Adaptation. (2002)

Director: Spike Jonze

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper
Runtime: 115 minutes

Synopsis: A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 10/10
Editing: 9/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: Three years after the success of "Being John Malkovich", Charlie Kaufman was given an impossible task: adapt Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief" into a movie. While writing the script, he started to notice how unfit for the big screen the book was and therefore decided, without telling anyone and with the conviction that his choice was going to end his young career, to turn the film into his personal struggle to adapt that book. In other words, he's the protagonist of his own story, which follows the difficulties he encountered while writing that very same script. It's half-fiction, half-autobiographical, and possibly one of the most meta films ever made.

The concept is genius, entertaining, and thought-provoking, and there aren't many people who would be able to pull it off. But you can rely on Kaufman's brain and collaboration with Spike Jonze to deliver on such an absurd premise. The idea is so crazy that to this day, it remains the only film that got a fictional character an Oscar nomination since Charlie's fictional twin brother, Donald, is credited as a writer. They're both played by Nicolas Cage, who also grabbed a very well deserved Academy Award nomination for his performance as two vastly different characters. Charlie is portrayed as a shy, socially awkward, almost neurotic perfectionist who doesn't abide by the rules set by the "industry" while Donald comes off as a more relaxed writer, concerned with writing a script that sells. Donald admires Charlie, and Charlie is jealous of Donald, and the dynamic created by these feelings is a fascinating one to watch.

After writing a movie that takes place in John Malkovich's head, Charlie Kaufman found another victim to dissect: himself. In "Adaptation", he manages to adapt a book he thought was unadaptable by breaking every screenwriting rule there is and twisting it in a way that also makes it an adaptation of himself trying to adapt that material. It's crazy, unique, inspiring, clever, and funny, and certainly not something you'll forget anytime soon.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10