Movie Reviews

Review in a Hurry: This mildly amusing comedy tells the "true-ish story" of Alan Conway (John Malkovich) who, for years during the '90s, impersonated film director Stanley Kubrick. While Malkovich is colorful, it's tough to take a shining to Kubrick's shallow approach.

The Bigger Picture: Being John Malkovich means having an insatiable appetite for over-the-top characters, and the master thespian gets plenty to chew on with the role of con man Conway. But Kubrick threatens to collapse beneath him—not from Malkovich's deep teeth marks on the scenery, but from the flimsy story structure, which basically strings together a series of scams. 

Conway is a boozy, flamboyantly gay Londoner with a modest apartment and a tragic sense of fashion. Though he knows little about Kubrick or his work (and looks little like him), Conway passes himself off as the famous filmmaker, nattering on about upcoming projects and stars like "Tommy Cruise." (At one point, Conway—as Kubrick, played by Malkovich—talks about casting Malkovich in his movie. Ooo, so self-referential!)

The auteur-imposter swindles aspiring artists out of cash, restaurateurs out of meals and scads of handsome men out of their pants. His biggest bamboozling involves cheesy singer Jim Davidson, whom Conway promises to promote in Vegas. But the charlatan's cover finally gets blown after a slipup involving New York Times reporter Frank Rich.

Malkovich is clearly having a blast here, parading around in garish outfits, playing sloppy drunk and adopting awful accents. But the film never gets beyond the outrageousness, never reveals the person behind the persona. And though Conway himself probably would've preferred to remain elusive, it doesn't make for the most captivating character or story. By not exploring Conway's—or his victims'—blind addiction to celebrity-hood, Kubrick stumbles around with eyes wide shut.

The 180—a Second Opinion: Film geeks (you know who you are!) will dig catching the sly references to Kubrick films, including soundtrack choices, a cameo by Marisa Berenson (Barry Lyndon), the Bleu Danube Adult Bookstore (an allusion to 2001) and a funny spin on "I'm Spartacus!"