Adaptation (2002)

Spike Jonze's new movie, "Adaptation," is a funny and entertaining look at insecure screenwriters, Hollywood hokum, and the lengths to which people will go to get what they want.

Nicholas Cage is terrific in a dual role. He is Charlie Kaufman, a real-life screenwriter who has been commissioned to write the movie script for Susan Orlean's acclaimed novel, "The Orchid Thief." Unfortunately, Charlie has a monumental case of writer's block. He is also an insecure, nerdy guy who has trouble connecting with women and who is ashamed of his unkempt appearance. He is chubby and he wears a flannel shirt with the tails hanging out throughout much of the film. Cage also plays Charlie's twin brother, Donald, who is confidently writing a screenplay of his own. Donald's screenplay is formulaic and derivative, but he manages to sell it for a bundle. In addition, Donald has no trouble getting a beautiful woman to be his girlfriend.

The conceit of "Adaptation" is that Charlie proceeds to write a screenplay about his inability to write a screenplay. There are hilarious vignettes with the wonderful Meryl Streep, who plays the writer, Susan Orlean, as a repressed journalist who is depressed because of a lack of passion in her life. Chris Cooper almost steals the movie as the eponymous orchid thief, a toothless, lowdown individual who somehow connects with Orlean.

Jonze and Kaufman are making several statements here. They are saying that Hollywood is a place where desperate people will do anything to succeed, include writing formulaic potboilers. The way to survive is to adapt, to become whatever the public wants at the moment. You need to "get with the program" in order to succeed in Hollywood and in life.

"Adaptation" is also a movie about passion, about loving what you do, loving someone else, and loving life itself. You need to take risks, even if you wind up falling on your face, or else your life is meaningless.

"Adaptation" is confusing, exhilarating, beautifully acted, and one of the most intriguing films that I have seen in a long time. See it, and you will understand what all the fuss is about.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) "Adaptation" is not a film for viewers who gravitate toward conventional movies. Charlie Kaufman (Nicholos Cage) is a sweating, overweight screenwriter prone to voice-overs and fantasy. Given the coveted job of writing an adaptation of Susan Orlean's THE ORCHID THIEF, he struggles mightily with his art and the downturn of his personal life, which is also desperately in need of adaptation. When his twin brother Donald (also Cage), the archetypical mooch, decides on a whim that he, too, will become a screenwriter, Charlie is pushed to the edge. The movie begins to twist on itself, showing scenes from the story of "The Orchid Thief", Charlie's struggle with it, and, most comically, Charlie and Donald's head-banging exchanges about writing screenplays. It soon becomes evident that we are watching the finished screenplay of Charlie's (and Donald's) adaptations, with all its quirks and dramatic license.

Cage makes the real screenwriter Charlie Kaufman hilariously pathetic, and argues with his wide-eyed (and thinner) alter ego with equally comedic success. Meryl Streep is great in the role of Susan Orlean, especially as she takes her character from Charlie's to Donald's genre. Chris Cooper is incredible as LaRoche, the charming but strange orchid thief himself; I had to keep reminding myself that he was an actor and not the real-life Laroche himself.

Viewers who enjoy the type of weird ride that the screenwriter/director combo of Kaufman and Jonze ("Being John Malkovich") provide will find it hilariously clever; others will be left shaking their heads. If you like films by the Coen brothers such as "Fargo" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", you'll probably appreciate the humor and ambition of this film.

Buy Adaptation (2002) Now

From the brilliantly warped mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman comes "Adaptation." This film didn't get all that much play in the theaters and true, it's not for everyone. But "Adaptation" is destined for classic-status. You've probably heard something about it or else you wouldn't be here looking at this page. For a synopsis you can look just about anywhere, so I won't bore you with that. But in the likely chance you are here because you are confused and looking for information, that I can help you with. I won't give any spoilers, I'll just help focus the line between reality and whatever dark corner of Kaufman's mind this came from.

