Adaptation (Superbit Collection) | Jim Beaver, Nicolas Cage

Adaptation (Superbit Collection) | Jim Beaver, Nicolas Cage | Watch "Being John Malkovich" first

DVDs:

Adaptation (Superb...

	Adaptation (Superbit Collection) Jim Beaver, Nicolas Cage Sony Pictures, 2003 average customer review:based on 317 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

A Nappaland.com Review

Plot Summary: Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) struggles to adapt a book into a screenplay.
Reason for the Rating: Language, sexuality, some drug use, and violent images.
Bizarre. Crazy. Zany. Quirky.
Any of these words accurately describes Adaptation, so be prepared to pay attention when you're watching this one! Charlie Kaufman is a real-life screenwriter with several television series to his credit, and the also quirky and bizarre film Being John Malkovich. Adaptation picks up with the filming of Being John Malkovich, showing Charlie on the set of that movie. He's a man who loathes himself, who cannot complete a thought, and who is bound by fear.
Charlie is hired to adapt the real-life non-fiction book, The Orchid Thief, into a movie. The author, Susan Orleans, is a real person portrayed here by Meryl Streep, and the book is about an ego-centric real-life orchid expert named John Laroche (remarkably played by Chris Cooper). This much is all true. The rest...who can say? Charlie labors over the screenplay, and bits of what he writes are interspersed with sections where he laments his loser status in life. Mixed into the plot is Charlie's twin brother Donald (also played by Cage, but who does not exist in real life, and who, despite the tributes in the end credits of the movie, never did exist) who can't seem to get a job so tries his hand a screenwriting, and, despite his blithe oblivion to the realities of life and Charlie's expert advice, succeeds.
At times Adaptation is slow and filled with voice-overs to convey Charlie's thoughts about life, the evolution process, and how, according to Darwin, we've all adapted to various situations to become who we are today. At other times it's shockingly violent, absurdly funny, and down-right sad.
Besides the violence, sex, and drug use, Christians may find the message of evolution and adaptation offensive. Yet there is truth that we do adapt to the situations of our lives, and that these changes define us. The movie also encourages viewers to consider the passions of our lives. While the passions of those in the movie may seem bizarre, they demonstrate the meaning people find in life through what they love and pursue--and how futile these passions are outside of knowing God.

Nappaland.com Recommends: Adaptation is only for mature viewers who want to think about what they've seen. Even though there are plenty of funny moments, this one could spark serious discussion about pursuing our passions and facing our fears.

After the Show...If members of your family choose to view this movie, use these questions to spark discussion about it afterward:
---Consider each of the main characters in Adaptation. What is the passion of each one? How does pursuing these passions change the lives of these people? What are you passionate about in your own life? How do you pursue this passion, and what difference do your actions make?
---When Donald and Charlie are hiding in the swamp they have a discussion about love. What do you think of Donald's views of loving others? How does what Donald shares change Charlie? How could embracing this view change your relationships?
---Charlie is a recognized screenwriter and appears to be successful to those in his business. But in reality he's filled with doubts and fears that keep him from growing and enjoying life. In what ways are you like Charlie? How can you move beyond the fears that might be trapping you?

AN

for more information click here

Watch "Being John Malkovich" first

A follow-on to Being John Malkovich, this film also explores the nature of reality, but goes one step further and considers the nature of the creative process. As the film proceeds, the viewer is constantly exposed to comments about what is happening on the screen (e.g., "Never use voice-overs") which are amusing but also distracting. Viewers interested in the nature of the creative process, especially screenwriting, will find this technique interesting, others will find it distracting.

In any event, rather than being a follow-on in the conventional sense, this film contains actors and sets from Malkovich, which means you will understand it better if you see the earlier film.

Your enjoyment of the film will also be enhanced if you read The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Susan Orlean first. The film is based on, and remarkably true to, this book. The book is enjoyable in its own right, but reading it will give you a feeling for the problems faced by Charlie Kaufman in writing the screenplay.

After appearing in "Being John Malkovich," Cameron Diaz reportedly said, "There are 14 standard plots in Hollywood. This is the 15th.", suggesting how unusual these two films are.

But they are also different. While "Being John Malkovich" has an ending that fits the film, here the ending is contrived, which fits the overall plot but is likely to leave the average viewer dissatisfied.

for more information click here

Clever blending of reality and fiction

I preferred the way this film blended reality and fiction over the way it was done in "Being John Malkovich" (Which is by the same writer and director).

This is one of those movie experiences where you know the flim's creators want you to know they are trying to play mind-games on you. ;)

The filming of "Being John Malkovich" is part of this film's story-line, so it does help to have seen "Being John M." before seeing this film.

Very clever, mind-boggling movie

I enjoyed Adaptation a lot. It is very very clever and very funny. Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep all do a great job and bring it together into one coherent (sort-of) ending.

The movie is about the process of writing a screenplay from another source, but turns into an examination of the creative process, and how it relates to the creators (writers). Nicolas Cage plays the inhibited, smart, unhappy screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann, who is charged with turning "The Orchid Thief" into a film. He also plays Charlie's identical twin brother, Donald, who is everything Charlie is not, but also aspires to be a screenwriter. Charlie Kaufmann, btw, is the real writer of "Adaptation," but it is credited to both him and Donald (who is a character in the film, and not a real person). In fact the film is dedicated to Donald (Donald Kaufmann, btw, also has an entry in IMDB as a screenwriter).

Also writing is Susan Orlean (played by Meryl Streep), whose book "The Orchard Thief" Charlie is working to adapt for film. Susan has her own struggles with the creative process. The focus for all this creative energy is LaRoche, the Orchid Thief of the title, whose obsession with collecting orchids is at the heart of the movie. I think it is pretty interesting how LaRoche is the character who feels the most strongly about his passion, while the two writers circle around him and try to find something in their own lives they feel strongly about. Chris Cooper is completely convincing as LaRoche, and it is a relief to see him playing something besides a government bureaucrat or a military officer.

I laughed a lot at the scenes where Charlie attends a seminar on screenwriting. I actually use some of the "tips" to judge movies (for examle, never ever use a voiceover ...)

Although I had fun watching this movie, I am not sure that I would call it a really good movie (definitely not a great movie). Behind all the amusing connections and intricate story lines, I am just not sure that there is all that much there. I enjoyed it a lot, although I doubt that I will remember much about it a year from now.

for more information click here