“Adaptation” (2002)
The surreal inner workings of Charlie Kaufman.
This was originally written as a continuation piece within the much larger opus blog article on the career of the film’s director, Spike Jonze, which is linked at the bottom of this introductory paragraph. But as with Being John Malkovich three years earlier and then later with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Synecdoche, New York, Anomalisa and 2020’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, I’m also here for the surrealist writings and weird workings of the screenplay writer for all of these magnificent films, Charlie Kaufman.
“I’ve been on this planet for 40 years, and I don’t understand a single thing”
Three years on from their first collaboration, Director Jonze and screenplay writer Kaufman joined forces again with Adaptation, a self reverential take ostensibly on the process of adapting a book for the cinema screen but through Kaufman’s writing it’s far more than that as his screenplay is bathed in self reverential nods and winks to himself, the Hollywood industry and the process itself of turning a successful book into a similarly successful and viable film. As the title of the film suggests it’s also a reflective take on the process of adaptation itself, be it in the life of a plant, or in this film’s case an orchid, or adapting to unforeseen changes in life and adapting to loss, loneliness or accepting and adapting to being somewhat different to the people we surround ourselves with.
Adaptation is all this and so much more as with tongue often firmly in it’s cheek it references back to Being John Malkovich (with many of the film’s stars reprising their roles briefly on screen here) whilst following the trials and tribulations of a screenplay writer named “Charlie Kaufman” (Nicolas Cage) and his entirely fictitious twin brother “Donald Kaufman” (also Nicolas Cage!) as Charlie tortures himself trying to adapt “The Orchid Thief” by “Susan Orlean” (Meryl Streep), as well as her fascination and ultimately fictitious love affair with horticulturist “John Laroche” (Chris Cooper) as Susan strives to write about a man so at odds with the world but with a passion that is desperately missing in her own life as he ventures into the unknown seeking a rare “Ghost Orchid”. In a somewhat surreal summation we have a story written by a screenplay writer about a screenplay writer of the same name, his carefree yet completely fictitious twin brother with whom he shares both his life and his troubles as he struggles to adapt a book written by a real life author played brilliantly by Meryl Streep as she struggles to adapt to changes in her own life whilst writing the book upon which the film will be ultimately based!
The film has a non-linear narrative which lends itself perfectly to the complicated story, so in essence we view Charlie Kaufman’s present day anxieties as he tries desperately to adapt the book whilst also struggling with his own inner demons. Charlie is socially inept, awkward and full of self loathing at his chubby and balding outer exterior whilst inwardly he simply cannot write a coherent, intelligent and somewhat interesting screenplay. One of the film’s real joys are the constant juxtapositions employed throughout and here Charlie is juxtaposed against his devil may care yet raw twin brother Donald. Although naïve and formulaic in his thinking, Donald is perhaps what Charlie used to be, a free form and expressive writer, not the deeply depressed, socially awkward writer struggling desperately with writers block and a supreme lack of confidence.
With the shifting of the time narrative Charlie is also starkly juxtaposed against the writer of the book that he’s trying to adapt. Whereas Charlie is manic with ideas but ultimately nowhere near adapting a workable script we see Susan Orlean gracefully writing and indeed narrating a joyous if melancholic account of her search for the ultimate orchid thief but with further juxtapositions we also see a rather more reflective Susan who, with the book nearing it’s completion, cannot comprehend how her life as a writer has been transformed by the magnetic presence of the self proclaimed “smartest person I know”. Her suburban life of tranquillity and writing for a living has been shaken up by a gap toothed roughneck who has shown her a life that before meeting him, she could barely believe existed at all.
Of the characters already introduced, Nicolas Cage is back on stellar form here as he portrays each of the twin Kaufman brothers. As has already been alluded to, Donald is in fact entirely fictitious however Cage still infuses him with an outward brio of light contagious enthusiasm so at odds with his twin brother Charlie. His portrayal of the angry and frustrated actual screenwriter is pitch perfect with every look of shame, betrayal and self loathing eerily reminiscent and which harkens back to his Oscar winning portrayal in the eponymous Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. Here seven years later he would be Oscar nominated again for his dual portrayal of the conflicted brothers, and rightly so. As we’ve come to expect, Meryl Streep is superb in her role of the original author Susan Orlean as her life changes almost beyond redemption but which also takes on real meaning as she tracks down and falls in love with John Larouche. Chris Cooper would ultimately win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his wonderful portrayal of the gruff, perma smoking, rough and ready Larouche, and he thoroughly deserved this recognition. There is far more to John Larouche than meets the eye. He may be an orchid thief but he’s a conservationist, a horticulturist and despite appearances a well read man. However he defies the norms of life and follows a lifelong passion that through Cooper’s tour de force portrayal is evident in every scene and continues to infuse one of the film’s many themes of juxtaposing a life well lived against a life that could, maybe should, be adapted.
The self reverential theme continues throughout the film and never more pertinently than Kaufman’s inclusion of himself in the script and the inclusion of not one, but two narrations. This draws the ire of “Robert McKee” in yet another self reverential insight into the world of screen writing as McKee is a world renowned real life film writing expert and brilliantly brought to life in an expletive strewn cameo from Brian Cox. Further referenced cameos come from John Cusack, Catherine Keener and John Malkovich as they each reprise, but more importantly send up, their previous roles in Being John Malkovich and both Director Jonze and fellow Director David O Russell cameo briefly, but more substantive roles fall to Tilda Swinton as “Valerie Thomas”, a deadpan film executive trying to formalise a deal for the adapted book, Maggie Gyllenhaal as a make up artist on the original set of Being John Malkovich “Caroline Cunningham” and Ron Livingston provides a hilarious and awkward cameo as Charlie Kaufman’s offensive and repugnant Agent “Marty Bowen”. However, two further fuller and nuanced female characters inhabit Charlie’s world to equally devastating effect with Judy Greer excelling as the ever smiling and thoughtful “Alice the Waitress” providing a perfect backdrop to Charlie’s ever tangling mind of contradictions, but Cara Seymour is stunning in a hugely underrated role as Charlie’s would be girlfriend “Amelia”. Firm friends and would be lovers, if only Charlie could relax and write that damned screenplay!
As you may have guessed, this is yet another Kaufman/Jonze film that I adore and one that twelve years since it’s initial release still remains fresh and vibrant whilst retaining its prominent themes of adapting, growing, changing and following a life’s passion amongst many others. Adaptation is wholly self reverential but it’s equally self critical too which as well as garnering Chris Cooper’s first Oscar win also saw nominations for both Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep’s wonderfully eccentric central performances and a second nomination for the the tortured screen writing genius that dreamt up the whole idea in the first place, Charlie Kaufman.
So much for writer’s block eh?
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
