Director
Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman are first class nut jobs. I mean
that as a compliment, for their new picture Adaptation is a spectacularly creative
entertainment, much more so than their previous collaboration Being John Malkovich.
Nicolas
Cage seamlessly carries off a wonderful dual performance as twin brother screenwriters
Charlie and Donald Kaufman. Charlie struggles to adapt a novel called The Orchid
Thief (no, I've never read it) while energetic Donald has absolutely no problem
hashing out a generic actioneer that Hollywood Producers seem to instantly fall
in love with.
We
are also given a story within a story, as we meet the characters within the novel
that Charlie is adapting. They are wonderfully played by Meryl Streep and the
amazing Chris Cooper.
Adaptation
plays as a sort of metaphor for writer's block, and while similar subject matter
was displayed more brilliantly in the Coen Brothers' vastly underrated Barton
Fink, Kaufman and Jonze have fashioned a compelling tale about what it's like
to be a writer.
After
penning Being John Malkovich, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was at a loss as to
what he should tackle next--so he decided to use this quandary to his advantage.
Adaptation is an intimate, in depth look into the world of screenwriting, not
only giving a satirical glimpse into the world of big studios, but a look into
the mind of the writer himself. Kaufman isn't afraid to poke fun at his own insecurities
as a writer either. How literally this eccentric character is actually based on
himself is beyond me, but it makes for great entertainment. In Adaptation, Kaufman
even gives us insight into the making of Being John Malkovich adding to this odd,
creative achievement.
Jonze's
direction is extremely innovative and very unpredictable, and thankfully, Adaptation
never feels self-conscious despite it's "inside joke" approach.
There
have been complaints about the detour that the final act of this picture takes.
It's certainly open to interpretation (some say the final act of the film is directly
from The Orchid Thief) and while I was a tad underwhelmed by it, I feel like Jonze
and Kaufman have given themselves total license to go wherever the hell they want
with this movie because of it's subject matter. I did not like the direction that
Kaufman ultimately took Being John Malkovich. That stuff with the elderly people
was just silly to me, and because of it, the movie as a whole, was a let down.
The abrupt, change of pace in Adaptation by contrast seems more acceptable because
this is essentially a story about imagination and writer's block.
While
certainly flawed, Adaptation is more often brilliant than not, and I greatly admire
it for it's innovation and willingness to attempt something fresh and exciting.
Originality is not easy to come by in movies these days. In an age of processed
blockbusters, Adaptation earns high marks for attempting something truly novel.
