Adaptation

Here's another film that came out nearly a decade ago (!), I consumed it and have since forgotten (mostly) about it. The reason you should have an interest in this film - and the reason I took a shine to it as it was coming out - is because of Charlie Kaufman, the writer. I was first exposed to his work in Being John Malkovich, a quirky little comedy that was incredibly irresistible. He would also later go on to write one of my Top Five movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But as I looked back at Adaptation, I was curious if it would hold up to the test of time; was my memory hazy? After all, I (we: my roommates and I) watched a boatload of movies (a large boat, too) in university and the years following. Perhaps Adaptation was lost in the shuffle, as many movies were. Indeed, I can remember watching some of these "classics" and enjoying them, but after ten years, I can't remember if that enjoyment was valid (people change, after all).

Well, it turns out that I can trust my twenty year old self to some degree: this movie is brilliant. Watching it again was a great idea, and long overdue. I had it in my Netflix instant queue, and just recently noticed it's absence. A grey, nameless box took it's place and I question the practice of the streaming giant. It wouldn't stop me from seeing the movie, however.

The movie may be brilliant, but it is weird. It focuses on Kaufman (played by Nicolas Cage) trying to adapt a novel: The Orchid Thief. But the movie itself is an adaptation of The Orchid Thief, a real book. So we have Kaufman writing his screenplay inside the movie that he also wrote. It's a bit of a trip, and if you're up for it, the whole thing works. At one point, the movie makes a remark (from a critique of the novel) that the book is relatively empty, slow moving and without substance. And in that, Kaufman decides to muck around with things to get going, which is clearly what happened with this movie. Kaufman writes himself into the screenplay, and adds more: a fictitious brother who is also writing a screenplay. They play this up by giving the fictitious brother a writing credit on the movie itself. It's kind of crazy and I certainly don't do it justice by trying to explain it. The movie is not long and is worth a watch.

Nic Cage is also pretty good here, playing the part of Kaufman and Kaufman's brother flawlessly. Perhaps it's one of his better turnouts, and the seamless nature of them on screen at once makes me wonder if the technology they used in The Social Network to create the Winklevoss twins existed here too. Another aspect I really enjoy was the criticism of writing techniques. Kaufman is clearly pioneering new ground here and the criticism he received while writing it is evident on screen. His brother attends a script guru's lectures, and points out writing never-do's which Kaufman uses so much in his own. Kaufman sends the criticism back as he dismisses much of his brother's work, thinking it aburd. It's a small wonder that his films get made at all, and it's a great commentary on the Hollywood machine:.

I suppose I do have one unembarrassed passion. I want to know what it feels like to care about something passionately.