Color Me Kubrick—Like Being John Malkovich, Being Somebody Else

Color Me Kubrick is the "true-ish" tale based on the life of Alan Conway (played by John Malkovich) who managed to scam a boatload of strangers who crossed his path into believing that he was the seldom-seen, super reclusive director Stanley Kubrick. Despite his lack of knowledge about the director's body of work, Conway, the character seems to possess the uncanny ability to zero in on the plaintive cries of the British sucker and coerce them into doing his bidding-- so when he's not busily constructing a web of untruths to divest wannabe fashion designers and working-class heavy metal meat heads from their wallets, he's hoodwinking has-been thespians out of their loot and remaining credibility but, as the old adage goes, one can't fool all people all the time, so you just know a comeuppance is offing.

Directed by Brian Cook, Color Me Kubrick is one of those stories that, if left in the hands of the unprepared, could easily unravel into a big ball of nothing. John Malkovich’s turn as the main character is one part Being John Malkovich and one part In the Line of Fire, the viewer knows where he’s going with whatever situation that Conway is canoodling himself into and how he’s going to do but the burning enigma is, how, exactly, is he going to pull it off without getting pinched-- whether it’s the use of over-the-top Americanisms/ speech patterns or how he wears a scarf around the neck just so, Malkovich’s character becomes plausible and pulls the audience along as he takes advantage of “the unwashed, unloved, unwanted and unknown” while simultaneously waiting for the other shoe that’s inevitably going to fall at some point.


The plot of CMK becomes clear about five minutes in so none of the above is a spoiler and the only special effects to be found are in the myriad of ways that Malkovich slowly peels back the layers on his character , eventually revealing the seamier side of seeking one’s fifteen minutes of fame while pointing fun of his real-life persona as an actor and how the dream of being connected to the Hollywood scene might play across the pond with a sprinkle of the British TV show Upstairs, Downstairs thrown in to taste. If you're in the mood for a caper movie, then Color Me Kubrick isn't it but still it's quite the ride...see the trailer below...