True: "The Orchid Hunter" is a non-fiction book by author Susan Orlean about an eccentric Floridian named John LaRoche who was convicted of attempting to steal orchids from the Fakahatchee swamp.

True: Charlie Kaufman was hired by Colombia to write a film adaptation of the book. "Adaptation" is that film.

True: Nicholas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, the real-life screenwriter of this film and the film Being John Malkovich.

False: Charlie Kaufman has a twin brother named Donald Kaufman. Kaufman does not have an identical twin brother.

False: Donald Kaufman co-write "Adaptation" and wrote a script called "The Three" that is coming out in 2004. Obviously, if Donald Kaufman doesn't exist he didn't write a screenplay. However, this is still worthy of mentioning just in case you noticed the cast bios on the DVD it lists Donald Kaufman as a writer with "Adaptation" and "The Three" as credits.

True: Robert McKee is a leading screenwriting teacher with a bestselling book entitled "Story."

As far as the story itself goes, you'll have to discern fantasy and fiction for yourself. But if you pay careful attention to what McKee says it's fairly obvious at which point in the film fiction enters ("Wow them in the end...").

Lastly, it's been stated that this film has a cop-out in the end. I can't believe someone would actually say that if they remotely paid attention to the film. It's the entire point of the movie! (And Kaufman's philosophy on story-writing.) Kaufman is anti-Hollywood and anti-formula. So clearly there is a great deal of rhetoric and irony involved in his choice of the ending, especially when you consider McKee's words to Kaufmann. It's not a cop-out it's a brilliant slap in the face to Hollywood.

Read Best Reviews of Adaptation (2002) Here

Keeping things simple, Adaptation is a fine example of a near-Escher logic and structure. Things turn in on themselves and never quite appear as they seem.

Nicholas Cage gives two excellent performances as a seriously on the edge screenwriter with a ton of problems, in particular no way to write a story based on a book he admires that has little action and is about orchids, not a winning formular for a screenplay.

This could have gotten sophomoric easily and to the film's credit and the fine acting of the cast instead we see twists and turns within the mind and within the plot. Reality faces inner monologue and inner monologue becomes reality...oh, and the film is non-linear which takes the viewer on a sensory rollercoaster ride.

Truths are told as the convoluted story, which is fairly easy to follow, makes it's way through something you'd expect to read in a gonzo, prozac gone bad, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas kind of way.

The last 30 minutes (or if you prefer third act)change in tone and style, collapsing in mood and sudden linear exposition and action. On first viewing it was a bit of a disappointment but watching the film a second time it was a good choice and made sense.

An entertaining film and enlightening. You learn a lot about the creative process and the toll it can take on writers if you come away with nothing else, and there are many other areas explored. Adaptation is one of the few films that is fun to watch, challenging and not so arty as to be condecending to the audience which is probably how it got made. That and the success of Being John Malcovich by the same screenwriter/director team. Adaptation is everything a film should be.

Want Adaptation (2002) Discount?

First of all, LOVED this movie...one of the very, very best of the year (but then, I loved Being John Malkovich and this is very much in the same vein).

But this Superbit [stuff] really gets my goat! I can understand that DVD lovers may want to see an epic with incredible special effects (think, Lord of the Rings) on special Superbit technology, but ADAPTATION? The visuals didn't exactly make the story! Furthermore, Adaptation is just screaming out for extras...it's an intellectual head-trip of a movie and there could be all kinds of fascinating background stuff...but NO!!! First we have to be suckered into buying THIS version before they will put out a ..., "special edition" down the road....

It's such a marketing ploy. I mean, here I sit wishing to own Adaptation, a movie I would love to watch over and over again (and probably pick up new things each time), and the marketers KNOW that I will pay the money now, and then again later when they add the bonus features. It just leaves me with a bad taste (Why not put out both versions now and let people choose? Oh, I know why....$$$$)

Anyway, great film.

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