ADAPTATION

Image Entertainment /2002 / 114 min. / R 

There are few screenwriters, who aren’t also directors, who can be classified as stylistic auteurs… writers whose work is unique, thematic and instantly recognizable.  Prior to making his directorial debut in 2008 with SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, Charlie Kaufman’s scripts for BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION (both directed by Spike Jonze) and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (directed by Michel Gondry) presented mind-twisting variations of singularly Kaufmanesque themes – including identity, love and sanity – in screenplays that could only have been written by Kaufman. 

In ADAPTATION, making its 10^th Anniversary Blu-ray debut, Charlie Kaufman not only writes a movie directly about himself (played by a wonderful Nicolas Cage), he gives himself a twin brother named Donald (played by a wonderful Nicolas Cage), who is the taunting antithesis of Charlie’s nervous, diffident screenwriter.  In fact, Charlie Kaufman even shares a “written by” screen credit with his fictional twin, an act that resulted in both brothers receiving nominations for an Oscar.

ADAPTATION came into being when Kaufman was hired to write the screenplay of “New Yorker” writer Susan Orlean’s non-fiction book, “The Orchid Thief.”  Grappling with the adaptation, Kaufman wound up turning his creative struggle into the screenplay for ADAPTATION, in which a sweaty, self-loathing Kaufman battles his overwhelming insecurities and his guileless, self-confident twin, who happens to be breezing through the writing of his own formulaic, cliché-strewn script.

One remarkable point about ADAPTATION is that we actually do get a pretty good sense of Orlean’s book.  We follow Orlean (Meryl Streep, terrific as ever) as she goes to Florida’s swamplands to meet and write about John Laroche (Chris Cooper, who copped an Oscar for his work here), a long-haired, gap-toothed, poetic obsessive who hunts rare orchids in the gator-infested everglade. 

Under pressure from his agent (Ron Livingston) and the studio executive who hired him (a superb Tilda Swinton), Kaufman becomes more and more desperate to get a handle on the script.  At Donald’s suggestion, and against his best instincts, Charlie finds himself at a weekend screenwriting seminar run by Robert McKee (Brian Cox).  McKee (another real-life person) berates Charlie in front of the attendees but then agrees to have a drink with him, giving Charlie the key to success with his script. 

At this point, both Charlie and Donald’s story and Orlean and Laroche’s story start to cross over and spin into wild realms of cinematic fiction.  While some people found the last act (Kaufman has said he doesn’t know what a third act is) over-the-top and incongruous, that’s exactly the point.  In the end, ADAPTATION is as much a movie about the prostituted creative process of making movies as it is an adaptation of Orlean’s book. 

With Spike Jonze confidently at the helm and a solid supporting cast that includes Judy Greer, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Cara Seymour, ADAPTATION is a tour de force on all counts.  But ultimately, it’s the fractured reflection of Charlie Kaufman’s twisted vision.

THE DISC

A fine transfer makes this the best this movie has looked or sounded on home video.

EXTRAS

A quick, 3-minute behind-the-scenes short, shot in the swamp, is all that’s included.

MY SAY

A dark, twisted, delightful romp into the heart and soul of a screenwriter and his process.  Excellent performances, solid direction and a singular script make

ADAPTATION a must-see.

--Reviewed by David Newman