McCormack 1

Robert McCormack

Composition

Professor A.M. Brandt

May 8th, 2011

Word Count: 1,129

An Original Thought: Evaluating Adaptation:

In the opening scene of Adaptation, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman asks himself if

he has a single original thought in his head. This notion pulses through the subsequent

film, which tracks Kaufman’s struggle to find that original thought in the midst of a

grueling adaptation of Susan Orlean’s nonfiction bestseller The Orchid Thief. Real life

figures like Kaufman, Orlean, and her subject John Laroche begin to intertwine,

distorting the truth as they each search for one unabashed passion in their lives. Expertly

blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, Spike Jonze’s dramaedy Adaptation has

rightfully been praised for it’s brazenly original screenplay, intensely colorful

performances, and meticulous direction, which results in a dazzlingly bold and thought-

provoking exploration of the creative process and the suffering it causes.

Crafting a story based around himself and his fictitious twin brother Donald,

author Susan Orlean, and horticulturalist John Laroche, Kaufman melds fact with fiction

to great success, both creatively and critically. Having incorporated himself into his own

writing, Kaufman’s onscreen incarnation speaks of avoiding the traditional Hollywood

clichés that plague so many scripts, while the “real” Kaufman crafts a story that is self-

aware of it’s tropes and manages to utilize them to full affect. Indeed, as Todd McCarthy
 McCormack 2

of Variety claims, “Kaufman has written an illuminating and entertaining film that at least

purports to be about the very process he went through trying to write an adaptation of The

Orchid Thief.” In lesser hands, the screenplay could have easily collapsed in on itself

under the weight of it’s self referential structure, but Kaufman manages to find true heart

in the material, evident most in the romantic relationship between Orlean and Laroche

that blossoms after Orlean, yearning to care about something passionately, embraces

Laroche’s shameless love of flowers. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praises

the screenplay, saying “Kaufman [and director] Jonze take huge risks to ponder the whole

notion of passion – our desire as human beings for passion in our lives and the emptiness

one feels when it is missing.” Despite being hailed by critics, including Bill Muller of

The Arizona Republic, who said “Charlie Kaufman [deserves to] win best screenplay for

a movie that’s essentially about his failure to write a screenplay.” Adaptation was

considered to have an outside shot of winning the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the

75th Annual Academy Awards due to its surreal subject matter. Indeed, Charlie Kaufman

lost the race to Ronald Harwood’s screenplay, The Pianist, though he did manage to win

the equally respected BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper lead the ensemble cast, infusing

their deeply flawed characters with great humanity, allowing the audience to relate

despite bizarre and extraordinary circumstances. Tasked with arguably the toughest job of

the three actors, Cage plays both Charlie Kaufman and his twin brother Donald. While

their appearances may be identical, the two couldn’t be any more different. Roger Ebert

praises Cage’s performance, stating that he “gets so deeply inside their opposite

characters that we can always tell them apart even though he uses no tricks of makeup or
 McCormack 3

hair.” Certainly, Cage does a remarkable job of distinguishing Charlie and Donald,

particularly during the final act of the film as the brothers attempt to seek out Orlean,

their own vulnerabilities finally coming out on display. The rapport Cage creates between

individual characters is striking, considering it is the work of just one actor. Like Cage,

Meryl Streep deftly approaches the challenge of playing a real person in a very unreal

situation. Todd McCarthy says Streep “gives a quietly alert performance that permits

emotional revelation in well-judged stages.” The transformation Streep undergoes over

the course of the film is indeed remarkable, as noted by Andrew O’Hehir of Salon, who

says, “Orlean’s transition from a diffident, repressed Manhattanite… into a giggly

hedonist… is wonderful to behold.” Streep’s interpretation of Susan Orlean is one of

carefully measured increments, layer after layer exposed as Orlean falls deeper in love

with Laroche, or at least what Laroche represents with his unbridled passion. Streep’s

raw fury and despair in her scene following Laroche’s death is a significant cap to her

characters arc. As for Chris Cooper, who ultimately won the Academy Award for Best

Supporting Actor, he strikes a perfect balance, making sure his larger than life character

never quite becomes a caricature. Roger Ebert remarks that Cooper brings a “lighthearted

darkness” to the role that makes Laroche both fascinating and compelling. Lisa

Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly say Cooper is “fabulous as Laroche, all wiry and

unaccountably attractive with greasy hair and no front teeth.” Cooper’s performance is in

fact unforgettable, one of both colorful intensity and surprising wit. Like Cooper, both

Cage and Streep were nominated for Academy Awards, though both went on to loose

their respective races.

 McCormack 4

Reteaming with Kaufman for Adaptation is Being John Malkovich director Spike

Jonze, whose background in music video production infuses the film with an intrepid and

pulsing energy. The two clearly work in sync with each other, which is obvious by the

complimentary beats of the film. Jonze’s familiarity with Kaufman’s style of writing and

his unique, self deprecating voice allows him to establish a specific tone, one that Wesley

Morris of The Boston Globe calls both “epic, funny, tragic, demanding, strange, [and]

original.” Jonze’s style of directing also sees the success of the films performance, as J.

Hoberman of The Village Voices states, noting that “it’s not too surprising Jonze is a

talented director of actors, as well as comedy.” While Kaufman’s screenplay may be the

unwavering anchor in the production, it’s clear Adaptation wouldn’t be anywhere near

the success it is without Jonze. Lisa Schwarzbaum says, “it’s clearer than ever that Jonze

can do with picture and performance precisely what Kaufman can do with words.” She

adds “Jonze can make actors and action dance in such a way that even the loopiest notion

seems sane, and maybe even deep.” Unlike his fellow creative partner Kaufman, Jonze

was not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, somewhat surprising

considering his Golden Globe nomination as well as his Academy Award nomination

four years prior for Being John Malkovich.

Due to the strength of the talent behind Adaptation, the film manages to achieve a

status of reverence thanks largely in part to it’s daringly multilayered screenplay,

unapologetic performances, and clever direction. While Kaufman’s screenplay is the

anchor – and arguably the heart of the film – it’s success hinges largely on the acclaimed

performances of Cage, Streep, and Cooper, developed ingeniously by Jonze as director.

 McCormack 5

There have been countless films about the struggles of the creative process, but none as

audaciously original in design and execution as Adaptation.

 McCormack 6

Work Cited

Ebert, Roger. Adaptation. Chicago Sun-Times. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library

Solutions. Web. 1st May 2011.

Hoberman, J. The Truths About Charlie. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library

Solutions. Web. 8th May 2011.

Honeycutt, Kirk. Adaptation. The Hollywood Reporter. (2002). LexisNexis Academic &

Library Solutions. Web. 1st May 2011.

McCarthy, Todd. Adaptation. Variety. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions.

Web. 1st May 2011.

Morris, Wesley. Adaptation: A Revolutionary Look At The Evolution of Creativity. The

Boston Globe. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions. Web. 1st May

2011.

Muller, Bill. Adaptation. The Arizona Republic. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library

Solutions. Web. 1st May 2011.

O’Hehir, Andrew. Adaptation. Salon. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions.

Web. 8th May 2011.

Schwarzbaum, Lisa. Adaptation. Entertainment Weekly. (2002). LexisNexis Academic &

Library Solutions. Web. 8th May 2011.

Scott, A.O. Adaptation Film Review: Forever Obsessing About Obsession. The New

York Times. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions. Web. 1st May

2011.

Travers, Peter. Adaptation. Rolling Stone. (2002). LexisNexis Academic & Library

Solutions. Web. 8th May 2011.