ADAPTATION.
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2002 David N. Butterworth

*** (out of ****)


The lines between reality and invention are cleverly and schizophrenically
blurred in "Adaptation.," the latest puzzle from the creative minds behind "Being
John Malkovich"-?screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze.

In the film Nicolas Cage plays a screenwriter named, oddly enough, Charlie
Kaufman. Kaufman (the character) is adapting the non-fiction book "The Orchid
Thief" (written by real life New Yorker columnist turned author Susan Orlean)
into a movie; Orlean is played by Meryl Streep. "The Orchid Thief" documents
the life and exploits of the colorful John Laroche (Chris Cooper), a delusional
naturalist cum rare orchid collector with no front teeth (courtesy an automobile
accident, graphically realized). Cage also plays (with the assistance of some
extremely convincing trick photography) Charlie's twin brother Donald, the real
life Hollywood screenwriter and twin brother of Charlie.

Is this a "real" story, then? (Sort of.) Does it matter that some--perhaps
all--of the characters in the film are based on (or simply are) real people?
(Not really.) Is it all as confusing as it really sounds? (No.)

The film's complicated tagline--more a précis of the entire movie--sums
it up quite nicely: "Charlie Kaufman writes the way he lives... with great difficulty.
His twin brother Donald lives the way he writes... with foolish abandon. Susan
writes about life... but can't live it. John's life is a book... waiting to
be adapted. One story... Four lives... A million ways it can end."

The ending of "Adaptation." is, as it turns out, a bit of a let down especially
since at one point in the film an authority on screenwriting suggests that an
exceptional ending is what separates great films from purely good ones (so you're
led to expect an extraordinary finale that never really transpires). But up
until that point Kaufman and Jonze, along with a stellar cast, lead us on an
imaginative, funny, and highly original journey into the Florida Everglades
in search of an elusive and highly-coveted flower known as the ghost orchid
(echoing, perhaps, our search as humans for that elusive passion in our pathetic
little lives?).

It's done with flair and wit and eccentricity... and terrific performances.
Cage is wonderful in a demanding dual role and we have come to expect nothing
less that excellence from Streep (who doesn't let us down). But the real find
here is Chris Cooper, rock-solid and dependable in his previous outings ("American
Beauty," "The Horse Whisperer," "Lone Star," etc.) yet near sensational here
in a charismatic, full-blown performance that ought to be recognized at Oscar®
time. In fact, the film should easily pick up nods for best screenplay and
best director, with perhaps one or two additional acting nominations (it's no
coincidence that the film is being released now as AMPAS voters ready their
year end "for your consideration" checklists).

The ability to adapt to change, whether it be a person or a rare species
of plant, is one definition of the film's ambiguous title. Yet even the more
obvious meaning of "Adaptation." cannot ignore that strange--and from a non-grammatical
standpoint relatively disappointing--period at the end.


--
David N. Butterworth
dnb@dca.net

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