I live in a relatively small, inconspicuous ranch style house. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely, small inconspicuous ranch style house that I’m very thankful for. It’s quite comfortable and–although the kitchen is smaller than I would like–I have no desire to move.
My home’s signature design feature is its wide open living room with vaulted ceiling; that and a especially large master bedroom that we use as an office. So, yeah, there are those things…and our yard.
In fact, I would say that our yard–the backyard in particular–is the loveliest thing about our home. That’s because my husband has a fondness for flowers and a green thumb to go along with that fondness. It’s his hobby.
People take pictures of our yard. People that we don’t even know. (We also have security cameras. So…)
Anyway, despite my husband’s talented thumb, we’ve never had any luck with orchids. Every orchid we’ve ever had (five of them to be exact) has died. And that sucks.
Orchids are expensive. Even the ones you get at Home Depot.
The film Adaption is about orchids. It’s also about compulsion. And obsession. Lack of confidence. The attraction of opposites. Illegal drug manufacturing. Screenwriting. Filmmaking. Writer’s block and…Whew!
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention twins. It’s about twins. So, yeah, back to Whew! And I’m just getting started.
Charlie Kaufman is a screenwriter. For real. He wrote the screenplay to Spike Jonez’s acclaimed 1999 film Being John Malkovich and to Michel Gondry’s 2004 comedy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also directed the much lauded Synecdoche, New York.
Charlie Kaufman is also the protagonist (portrayed by Nicolas Cage) in his own screenplay Adaption. Confused? I’m just getting started.
The movie begins with Charlie, fresh off his success with Being John Malkovich, embroiled in the funk of…well, being Charlie Kaufman. Despite his obvious talent and intellect–or maybe because of it–Charlie has zero self-esteem. Compulsively analytical, he is pleased with nothing, and upset with everything.
But don’t misunderstand–he isn’t misanthropic. He longs for the companionship of a woman, for the sexual bond, to engage in the give and take of a relationship, but because he thinks of himself so hideously–he is paunchy, he slumps and his hair, what is left of it, is frizzy–he can’t imagine anyone of the female persuasion being attracted to him even though his smart and pretty friend Amelia (Cara Seymour) is clearly just that. She finds the disheveled writer fascinating and charming; she practically throws herself at him, albeit in a very ladylike way. He is oblivious to it.
Commissioned to write the screenplay adaption to writer Susan Orlean’s best selling non-fiction book about Florida orchid poacher John Laroche, (again, Laroche and Orlean are real people) Charlie suffers a debilitating case of writer’s block–in the movie and in real life.
In real life, try as he might, Kaufman could not figure out how to make a commercially successful and artistically viable adaption of Orlean’s book. So he wrote the screenplay Adaption inspired by his writer’s block instead. He used Orlean and Laroche as characters in the screenplay and wrote in appearances by actors John Malkovich, Catherine Keener and John Cusack who had starred in Being John Malkovich. To that stew he added real life screenwriting guru Robert McKee as a character and fictional twin brother, Donald Kaufman.
Johnathan Demme was slated to direct The Orchid Thief but bowed out of the project. His production partner Ed Saxon stayed on board as the producer and Spike Jonez agreed to team up with Kaufman again and direct. Likewise Susan Orlean and John Laroche agreed to Kaufman’s extreme embellishment of their biographies and, alas, Adaption was born.
In the movie, Charlie is none too happy that his congenial, happy-go-lucky twin brother Donald (also portrayed by Nicolas Cage, magnificently I might add) has moved in with him. Donald is paunchy too, and he has the same frizzy, thinning hair, but unlike Charlie, he is completely comfortable in his own skin so he dresses better, takes better care of himself, is friendlier and, consequently, has way better luck with the ladies. This baffles Charlie.
On top of that, Donald decides that he too wants to be a screenwriter and that pisses Charlie off. Donald is like Charlie’s irritating little brother who wants to copy everything big brother does only, of course, they are twins and Charlie can’t figure out why Donald likes him or why he likes himself, for that matter. Plus, Donald wants to churn out a cookie cutter thriller screenplay and “cash in on it”. To that end he buys some of Robert McKee’s ‘how to write a screenplay’ DVDs and signs up for his seminars. He suggests his brother check out the DVDs to help his writer’s block. This disgusts Charlie to no end.
Meanwhile, Charlie immerses himself in the book he is supposed to adapt, The Orchid Thief. True to his tendencies, he becomes obsessed with the book’s author, Susan Orlean (gloriously portrayed by Meryl Streep). He convinces himself that if he could just meet her, his writer’s block would break.
