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In Adaptation, writer Charlie Kaufman and
director Spike Jonze succeed in creating a film even more messed
up than their earlier Being John Malkovich – and
that’s saying a lot. Adaptation is written by Charlie
Kaufman and partially based on a book by Susan Orlean. Adaptation
is about a man named Charlie Kaufman who is writing a screenplay,
partially based on a book by Susan Orlean. The screenplay he's writing
in the film is the story of himself, writing a screenplay about
himself (which is partially based on a book by Susan Orlean.)
It sounds confusing, but it’s actually not that bad. It’s
kind of like one of those pictures of a man looking at a picture,
and the picture he’s looking at is himself looking at the
same picture, etc. But there’s more to Adaptation than its
endless creativity. It’s about…well, I’m not totally
sure. But before I go any further I have to note the fantastic performances
by Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep. Nicolas Cage isn’t too shabby
either as both Charlie and his brother, Donald Kaufman. They all
make their characters real and interesting, even when everything
that’s going on seems surreal.
“Adaptation” refers to both the idea of adapting a book
to the screen, which is what Kaufman is trying to do, and to the
process of adapting to one’s environment – or evolution.
The characters don’t simply want to evolve though, they want
to be something better; they all want to be accepted and to have
done something great. They are all searching for something bigger
than themselves…but they have trouble finding it because they
can’t look outside themselves.
Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) is insecure, secretly depressed, and
looking for something to be passionate about. She looks for it in
an affair and in drugs and never finds it. John Laroche (Chris Cooper)
is equally insecure, having accidentally killed his own mother,
and looks for happiness in turtles, fish, and now orchids. He never
finds anything either.
This brings us to Charlie Kaufman, the successful writer of Being
John Malkovich, who is also insecure about his ability to write
another major motion picture. He struggles with it throughout most
of the film, until his brother finally whispers what could be the
tagline for the film, “You are what you love, not what loves
you.” This is the insight that allows Charlie to finish the
script. We really don't see how he’s changed or in what direction
his love is going, however. But I think the insight is significant
in that it cures him of his insecurity, of his internal need to
be accepted by others.
Adaptation is also fun as a heavily self-conscious story
about story writing. Charlie adamantly rejects the screenwriting
ideas of seminar presenter Robert McKee (Brian Cox) until he eventually
gives in and goes to him for advice. The film itself, however, constantly
runs consciously against McKee’s advice. In one scene, McKee
informs his seminar audience that voiceover is a lame way to express
a character’s thoughts – immediately after a voiceover
interior monologue of Charlie’s. At other times, it does all
the things Charlie didn't want to happen, car chases, flower heists,
gun shots, unnecessary romances, and life-changing epiphonies from
the primary character.
From playing with conventions to struggling with structure, Adaptation
says a lot about the screenwriting experience. It really does justice
to its difficulties and, by example of the film itself, shows what
good screenwriting really can achieve.
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