“Adapting is almost shameful…unless you’re Charlie Kaufman”

Let’s take a moment of silence to appreciate Charlie Kaufman’s ingenuity as a screenwriter, for he’s done it again. Seriously, this guy can do no wrong. As with previous screenplays like Being John Malkovich, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation is another sensational and thought provoking Kaufman film. Adaptation flirts with the line between fiction and nonfiction, and ultimately leaves the viewer questioning which aspects of the film are authentic or apocryphal.

Adaptation centers around Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage), an insecure screenwriter who is struggling to adapt a novel, The Orchid Thief, written by New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep), into a screenplay. In the process of trying to adapt a seemingly uninspiring novel into an original work of art sans Hollywood techniques like murder, car chases, sex, and drugs Kaufman writes himself into his own screenplay and the events and stories that unfold are simply magnetic.

There is a noticeable dichotomy between the first and second halves of the film. The first half is solely devoted to the truthful account of The Orchid Thief and the strictly professional relationship between its respective characters, Susan Orlean and orchid virtuoso John Laroche (Chris Cooper). Charlie wishes to emphasize the natural beauty of flowers, nature’s miracle, as portrayed in Orlean’s book, but ultimately encounters severe writer’s block at the near impossibility that this portrayal could stimulate an audience. Eventually, Charlie caves under the pressure of Hollywood and hollywoodizes nearly every aspect of his original work. Kaufman’s twin brother Donald is the fictional Hollywood version of Charlie. Orlean and Laroche engage in a love affair and a plot to murder the Kaufman twins upon their discovery of said love affair. Even the ghost orchid is subject to hollywoodization, for it becomes a means to extract a drug. Chaos ensues in the form of gun shots, car chases, car crashes, and spontaneous and unexpected deaths ultimately leading to a Hollywood ending where the characters experience life altering events that prompt them to change their outlook on life.

Despite Kaufman’s obvious and intentional falter in the face of Hollywood’s supplications, Adaptation provokes several intriguing inquiries about life, passion, and the process of developing an original or completely unoriginal piece of art. Additionally, superb casting (Streep brushing her teeth alone is Oscar worthy) and drolly humor elevate the film to an admirable stature. As Susan Orlean would say “adapting is almost shameful…it’s like running away.” Although Kaufman may be guilty of conforming The Orchid Thief into a hollywoodized screenplay, the adaptation is in no way shameful, it’s pure brilliance.

Film Statements:

How closely related are our personal life decisions and our writing decisions? What do the two reveal about the other?

Is writing yourself into your screenplay really a bad idea?

Is it possible to deliver an admirable piece of artwork sans hollywoodization?