I just saw Adaptation. F*****g brilliant.
Of course, one might wonder about a movie directed by someone named “Spike Jonze”. 
It gets worse; one of the screenwriters is fictional (which didn’t keep him from being nominated for an Oscar).
It’s the same group who did “Being John Malkovich”, and the 2 movies are closely related. But Adaptation is weirder.
[quote="glauber"It’s the same group who did “Being John Malkovich”, and the 2 movies are closely related. But Adaptation is weirder.[/quote]
I think it was the weirdness that I was unattracted to. But Nicholas Cage was great in it, and that, at least for me, was what made it worth the watch. But then I wasn’t all that fond of “Being John Malkovich” either but I loved the acting.
With this one, i felt completely let down by the ending, until i thought about it and realized it was, really, the point. I also really like the way things are left unanswered (is Donald real or not?). I wonder what Susan Orleans and the orchid guy thought, when they saw it. I hope they got paid enough! 
I thought it was a pretty bold bet to bring in the Orchid Thief book. I read the book, but i wonder if most people who saw the movie did. Without knowing the real story, you don’t know where they changed it. Maybe that’s part of it too. Like BJM, it’s a play with the idea of what’s real and what’s just film. They create a certain expectation of reality by using real characters (the movie’s script writer is also the main character), then deliberately break this trust and leave you thinking you were crazy to expect a movie to be, somehow, “real”.
Hmm…I didn’t read the book, and I wonder now if that would have made the difference. I too was left wondering whether Donald was real or not, but in a way that’s what made the ending more interesting because there was that question (if that makes sense ). I’m not one for predictability, and that was one of the movie’s redeeming qualities. It wasn’t a horrible movie (it IS worth the watch), just a tad bit over the edge for me…but again maybe if I’d read the book first I would have looked at it a bit differently.
Charlie Kaufman (sp?) is a genius. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are all in a category of their own. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Probably not but that shouldn’t stop you from reading the book. The Orchid Thief is just about Chris Cooper’s character. When Adaptation came out I heard an interview with Susan Orleans. She was very open to Kaufman’s artistic license.
I think the weirdness was crucial to Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. It’s more realistic. People are bizarre, quirky and flawed and I find those kinds of characters more believable.
If you like Charlie Kaufman screenplays, check out “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.” Not nearly as weird but very good.
Cheers,
Aaron
Hey, speak for yourself!! 
If you like Charlie Kaufman screenplays, check out “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.” Not nearly as weird but very good.
I was intending to anyway…despite my complaints on his movies, I still tend to want to watch them anyway. 