rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2002
Directed by Spike jonze; produced by Jonathan Demme, Vincent Landay, Edward Saxon; screenplay Charlie Kaufman, Donald Kaufman
Starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston, Brian Cox, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
From the same director (Spike Jonze) and screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman) of
'Being John Malkovich' comes 'Adaptation' and you know it is not going to be
a normal movie. It tells the story of Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) and his
difficulties adapting the book 'The Orchid Thief' written by Susan Orlean
(Meryl Streep). Her book is about an orchid thief named John Laroche (Chris
Cooper) who is strange and interesting at the same time. For the movie
Charlie has given himself a twin brother named Donald, also played by Cage.
The movie opens on the set of 'Being John Malkovich' where we see real
people like Spike Jonze, John Cusack and Catherine Keener. We also see
Charlie, who is a real person but played by someone else. And not much later
we see Donald, not a real person at all. The same happens with the movie and
the events in the movie. We can never be sure of what really has happened
and what is made up by Kaufman, but the way he mixes all this into his great
story is great.
The story is a great thing because it works on so many levels. It tells the
story of the orchid thief, it tells the story of the thief and his relation
to Susan, it tells the story of adapting a book, a story of a man who
despises himself and a story about his twin brother. It has dramatic
moments, there is comedy, suspense, action, sex and an ending that perfectly
fits the movie, although some people might not like it. At one moment
Charlie visits a class given by Robert McKee (Brian Cox) and has a drink
with him after that. McKee's lesson for Charlie is to make the ending
something to remember. That lesson is one Kaufman has followed, some others,
one in particular, he has not.
The story is great and the acting helps a lot here too, to make this a good
movie. Cage as both Charlie and Donald is perfect and you never mistake the
two because he does such a great job with the two different characters.
Cooper is also great as the orchid thief and Streep can't do much wrong
anyway, and here she proves that again. 'Adaptation' is probably not a movie
for everyone, but I sure had a very good time.