, perhaps, maybe you would...
...have some appreciation
for my state of mind.
You look so lovely, my dear...
...standing before the fire
in my oversized man's robe.
Thank you, Dr. Lester.
Tell me...
...what is this strange power
that Malkovich exudes?
You've gotta help me understand.
All I think about is wanting to be him.
- Wanting to what?
- Wanting to be him.
Wanting to be John Malkovich.
I see.
Well, perhaps you can.
But, Dr. Lester...
I am not Dr. Lester.
I am Captain Mertin.
I don't understand.
It was 90 years ago
that I discovered a strange portal.
And I found that this portal led
to a vessel body...
...and that I could live forever
by leaping from vessel to vessel.
- So Dr. Lester is such a vessel?
- Yes, he is.
You still there, sweets?
I figured out how to hang on
as long as I want.
It's all a matter of making friends
with the Malkovich body.
Rather than thinking of it as an enemy
that has to be pounded into submission...
...I've begun imagining it
as a really expensive suit...
...that I enjoy wearing.
This illustrates...
...how I will move
into my next vessel, Malkovich...
...on his 44th birthday.
That's when he becomes ripe.
But I must enter by midnight on that day.
After that, I'd get diverted
into the next newly forming infant vessel.
I don't want that to happen.
- I'd be absorbed.
- Absorbed? What does that mean?
Well, trapped, held prisoner,
if you like, in the host's brain...
...unable to control anything...
...forever doomed to watch the world
through someone else's eyes.
Now I'd like you to meet some friends.
See, I got Ionely in Lester by myself...
...so I figured out a way this time
to take others along with me.
Come.
Everyone, this is Lotte.
- Hi, Lotte!
- She's a new friend of mine.
Do a puppet show for me, Craig, honey.
You mean, with Malkovich?
- I'd love to see your work.
- Really?
Okay.
This is something that I call:
"Craig's Dance of Despair
and Disillusionment."
That was incredible! You're brilliant!
You see, Maxine,
it isn't just playing with dolls.
My darling, it's so much more!
It's playing with people.
Stay in him forever.
How will we make a living
if our clientele can't access to our product?
Well, we'll have all the money
in Malkovich's bank account...
...plus he does get
acting work occasionally.
No, please!
Shut up! We're trying to think here.
It is sort of like puppeteering.
- I like that about it.
- Exactly!
And no one would ever even
have to know it's not him.
And I could use Malkovich's
existing notoriety...
...to launch my own puppeteering career.
Craigy, that's brilliant.
So lovely. I've always wondered
what it would be like to have a penis.
- Now I'll know.
- Really? I know it's very...
Lotte? We like you.
We can see you're a kind
and decent woman...
...and so...
...we've decided to offer you a place
in John Malkovich with us...
...if you like.
Dr. Lester...
...you've been so kind to me...
...and trusting.
And...
...there's something I think you should
know about the Malkovich vessel.
John's here to see you.
Should I send him in?
Of course send him right in. Don't ever
keep him waiting again, you understand?
Hey, John.
Great to see you.
Sorry about the cunt at reception.
- This is my fiance, Maxine.
- Great to see you, Maxine.
Sorry about the cunt at reception.
Please, have a seat.
Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?
No, thank you.
- Teresa, get me chicken soup.
- Okay.
Chicken soup?
Larry? I want to get right to the point.
From now on, I'm no longer an actor.
I'm a puppeteer.
Okay. Great.
And I would like to redirect my career...
...so that from now on
the name John Malkovich...
...will be synonymous with puppets.
Sure. No problemo.
Poof, you're a puppeteer.
Just let me make a couple calls.
Honey? Maxine?
Maxine?
I'm busy.
Maxine, honey, it's on!
Yeah, there's the truth, and there are lies...
... and, art always tells the truth,
even when it's lying.
The enigmatic John Malkovich...
... one of the world's greatest entertainers
and the man who reinvented...
... how we view puppeteering.
Tonight we look at the man
above the strings...
... and the woman behind the man.
Raised in Evanston, Illinois, Malkovich
had a lifelong interest in theatre arts...
... and as a young man,
was one of the founding members...
... of Chicago's world-renowned
Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
From there, it was a simple transition
to Broadway accolades...
... and Hollywood stardom.
But nothing could prepare the public
for what was to come next.
And so it was,
that just eight short months ago...
... John Malkovich dropped the bombshell
that sent shock waves...
... through the entertainment community.
Turning his back on his former profession,
Malkovich had to start from scratch...
... and pay his dues all over again
as a fledgling puppeteer.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen,
I'm John Malkovich.
I'm really John Malkovich.
From these inauspicious beginnings...
... John Malkovich's rise to stardom
was fast and furious.
His breakout performance was
at this year's Emmy Awards...
It's really good! I look really amazing.
I'd fuck me.
If there's anything that upsets me
about it...
... it's feeling like if I move
into it too quickly...
... l'll be, you know, deemed an imitator.
But, I think that
once we all get the courage...
... to follow through on our instincts,
like Malkovich has...
... I think that a lot of us
will move into puppetry.
Malkovich's rise to fame brought about
a renaissance in puppeteering.
No, no, no. What are you doing?
I'm making him weep, John.
You're making him weep,
but you're not weeping.
Don't ever... with your audience.
Until the puppet becomes...
... an extension of you, it's a novelty act.
It's Topo Gigio.
No?
He's a technical genius.
He breathes life into inanimate objects.
It's a very godlike thing...
... to be able to take something and,
you know, make it live.
He was the talk of the town...
... from the Beltway to Broadway...
... aided in no small part by his new wife
and manager, Maxine Lund.
