In the fleeting moments where I consider writing
stories or scripts, I invariably think about one of my
favorite subjects; the act of artistic creation, and
especially the absence of it, also known as writer’s
block. Since this is one of the main themes of Adaptation,
you can safely assume I was captivated by this
absolutely fascinating new film.
If you’ve missed hearing about this film’s
oddball concept, I’ll do my best to explain an idea
that is, in many ways, difficult to encapsulate. The
protagonist of Adaptation is also its writer
(or co-writer, depending on who you believe),
screenwriter Charles Kaufman (played here by Nicolas
Cage). Given the task of adapting author Susan Orlean’s
book The Orchid Thief into a screenplay (a task
the real life Kaufman was given), he struggles with
writer’s block until he realizes what’s missing
from his script - himself. As Kaufman sweats it out,
we meet Orlean (Meryl Streep in the film) and the
eponymous thief John LaRoche (Chris Cooper). LaRoche
is a strange and very interesting fellow, missing his
teeth and pontificating at length on flowers and
Internet porn. It’s great stuff, but it’s not a
movie. “There’s no story!” the screenwriter
shouts to his agent. What’s a Kaufman to do?
This stuff could be flagrantly self-indulgent (as
character Charles points out in a perspiration-laced
rant), but Kaufman and Jonze are far too talented for
that. Racing from the dawn of time and back, Adaptation
is a wild, mesmerizing mess of a movie. Here is a film
that condemns violence, sex, and conflict in
conventional Hollywood movies, and then throws all of
these elements into the mix anyway. Of course, this
movie is satirizing these things by including them.
Or is it? This movie gleefully changes moods,
settings, locations, time periods, and genres so
frequently its difficult to get a handle on what its
making fun of and when. For example, Charles is
constantly mocking the teachings of screenwriting guru
Robert McKee (played terrifically by Brian Cox),
demonizing the guy as a leader of a cult, but when
Kaufman gets to talk to him, he comes off as a
compassionate, kind human being. Above all, this film
is not willing to fit into an audience’s
expectations and desires for structure and convention.
Anything, and I mean anything can and does
happen in this film. And that is wonderfully exciting.
The three central performances are all
Oscar-worthy, though I suspect only Chris Cooper will
get a supporting nomination for his almost
unrecognizable turn as LaRoche. While he’s good,
Nicholas Cage gives the most impressive performance,
as both Kaufman and his twin brother Donald. Not only
does he create two rich and distinct characters, he is
so good that you often forget that it is only one
actor doing both parts. For the most part, the film is
free of those crummy tricks used to make one actor
look like his own twin. Cage almost has me convinced
that he really is two different people, one who makes
films like Leaving Las Vegas and Raising
Arizona and another who did Con Air and Snake
Eyes.
Adaptation’s ending is already dividing
audiences, and I can certainly understand people’s
problems with it. With such warm and likable
characters, Adaptation appears to be headed
towards a conclusion that would leave audiences
walking out all warm and fuzzy. Instead of continuing
on this logical path, the film veers off onto
unexpected paths, as Orlean heads to Florida to see
LaRoche without informing her husband, and the Kaufman
brothers follow her. What ensues is very violent and
absurd, as the characters come into conflict in
unusual ways. Some have said that this is Kaufman’s
satirizing McKee’s need for exactly these elements,
and certainly the moment when McKee instructs Kaufman
to “find your ending” is an important moment in
the film. While I could have enjoyed a more
predictable ending, the only thing that didn’t
satisfy me about the one Jonze and Kaufman selected
was that it made the film’s epilogue slightly hard
to swallow, an irony in and of itself since I accept
the nonsense that precedes it.
I look forward to seeing this movie again. If any
film deserves a premium treatment on DVD it’s this
one. I’d love to see multiple commentary tracks (How
about one with the real Kaufman, Orlean, and LaRoche
watching the film together?), making-of docs, and
extensive interviews with the contributors. Adaptation
is tough work, but worth the effort in the end. Which
is, it seems, exactly what Kaufman would say about his
adaptation.
