Adaptation. (2002)

Director: Spike Jonze

Writers: Susan Orlean, Charlie Kaufman

Composer: Carter Burwell

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tilda Swinton, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Jay Tavare, Litefoot, Roger Willie, Jim Beaver, Cara Seymour, Doug Jones, Gary Farmer, Peter Jason, Curtis Hanson, Gregory Itzin, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Ron Livingston, Brian Cox

More info: IMDb

Tagline: From the creator of Being John Malkovich, comes the story about the creator of Being John Malkovich.

Plot: An account of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's attempt to adapt Susan Orlean's non-fiction book The Orchid Thief, which is the story of John Laroche, a plant dealer who clones rare orchids then sells them to collectors. We see the action of the book as we see Kaufman struggle to adapt it into a movie. This is presumably a somewhat true story, as Charlie Kaufman is the real life screenwriter of Adaptation.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

Nicolas Cage has had a VERY spotty career when it comes to hits and misses.  This is one of the few in the former category.  Playing twin brothers, he's an awful lot of fun.  The entire cast from Meryl Streep to Chris Cooper are having a blast and it shows.  The first two thirds of the picture a funny and quirky in that stream-of-conscious kind of way whereas the final third turns to drama but not without moments of humor.  Charlie Kaufman scripts are delightful.  BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002) are all kinds of fun.  I really need to check out the rest of his theatrical catalog.  He and director Spike Jonze are a good fit.