IMDb > Adaptation. (2002)
Adaptation.
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Adaptation. (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Adaptation. (2002) -- A lovelorn screenwriter turns to his less talented twin brother for help when his efforts to adapt a non-fiction book go nowhere.
Adaptation. (2002) -- A lovelorn screenwriter turns to his less talented twin brother for help when his efforts to adapt a non-fiction book go nowhere.
Adaptation. (2002) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Adaptation. (2002) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   61,312 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 44% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Spike Jonze
Writers (WGA):
Susan Orlean (book)
Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Adaptation. on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 January 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
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.
Plot:
A lovelorn screenwriter turns to his less talented twin brother for help when his efforts to adapt a non-fiction book go nowhere. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 39 wins & 48 nominations more
User Comments:
actors & director create startling and original film more (654 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Nicolas Cage ... Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman

Tilda Swinton ... Valerie Thomas

Meryl Streep ... Susan Orlean

Chris Cooper ... John Laroche

Jay Tavare ... Matthew Osceola
Litefoot ... Russell (as G. Paul Davis)

Roger Willie ... Randy

Jim Beaver ... Ranger Tony
Cara Seymour ... Amelia Kavan

Doug Jones ... Augustus Margary

Stephen Tobolowsky ... Ranger Steve Neely (scenes deleted)

Gary Farmer ... Buster Baxley

Peter Jason ... Defense Attorney

Gregory Itzin ... Prosecutor

Curtis Hanson ... Orlean's Husband
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Orchid Thief (USA) (working title)
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MPAA:
Rated R for language, sexuality, some drug use and violent images.
Runtime:
114 min | Turkey:81 min (TV version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Latin
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Malaysia:U | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:L (video rating) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG (DVD rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Bern) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38094) | Portugal:M/12

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
All the crew members identified in the fictional 'Behind the scenes' sequence of Being John Malkovich (1999) are actually the same crew members playing themselves. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During his conversation with Susan at the nursery, Laroche's assistant's ponytail appears and disappears over his shoulder between shots more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Charlie Kaufman: [voiceover] Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head. Maybe if I were happier, my hair wouldn't be falling out. Life is short. I need to make the most of it. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'm a walking cliché. I really need to go to the doctor and have my leg checked...
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in L'écriture à l'écran (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Alison more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
67 out of 102 people found the following comment useful.
actors & director create startling and original film, 4 December 2002
8/10

"Adaptation" is an off-the-wall film with a startling second half. Overall, the film is darkly comic, but viewers get an unexpected dose of movie action and violence before everything is said and done.

It's fair to say that there is a fair amount of violence in the film, and even when you know it's coming, you're still caught off guard. Spike Jonze is merciless in this regard. Some of the scenes are incredibly graphic, in fact.

There is a certain adolescent male tone to the film (the violence + sexual fantasy + masturbation). This is partially due to characterization and partially due to the director's own aesthetic and perspective. It's not a bad thing, necessarily, either. It just feels as if an unassuming (white male) kid who grew up thinking a lot about girls and watching movies where stuff blowed up made this film... See it and you'll know what I'm saying.

The script is crazy. Absolutely zany. Akin to "Being John Malkovich" really. Fortunately, this well gives opportunity for Nic Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper to really be free with their art.

Cage has a difficult role, portraying two very different identical twin brothers. Cage is at the emotional core of the film. If his performance doesn't resonate, the film doesn't work. I thought Cage was excellent. And that the script really gives him some wonderful, challenging material to work with. His first scene with Tilda Swinton (looking gorgeous!) is excellent.

Meryl Streep...well, what can be said. She's fantastic. She exudes a tiredness and connectedness and hopelessness and sadness, evolving the character brilliantly over the course of the film.

Similarly, Chris Cooper brings a humanity to the role of the Orchad Thief, really grounding the narrative and making it all believable. Again, he's given a brilliant opening scene and he works wonders with it. Throughout, he is believably arrogant, lonely, vulnerable, and just plain real. Cooper's performance is as rich as any other I've seen this year; truly, truly sublime.

"Adaptation" is certainly not for everyone. If you're looking for something starkly different and simmering with originality, give this film a try, though. Amidst some cloying self-referential clap-trap, there are actually some really freshing film moments.

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Meryl Streep vs. Catherine Zeta-Jones vs. Kathy Bates vs. Julianne Moore impossibledreamer
Chris Cooper vs. Paul Newman vs. Christopher Walken impossibledreamer
Question for anyone who's seen the movie LanimilbuS
5 Phrases worth the ticket josehugo8av
If 'Adaptation' is In Your Top 15, Post It! SickJoke
meryl streep's performance shaguniitb
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