Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
Adaptation (2002): Directed by Spike Jonze
Going into Adaptation, I was hesitant at best. Nicholas Cage hadn't given a decent performance in ages, instead choosing awful roles in action films for what most of Hollywood considered the money. Also, I wasn't so sure of director Spike Jonze yet. Some of the visuals in his music videos were cool, but I thought (and still think) that Being John Malkovich is overrated. Much like Fargo, I thought it was much ado about nothing. This is why sometimes I'd prefer not reading others opinions on movies before I can truly formulate my own.
But alas, what a great surprise Adaptation had in store for me. Along with 25th Hour and Gangs of New York, it makes my top 3 movies for 2002. Cage plays two twin brothers, Charlie and Donald Kaufman. Charlie is a screenwriter in Hollywood, whose next project is to adapt a book called The Orchid Thief into an artsy-fartsy feature-length script, but he's having trouble finding an angle. His freeloading brother Donald, a confident yet quirky character, moves in with Charlie and eventually begins writing his own ridiculously preposterous script, entitled The Three. The dialogue between Charlie the formal master and Donald the novice is just gold.
Cage plays both parts perfectly, and he reminded me that somewhere underthat monotone voice and bicep-bulging action genre of his, he's really got some talent. Charlie is so insecure and anxious (shown in both Cage's performance and how he delivers his voiceover) that you can't help but feel a pity for him. And Donald is so cutely aloof and honest that Cage really brings a genuinely true dynamic to these twins. He's easily the star of the film.
In his journey to complete the script, Charlie, on Donald's advice, ends up going to a screenwriting seminar by none other than Robert McKee (a ferociously funny Brian Cox that's almost spot-on to the real-life character). Yes, Robert McKee is a real screenwriting guru; every aspiring screenwriter considers his book Story to be the screenwriting Bible. After repeated viewings, you'll find that Charlie doesn't quite take McKee's advice, and that's part of the film's charm.
The Orchid Thief, the book Charlie has to adapt, was written by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep), about her experiences with the eccentric title character John Laroche (Chris Cooper). By film's end, Charlie has finished his script, but not before it becomes much, much more about the book and delves into the lives of the author and the thief, who turn out to end up having a quite unique experience after Orlean finishes the book about her experience with him. No need for spoilers or to give anything away - just stick with this one. The final third is clever a la The Player, and I'll leave it at that.
Extremely well-crafted, Adaptation is a hoot from start to finish. It's ironic, it's satiric...it's what I expected Being John Malkovich to be and wasn't. And speaking of Malkovich, he makes an extremely funny cameo in this one as well, reprising his title role (!) from BJM.
I couldn't find a decent video clip of the movie without spoilers, so I'll leave you with the trailer instead. If you haven't seen the film, take what I've said, watch this and seek this film out. And if you have seen it, perhaps the trailer will remind you of how great the film is.
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #36: Adaptation
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:55 pm
Unthought Known
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:08 am Posts: 6583
Fantastic movie. I love most of Kaufman's work, even Human Nature lol. His movies always have a nice surreal feeling, even if in this case, the movie isn't as bizzare as his other works.
_________________ The folks just call him Buckethead...
We are trapped in the belly of this horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death.
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #36: Adaptation
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:09 pm
Unthought Known
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 6:24 am Posts: 6234
Bacchanal wrote:
"that's how much fuck fish..."
one of my favourite lines out there....great film....
"never so much as put a toe back in the fucking ocean" or however it goes. that is certainly one of my favorite lines as well. the preview hardly does justice to what a great movie this is. whenever people blast nick cage, i always reference this, leaving las vegas, or the weather man. there is some overlap in all of the roles, but they are excellent regardless. interestingly enough, not many people have seen any of them. this is a top ten for me.
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #36: Adaptation
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:37 pm
Of Counsel
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:14 am Posts: 37778 Location: OmaGOD!!! Gender: Male
This is a movie that I really enjoyed, until the last 20-30 minutes, when it became one of my favorite movies of recent years. Quite the opposite of what often happens at the end of films.
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #36: Adaptation
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:34 am
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:36 am Posts: 5458 Location: Left field
Love it and what can one say about Kaufman's work. Eternal Sunshine for a Spotless mind is one of my all-time favorites. We should have a Kaufman month or multi-week fest.
_________________ seen it all, not at all can't defend fucked up man take me a for a ride before we leave...
Rise. Life is in motion...
don't it make you smile? don't it make you smile? when the sun don't shine? (shine at all) don't it make you smile?
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #36: Adaptation
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:29 am
Epitome of cool
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
Theresa wrote:
FranCes! you sneaky little bitch picking a streep movie this particular week
Haha, that's actually a coincidence I hadn't even thought about. But I'm fairly certain people's voting isn't going to be directly related to the MotW.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
I think that was part of its brilliance. Remember when McKee tells Charlie not to use deus ex machina in his script? And since Adaptation, the movie that we see, eventually became the script to Charlie's new movie, it had to end that way. It's brilliant, actually, and one of the few times where I'll say a modern Hollywood ending is perfect. But it is jarring because you come to really care about those brothers.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
I think that was part of its brilliance. Remember when McKee tells Charlie not to use deus ex machina in his script? And since Adaptation, the movie that we see, eventually became the script to Charlie's new movie, it had to end that way. It's brilliant, actually, and one of the few times where I'll say a modern Hollywood ending is perfect. But it is jarring because you come to really care about those brothers.
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picking a streep movie this particular week 