To this gorgeous, convoluted mashup Kaufman adds a parallel story–actually more of a faux documentary–about Orlean and “the orchid thief” himself, John Laroche (Chris Cooper in an Academy Award winning performance).
In real life John Laroche is a tall, elegant horticulturist who managed to poach/pilfer an extremely rare and elusive species of orchid from a nature preserve in the Florida Everglades. In Adaption, he is a sweaty, scraggly, toothless (he is only missing his two front teeth, but you get the picture) swashbuckling, near vagrant, self taught horticulturist tooling around in a rickety cargo van who manages to poach/pilfer an extremely rare and elusive species of orchid…Whew! You get the picture.
In the movie, Orlean becomes enamored with Laroche’s passion and intoxicated by his curious sexual potency. They begin a passionate affair that is enhanced by a drug, illegally extracted from the orchids by Laroche and his Seminole Indian confederates.
Charlie and Donald become aware of this drug conspiracy because they have been following Orlean, ostensibly for research, and in reality because of Charlie’s compulsive infatuation. This knowledge puts the twins in the crosshairs of the clandestine lovers who are desperate and willing to do anything–yes, even commit murder–to keep their passion alive.
Adaption is the most original, creative film I have ever seen. For years I avoided it. I didn’t think I would like it. Too convoluted. Too gimmicky. Too cute, I thought. Then I saw it. And I was right. It is everything I thought it would be. And it is wonderful. It very well may replace Magnolia as my tenth favorite movie of all time.
And that’s high praise from me. I love Magnolia almost as much as I love my cat Stryper–and I think magnolias are much more beautiful than orchids.
Great post 🙂 I love all of Spike Jonze’s films (he has only directed four to this day). The two cinematic collaborations between Jonze and Kaufman (this one and Being John Malkovich) confirmed that as great as their current work was, it was only about to improve in the future. So far, Kaufman won the “Best Original Screenplay” Academy Award in 2005 for writing the script to Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind the previous year. So far, he has directed two of his own scripts (Synecdoche New York from 2008 and the animated Anomalisa from 2015). Both of them are masterpieces. Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
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Thank you John. Even though I’m in love with this film, I’m still skeptical of Being John Malkovich. Funny how stubborn I can be–or not. I will watch it soon though; anyway, that’s my intention. And, I’ll probably like it, though I expect I won’t. Ha! I expect that Adaption is an anomaly. I usually don’t go for films like this–although I’ve never seen a film quite like this before. 8 1/2 is similar in some ways, but very different in others. I love 8 1/2 but what film buff doesn’t? I know this is cinema sacrilege, but I think Adaption is even more creative and subversive than 8 1/2.
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Whether or not that opinion of yours is “cinema sacrilege” still remains to be seen because as of 2018, Adaptation is only 16 years-old and as all of us have proven with our opinions over time, it is all very subjective. So rest assured I have no comment on that 🙂 One thing I can tell you though (despite the fact that you have not seen it yet) is that I personally feel that Kaufman’s Synecdoche New York (2008) is an ever grander achievement than Adaptation as much as I love both. Anyway, keep those comments coming 🙂
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I will watch Synecdoche New York. Maybe tonight.
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All the layers– I love it! I remember seeing half of ‘Adaptation'(vaguely). What was I doing in 2002? Gosh, it was an exceptionally busy time of my life and I’ll just say I missed it because I can’t really remember much. Now I’d love to rent it. Excellent post. I’d love to see some of your flowers in the backyard. I’m partial to flowers.
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Ahhh…On behalf of my husband, thank you Cindy. I may email you some pictures.
Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, I think you would really enjoy Adaption. It’s a unique film. Very literary.
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I love the film ‘Being John Malkovich’. Brilliant script.
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Haven’t seen it Cindy. I know I need to, but, believe it or not, I’m apprehensive. It doesn’t sound like a film I’d go for. But neither does Adaption. Go figure.
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I enjoyed the theme of identity. I enjoyed the acting (Cameron Diaz’best role)and the dark comedy. The puppetry on all its many levels was fantastic. It is very literary and fun to analyze.
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I believe you Cindy. I’m gearing myself up to watch it. Ha! Still skeptical. I’m horribly stubborn. Not proud of it, but not exactly ashamed either.
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I’m a huge Malkovich fan myself,he is an amazing talent,is he not? I have seen neither film either (or Magnolia) as of yet. They just never caught my fancy really….but I might have to add them to my internal watch list and add them when I’m out hunting.
