MOVIE - ADAPTATION - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Brian Cox, Cara Seymour & Maggie Gyllenhaal.
DIRECTOR - Spike Jones (Being John Malkovich)
SCREENWRITERS - Charlie & Donald Kaufman
Adaptation is the story of Charlie Kaufman's (Being John Malkovich) struggle to write a screenplay adaptation of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief. Hence the title.
Kaufman wrote the screenplay for Being John Malkovich. Kaufman is the epitome of the creative genius type and a walking self-parody at the same time. Its a delight to be given a brief opportunity to peer through this movie portal into the inner workings of his mind. Ultimately, this opportunity, proves to be both a blessing and a curse. Kaufman's personality quirks lose their initial charm in direct proportion to the number of times Kaufman resorts to them to get a laugh.
Adaptation's saving grace is the material that Kaufman struggles to write a screenplay for. The story of John Laroche, The Orchid Thief, transverses the emotional spectrum. His story is humorous, ironical and in the end very poignant. Chris Cooper's portrayal of this unique individual is riveting.
To truly appreciate Adaptation you must, without me giving it away, recognize that underneath the pandemonium Adaptation is a send-up of the creative process that results when blockbuster mania and test audiences drive the moviemaking process.
It's safe to say that you won't see another movie like Adaptation this year. Miss this one and you'll be missing one of the year's most creative films.
FULL REVIEW OF ADAPTATION & LINKS TO ALTERNATIVE REVIEWS
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