Adaptation

Adaptation Review

"Adaptation" is the latest collaboration from writer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze (the duo responsible for the quite brilliant and truly mind-bending "Being John Malkovich"), so it should come as no surprise to discover that this is also far, far from being a conventional Hollywood movie. In it Nicolas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman (and his fictional identical twin Donald) as the writer struggles to create a screenplay based on "The Orchid Thief," a non fiction book about a fanatical orchid breeder and the author's admiration for his passion for life. In real life Kaufman ran into a major writer's block trying to adapt this biographical account into a conventional narrative screenplay, which ultimately he was able to overcome by turning it instead into a story about himself struggling to write that very same screenplay - how terribly post modern!

The movie has received knowing plaudits from critics on both sides of the Atlantic and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, one for Kaufman and three for the cast. Certainly Nicolas Cage deserves the recognition for his portrayal of the doubt stricken Charlie and his larger than life brother, as do Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper for their performances as the troubled journalist and the orchid breeder she writes about. And the movie certainly starts well, with its knowing asides about the state of Hollywood today and some fine scenes from the (sort of) film within a film with Streep and Cooper. But its not long before it begins to lose its way, as if Kaufman really did want to show exactly how dull and humdrum 'real life' can be. Although its light hearted touch does return for a suitably bizarre and fourth wall breaking finale, by that time this reviewer at least had lost interest in the supposed plight of our writer protagonist. Ultimately then this archly clever and admittedly well presented tale failed to entertain me - surely the primary role of any movie?