In Maxine,
Malkovich had found his mentor...
... his muse, his inspiration.
In Malkovich,
Maxine had found the love of her life.
There, there, my dear. Relax.
This travesty will all be over with
by morning.
And the crowds have been
absolutely sensational...
... and I'djust like to thank God
for giving us this opportunity...
... to share our creative vision.
Nothing was impossible for John
and Maxine in the early days.
Their union was a joyous one,
and together they worked tirelessly...
... to further Malkovich's
puppeteering career.
John Malkovich, the artist...
... and Maxine, the entrepreneur...
... they make this character...
... this protean figure
that we call John Malkovich.
But some say Maxine has changed
since becoming pregnant...
... recoiling from the limelight...
... and, rumor has it,
from her husband's affections.
I'm so sorry.
Malkovich shows us...
... a reflection of ourselves, our frailties...
... and our, you know, desperate humanity.
That's what makes him one
of the most relevant artists of our time.
And what does the future hold
for John Horatio Malkovich?
Well, to quote the Bard,
"He's got the world on a string."
As the poet said, "The puppeteer's voice
need not merely be the record of man."
"It can be one of the pillars, the props...
...to help him endure and prevail",
and I believe that.
It's over!
Max?
I've gotta head down to ABT now.
I've got the "Swan Lake" benefit tonight.
But when I come back,
we can maybe celebrate...
...Malkovich's big four-four.
Okay?
Jesus! Why couldn't I have found
the portal to a younger body?
What if I fall tonight and break my hip?
Like that, little girl?
Huh, lamb?
I love you.
Bravo!
Maxine?
Hello? Hello?
- We have Maxine.
- Oh, my God.
Please, please, don't hurt her.
Listen, I'll give you
anything you want. Please.
You listen to me, asshole.
I don't want your fucking money.
What I want is for you
to leave John Malkovich now!
- Who is this, Lester?
- Does it matter?
We're gonna kill Maxine
if you don't leave the body immediately!
But I can't do that.
I mean, if I leave Malkovich,
then I'm Craig Schwartz again.
No career, no money.
Maxine will have nothing to do...
She barely has anything
to do with me now.
Jesus, we're going to kill your wife,
you fucking lunatic!
God.
Listen, Schwartz, Malkovich is our vessel.
We're old.
We're going to die if we don't
get into him by midnight...
He called our bluff.
Shit!
Can't we just go inside the portal
and push Craig out?
No, he's much too powerful.
Schwartz would just jam us down
into Malkovich's subconscious.
Lotte.
If I can't have you, no one will.
Lotte, no!
No, Lotte!
God, no, we can't really kill her!
She's carrying Malkovich's seed!
My next vessel!
Hey! Help me!
- Where the fuck am I?
- We're in Malkovich's subconscious.
The last thing you'll ever see, Maxine.
Fag-o-vitch!
Johnny, baby, Johnny.
Bad. I am bad. I am bad.
Maxine, I am gonna kill you!
You're creepy.
Little Johnny Malk-o-pee!
I loved you so much!
Why did you have to hurt me like that?
I'm sorry, Lotte.
I guess I loved you, too, in my way.
You are so full of shit, Maxine!
I know.
I know!
It's your baby, okay?
What?
The baby, it's yours.
It's ours. I got pregnant
when you were in Malkovich.
- You can't fuck with me any more, Maxine!
- I'm not!
I kept it because I knew
you were the father...
...the other mother, whatever...
...because it was yours.
So, we're parents?
Together?
Yeah.
- Aren't you John Malkovich?
- No.
- Yeah, you are.
- No.
I can't believe you're in this shithole, man.
- This is John Malkovich.
- I'm not John Malkovich.
- This is John Malkovich.
- I am not John Malkovich!
Yes?
Lester, please don't do it.
Please don't kill Maxine.
- So you'll leave?
- Yes, I am leaving.
All right. Do it now
while I'm on the phone so I can hear...
...and your lovely bride walks.
Okay. Okay.
I'm going.
Now, my friends. The time is now.
I'm free.
I'm back!
Lotte.
Hello. Hello, young lady.
We're Malkovich.
Maxine! I did it, Maxine!
I left Malkovich for you, sweetie!
It's no good being Malkovich without you.
- It proves I love you!
- Fuck off!
- Doesn't it?
- He's not with us.
Maxine, I love you!
I'm gonna go right back into Malkovich,
and kick Lester out!
And then you'll love me again! Maxine!
- Machine.
- Hey. Malcatraz.
- How are you?
- I'm very well. And you?
- Good, good.
- You look well.
Thank you. How's Celeste?
She's good.
She's sorry she couldn't make it today.
- She had to go to the store.
- That's okay.
Charlie, hi! I didn't even hear the door.
- Lookin' great, Flo.
- I'm looking grateful?
Charlie, we are not getting any younger.
Well, don't rub it in.
Listen, Charlie,
I know this is going to sound crazy...
...but what would you think
if I told you that I'd found a way...
...for us to live forever?
All of us.
- Johnny boy, what are you talking about?
- All of us.
Celeste, Floris, you, me.
Gary Sinise, maybe.
I don't really understand.
Charlie, this is Emily.
Isn't she lovely?
Pass the Cheetos.
- You need more puffs?
- No, I want more.
- Okey-doke. They're covered in grease.
- Shut up.
- Can I swim yet?
- Can you swim yet?
- What time is it?
- Shall we do the cramp test?
Check her.
Let me see.
Are you gonna throw up? Let me see!
Are you gonna throw up?
Are you gonna vomit?
Okay, you can swim.
Maxine.
Maxine.
I love you, Maxine.
Oh, look away.