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| Rated: R |
2002 |
Color |
120 mins |
| Starring:
Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris
Cooper, Catherine Keener, Ron Livingston, Tilda Swinton, John
Cusack |
| Directed
by: Spike Jonze |
| Written
by: Charlie
Kaufman |
| Based
on/Written by: The
Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean |
| Music:
Carter Burwell |
| Movie
Co.: Columbia |
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Critique
Section
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HugeReviews.com's
Official Rating System:
Pathetic
Wimpy
Solid Super
HUGE
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| HugeReviews.com's
Reviews |
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| Movie
Stills: Photos |
Links |
Awards |
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HugeReviews.com
Reviews:
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Real-Time Screenplay:
Adaptation
by Michael Flanagan
HUGE
I saw Being John Malkovich. I wasn't crazy about
it. It was good, and it was nice to see something original
come out of Hollywood. But I felt there was a little
missing. Adaptation, however, is wonderful.
It's divided into 3 very distinct acts, so distinct, in fact,
that they're almost like 3 different movies.
The first act, when we open on Charlie Kaufman, is
hysterical. Nicholas Cage does some of his best work in a
VERY long time, and though I don't put much weight on these
things, I'd guess he'll be mentioned for the O-word. (No,
not THAT O-word, though it would make sense with the movie.)
He's perfect as both Charlie and the more optimistic and
successful twin brother, Donald. And like Leo in Man in
the Iron Mask, he plays each part so differently that he
REALLY does come off as 2 people, so much so that in a scene
where they mention trick photography as a means of showing one
person as two, it didn't even occur to me until after the movie
that this was yet another self-referential parodies.
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And what a Hollywood parody it is. The
second act features more on the book on which the story is
based, "The Orchid Thief," and Charlie's struggle with
adapting it. I had read a lot about this movie, but I was
unprepared for the genius writing of the nature of adaptation,
on a biological level, and in relation to writing. This
coupled with beautiful shots of insects pollinating flowers
makes for not only a funny, satirical piece, but a beautiful
film. You get the feeling that Kaufman really could have
adapted the book (more directly) into a film, and director Spike
Jonze could have done a wonderful job with it.
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But, as is the point, that's not what
Hollywood wants. So we get the third act. We get
what Charlie didn't want to do, as he says in the opening scene,
but we get what the industry (don't say that word) loves, what
makes money, what they say we want. And Meryl Streep holds
this last act wonderfully, from the line "We have to kill
him" and on to the end. I usually don't like her
performances, and I think she gets chances at O's even when she
doesn't really deserve them (don't we all?), but in this case,
she's so NOT Meryl Streep that it's perfect, a pure joy watching
her.
People in the audience last night started groaning about this
last act. A reviewer at Amazon griped about how it ruined
the movie. I hope that more people, as the film is slowly
released, will GET it. It's a tongue-in-cheek, purely
self-referential and delightful last act. If you get it,
you can almost see the real Charlie Kaufman sitting back and
smiling, maybe winking a little, as his movie meticulously lays
out everything Hollywood stands for and rips it to shreds.
The first two acts of this movie, though blended often together,
exist to serve this moment.
Instead of silently following the ground rules of screenwriting,
Kaufman lays them all out right in front of you for most of the
movie, and spends the last half hour pointing out that every
single one of them is bullshit.
But for those who don't GET it, it's okay, because you'll
probably enjoy it, go home, and pop in the wonder of film that
is Armageddon. |
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| Awards
& Nominations: IMdb |
Full
Cast & Credits: IMdb |
| Links:
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