Adaptation.
Story by: Susan Orlean (book)
Screenplay by: Charlie Kaufman, Donald Kaufman
Directed by: Spike Jonze
PLOT INTRODUCTION
Charlie Kaufman writes the way he lives... With Great Difficulty. His Twin Brother Donald Lives the way he writes... with foolish abandon. Susan writes about life... But can't live it. John's life is a book... Waiting to be adapted. One story... Four Lives... A million ways it can end.
REVIEW
‘Adaptation.’ is a wonderfully intelligent piece of film that starts off perfectly but sometimes gets swallowed by its own parody, mainly during the third act. Intentional or not -you gotta hook 'em in the third act, the rest doesn't matter- the parody does work well and is convincingly done, but I was all to aware of the fabricated nature of it to stay within the film. Indeed, I felt myself 'awakening' a few times towards the end and becoming conscious of myself watching a movie again. Sure enough it's an original take on narration but not always for the best.The film itself is every writer's fantasy film, focusing on Charlie himself as a struggling artist, trying to pin down and ---
Y'know what, I've just had a think to myself and what I was complaining about up there was bullshit. ‘Adaptation.’ doesn't swallow itself in its own parody, how could it? It is constantly aware of itself, being as it is a self-conscious film or more precisely, script. The film itself adapts to the situations and flow of the creative process, not afraid to leave what it loves or believes in. How could he just stop taking an interest in fish right? Does he need a reason? Nope, and neither does Kaufman here.
Wonderful. Simply wondeful.
Oh and if you're reading this and you've not seen this film yet, I realise you have no idea what I'm going on about. Stop reading this and watch the film, then continue.
Anyway where was I? Ah yes...
The film is a wonderful study of a struggling artist trying to paint an unknown beauty he can vaguely see in his mind. This isn't the only theme of the story, in fact ‘Adaptation.’ has many, all established at the beginning, after a muffin and some coffee. The film mixes many genres, never willing to submit to finding its own space in a set aside corner of rules, often generating many different styles of writing into itself, creating a film free to be at peace with its own nature.
Charlie works as a very interesting center piece for these ideas, as are the rest of the characters whom are masterfully developed with perfect pace without even knowing it. Kind of like the insect that pollinates a flower, right? Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep both deliver fantastic performances, as do the whole cast who help to bring the characters to life realistically and suitably to the script.
So that's about it, I'm hungry and really can't think of much else to say except 'see this movie'. Although, if you haven't seen it then you either skipped the middle part of my review, or you just didn't heed my advice and so probably won't watch the film whether i recommend it or not. However, if you did do as I said or you simply HAD already seen the film then there is really no need for me to recommend it to you.
Whatever, I recommend it nonetheless. With it's wonderful direction by Jonze, and beautiful photography amongst some of the other reasons I've hardly touched on in this rabble of a review, you'd be a fool not to.
Oh and one more thing: I actually enjoy narration in film.
Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 10/10/2007.
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