Review of Adaptation. (2002) by Joel P — 28 May 2013

"Adaptation" is a fascinating tug at the fabric of reality from Charlie Kaufman, who wrote "Being John Malkovich". In a strange move, Kaufman himself is the movie's troubled protagonist, who is struggling to adapt a book called the Orchid Thief to the silver screen.

The Orchid Thief is terrific as a book, but he cannot adapt it successfully into a screenplay because a story about flowers has no obvious resolution. Characters must change. There must be a dramatic arc, because movies aren't like mundane life, they aren't real.

Kaufman hates the idea because he hates generic Hollywood writing.His woes are compounded when his twin brother Donald, a fledging writer (who may or may not be imaginary), pens a formulaic Hollywood multiple personality thriller that sells big.

Kaufman himself, outrageously talented but crippled by insecurities and high standards, can barely get past the first page.Both Charlie and Donald are frumpy, balding, middle-aged men, but Charlie is entrenched by his antisocial nature.

He convinces himself he is a loser who no woman could ever find attractive. His talent is a wall to his entire progression as a person. Donald, infinitely less talented, is a prolific writer and a confident go-getter who is successful with the ladies.

Later on in the movie, you discover that Donald's enthusiasm stems from his belief that you are what you love, not what loves you.I should add at this point that besides Kaufman being a real character, the Orchid Thief and its writer Susan Orlean are real, as is John Laroche, the subject of the novel.

All these facts add to the weird fabric of "Adaptation". I wonder how Ms. Orlean felt when she saw Kaufman's desperate character masturbating over her on the big screen...So, here's the real mind job: the real Charlie Kaufman has written himself into "Adaptation", in which the character of Charlie Kaufman decides to write himself into his adaptation of the Orchid Thief! Confused yet?The bizarre genius of the movie is it commits screenplay sins throughout and even acknowledges it, in a jab at Hollywood's lazy writing.

Kaufman's insertion into his own movie could be viewed as self-indulgent and Kaufman's character acknowledges he has become the Ouroborous. Kaufman admonishes his brother for using split personalities because the body can only be in one place at once, yet (if Donald is imaginary), Kaufman breaks the rule in several scenes.

Kaufman laments that a movie based on orchids has no dramatic impotus, yet "Adaptation" itself is resolved by an improbable, dramatic turn of events involving the sex, guns and car chases he abhors.

Brian Cox's character Robert McKee implores with Kaufman not to use Deus Ex Machina in his writing. This, despite himself being one.The real Kaufman wrote himself into "Adaptation" from the very beginning, so that makes this entire thing fiction, but the moment Kaufman's character writes himself into The Orchid Thief, the story turns non-fiction into fiction, shattering the reality-fantasy threshold.

It's the idea of filming a TV set that is linked in with the camera, it just echoes into eternity. "Being John Malkovich" on acid.The best testament to Kaufman's writing talents (his real talents, not the stuttering talents displayed by his character) is that he conveys the original ideas of The Orchid Thief (rediscovering passion), with the ide of adapting to life, much in the way of the Ghost Orchid.

This movie even makes me like the normally obnoxious Nicolas Cage, who plays the polar opposites so well that both characters are so distinctive, despite being identical. This performance, in typical style of the movie, led me to my own paradox.

Cage was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, but had he excelled as Donald and not so much as Charlie, would he have been nominated for best supporting actor rather than best lead?