After writing a screenplay for a successful, yet odd movie, “Being John Malkovich”, Charlie Kaufman is given an assignment to adapt a book about flowers. Charlie has no idea how anyone could write a movie about flowers and it stresses him out.
Blaine: “Adaptation” is a fiction, but a lot of the stuff in it is based on fact. Like Charlie Kaufman is a real person and he’s the guy who wrote the screenplay for “Adaptation”, which is based on a book by Susan Orlean. Both Charlie and Susan are characters in the movie, but with a few differences compared to how they are in real life. Charlie even gave himself a twin brother in the screenplay. Charlie Kaufman has a strange imagination, but the stories he writes are original. “Adaptation” is his best. “Being John Malkovich” was the first full length feature both Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze got to make, not just together, but their first full length feature ever. Before then, Spike Jonze was making short films and Charlie Kaufman was writing for T.V. “Adaptation” was their second project. Their first feature, “Being John Malkovich” is used as a reference in “Adaptation”. It’s a movie within a movie, done by the same guys. It shows a little bit of the behind the scenes of “Being John Malkovich” in “Adaptation” and actors who were in “Being John Malkovich” like John Cusack, Catherine Keener and John Malkovich himself made cameo appearances in “Adaptation” as themselves.
As soon as journalist Susan Orlean finished writing her book, “The Orchid Thief”, and it got published, people from Hollywood were knocking on her door interested in adapting it into a movie and she was completely shocked by it because it felt unsuitable to be made into a movie. But producers were really interested and Susan was ok with that. Susan figured they would have problems adapting it, but that was no concern of her’s. Charlie Kaufman was in charge of developing the screenplay. It was challenging for Charlie at first, but he knew he would figure something out. It took a while for Charlie to figure out how he was going to do this and he got nervous as time was passing. Charlie was thinking it was impossible, but then he tried to just ease himself. Charlie then thought about adding himself into the screenplay and have it involve the situation he was having. After that Charlie had a full idea on how the screenplay was going to go, he spent seven months working on it. The screenplay was different from what the producers were expecting after Charlie turned it in. They asked themselves what Susan Orlean would think of it.
The producers took Susan Orlean out for dinner to show her the script and see what she thought of it. Although it wasn’t easy for them to just hand Susan the screenplay because they were nervous what she would think of it. Susan knew they had something to show her, but she didn’t know what it was. Finally, Susan just told the producers to hand over whatever it is they have to show her. They gave Susan the script and she read through the whole thing that night. Susan couldn’t understand why her character would have a love affair with John Laroche, the horticulturist she was interviewing to write the book. There was also one problem Susan had and that was her character having a nude photo on a porn site done by John Laroche. The producers explained that not everything in the story is true. Like Charlie put himself in the script only he wrote himself as having weight, losing hair, acting like he has a disability and fantasizing about women he likes. Susan knew how much the producers wanted to make “Adaptation” and she just said ok on condition that the movie would not premiere in Ohio because that’s where she is from. Susan did feel that “Adaptation” was true to her book and she was impressed that Charlie was able to pull it off after thinking “The Orchid Thief” could never be adapted into a movie.
When Charlie decided to add himself as a character into the screenplay for “The Orchid Thief”, Spike Jonze was the first person he told because Spike was someone Charlie could talk to. Spike really wanted to be involved with the project once Charlie told him his idea. Meryl Streep thought Spike Jonze was well prepared in making his second feature. People who are directors love what they do because it’s their passion and the set is their favorite place to be.
Nicolas Cage was a fan of “Being John Malkovich” because he thought of it as creative and it made him want to work with director Spike Jonze. Nicolas told Spike that he wanted to do a project with him and Spike was already getting attached to “Adaptation”, so he suggested they do that together. It was interesting for Nicolas that Charlie Kaufman would add himself into the story. Nicolas knew it would be a challenge to be playing two characters in the same movie. Charlie has a twin brother, Donald, who’s personality is different from his. Nicolas knew he would only play twins once in his career and that would be it. Nicolas wanted to interview Charlie Kaufman to figure out how he was going to play the character. Although Charlie, the character, described himself perfectly in the script. Nicolas would record his conversation with Charlie and then burn the tapes because Charlie likes a few things in his life to remain private. Nicolas was always switching back and forth between Charlie and Donald each day of shooting. In the movie, Charlie feels he is a coward because he is always nervous when he is around people. He’s afraid to ask a girl out or kiss her. Charlie wishes he was more like Donald because he has a lot of courage and is positive about himself. But Donald thinks Charlie is an inspiration too. Because of Charlie, Donald became a screenwriter and discovered he has a talent too. They look up to each other. Donald is there for Charlie, even when Charlie might not want Donald around. And when Charlie needs to express what he is feeling Donald is there to listen.
Meryl Streep thought the script for “Adaptation” was unlike anything she had ever read before. Meryl was curious why she was offered the role of Susan Orlean instead of hiring a younger actress, but they wanted her. The real Susan Orlean couldn’t believe that an actress with experience and is a legend was going to play her character in the movie. I really go for the relationship between Susan Orlean and John Laroche.
Everyone thinks of John as odd, but Susan thinks different. She thinks a lot of him the more time she spends with him. John is a man who has lost a lot and Susan feels sorry for him, but he was able to pull himself back up and make things right for him. Working on flowers is what gives John’s life meaning. Susan really feels something for him the more she listens to what he has to say. John is missing his front teeth and that is explained later on in the movie. The first time I saw that scene, I went “Holy shit!” because it was so extreme, unexpected and happened so fast.
Chris Cooper never met John Laroche. Spike Jonze did the work for Chris, but this was before Chris Cooper was cast in the movie. Spike Jonze went down to Florida to interview John Laroche and he recorded their whole conversation on video. When Chris Cooper was hired to play John Laroche, Spike gave him all the footage he recorded of John. Chris Cooper felt John had to be more interesting compared to how he is in real life and he did that through his performance. John in the movie is very positive about things he does in life, knows the type of person he is and really expresses himself through words while Susan interviews him.
Donald wants to do some snooping on Susan because he suspects something about her. So Donald and Charlie follow her to Florida. Not only are Susan Orlean and John Laroche having an affair, but they are doing drugs as well. Charlie gets caught and Susan can’t let this get out. She’s afraid what will happen to her career and what people will think of her. Susan’s career means a lot to her and she’ll do anything to protect it, even if she has to kill Charlie.
John Laroche doesn’t want to go along with it because killing a man is one thing he is not sure of. He’s positive about a lot of things, but this.
Lucky thing for Charlie he has Donald to watch his back. They try to make a run for it, Donald gets shot, they try to drive away, then a truck shows up out of nowhere, crashes into the car, Donald goes flying into the air and dies. Before Donald died, he and Charlie were becoming closer than ever as brothers while snooping on Susan Orlean and trying to get away from her and John. Donald told Charlie that it doesn’t matter what people think of you, what matters is what you think. Susan and John go after Charlie and an alligator pops out of the swamp water and kills John. Susan blames Charlie for all of this and Charlie finally has he man power to stand up for himself. His brother, Donald, is dead because they shot him and he is more upset with Susan than she is of him. Charlie has had a tragic loss, but this experience helps him figure out how he is going to write the script for the movie about flowers. He just writes down what he went through in trying to adapt a screenplay about flowers, how he and Donald learned something about author Susan Orlean that no one else knew, how he lost his brother, Donald. So basically Charlie, the character’s, screenplay will be about what “Adaptation” showed.
My rating on “Adaptation” is five out of five stars