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I know what you mean Michael. I avoided both films myself, especially Adaption. I hope you do watch one, or both of them. I would say–and there will be those who will scoff at this–if you’ve seen and liked Terms of Endearment than I think you’d like Magnolia. If you do see either film, let me know what you think about it. Oh..I’ve got a film that I love that I think you might like–Galaxy Quest. Great film. So funny.
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You mentioned Danny T as Johnny 23 in “Con Air” which featured a very nasty Malkovich.
Galaxy Quest is so much fun,a movie that once again,Alan Rickman stole….
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Ah yes. Malkovich is the quintessential villain–along with Alan Rickman, of course. I have to give the edge to Malkovich, he’s much more prolific and, I think he’s the better actor, but Rickman’s certainly no slouch. I’ve got just two words to give him his props–Die Hard.
Glad you like Galaxy Quest like I do.
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I have a feeling my comment isn’t going to end well…
‘Being John Malkovich’ is one of the most inventive films I have ever seen. I understand why some people just don’t get it, but I did, and I love it. You mention ‘Galaxy Quest’, and I agree that it is clever, entertaining, and often hilarious. Rickman is perfect for that film.
‘Magnolia’ is an excellent film, but as my aversion to Tom Cruise knows no bounds, I obviously think it could have been a cinematic landmark, if he hadn’t been cast.
That leaves me with ‘Adaption’. I have seen it, and thought the script was clever, and the convoluted plot worked well. But I just didn’t like it. Cage does his best, but the experience left me flat. Perhaps because I am English, I don’t know. I saw what he was trying to do, but just didn’t feel it.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, Please don’t mistake my enthusiasm and passion for films that I love (and, yes, the same could be said for films that I hate) for animus, or disrespect of your opinion. Not so.
I think you have great taste in movies–not that my opinion matters, I’m hardly an expert. And yes, we will all disagree from time to time–viva la diferencia. Remember, you recommended The Horseman to me and I loved it. Great movie.
I understand Adaption isn’t your cup of tea. I totally get that. It’s one of those that you love or hate.
Cheers,
Pam
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Thanks, Pam. Much appreciated. 🙂
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OH man, your autocorrect turned Adaptation into Adaption this whole entire post!
I love how quirky and weird this movie is. I have a soft spot for those. I really love Anomalisa.
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You know, Jay, I never realized that “adaption” and “adaptation” are different words until just now! Ha! I’m relieved to learn that they are virtually interchangeable, at least–so I don’t come off as a complete idiot. I will correct the title, at least, but I’ll probably let the text fly as is. It kind of fits with the whole theme or quirky weirdness.
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Wouldn’t it be cool to just go inside his head for just 5 minutes? I think his brain is wired differently, and he follows his thoughts and ideas down unconventional paths. Love it.
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I haven’t seen Adaptation though i did see Being John Malkovich when it first came out and liking it’s quirkiness. Adaption is enticing and I will have to watch it. Admittedly, I have to be in the mood for watching this kind of film. BTW, I am a big of Galaxy Quest too, Wonderfully bright post.
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Thanks John. I guess you caught the adaption vs. adaptation blunder. I’m a bit embarrassed–just a tad bit. Ha! I think you will enjoy this film when you do get around to it. It’s delightful–to me, anyway. I do understand those who don’t like it. It’s unconventional and, for the most part, I prefer straightforward cinema. albeit with a twist. This is contortionist cinema.
Galaxy Quest is great, isn’t it…It’s gentle and funny. A lot like Guardians of the Galaxy. Love it.
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Haha I love the way you lined up the Magnolias and the Orchids at the end, super writing. I’m intrigued to see the top ten movies, a task that breaks me every time I think about it. Not sure I could physically do it, my eye has started randomly twitching just thinking about it. Oh no now the left leg is shaking! I’d had better move on!
I only just watched Being John Malkovich on Monday can you believe it. That had always been adored by me since I first saw it, jeez 18 years ago now, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to see it again. Didn’t wish to spoil the magic. The second viewing, it was still fantastic but lacked that first awe and wonder. Where I loved Adaptation at the time I didn’t like it as much as Being John Malkovich but you know what I bet I’ll love it even more now. In very much need of a rewatch. Superb post.
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Thanks Mikey. You are too kind. Everyone has told me that Being John Malkovich is better. Adaptation is not really my kind of movie. I usually perfer something more straight forward. I suspect Adaptation is an anomally so I’m not real excited about seeing Being John Malkovich, but I will get around to it, Lord willing. Ha! Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to do so anytime. Love your site, by the way. It’s cool, funny and unique.
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