"Adaptation," the follow-up project of director Spike Jonez and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman after their brilliant 1999 first-time collaborative effort "Being John Malkovich," is like the reunion/companion piece to many a DVD movie review (past or present) that we have reviewed on PSXNATION. Let's do a little
Six Degrees... type of game here, shall we?
Nicolas Cage, who quit his attachment to Brett Ratner's troubled "Superman" project at Warner Bros. to star in "Adaptation," would have had a terrible 2002 had the critical acclaim from "Adaptation" not erased the memory of his summer 2002 MGM bomb "Windtalkers" (Cage's second-in-a-row WWII summer movie that tanked). Also on board for "Adaptation" was perennial Academy Award nominee Meryl Streep, who received some of her best critical acclaim and as many nominations for her other big 2002 movie, "The Hours." Streep and Nicole Kidman, her "Hours" co-star, even received Golden Globe Awards on the same telecast; Kidman's for playing Virginia Woolf in "The Hours" and Streep for playing another author (New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean) in "Adaptation." Last (and certainly least!), we can't help but notice that Chris Cooper (the only person from the "Adaptation" project to walk out with an Academy Award statuette, the same way Nicole Kidman won the only Oscar "The Hours" received despite its critical acclaim) and Brian Cox (who plays a snotty know-it-all professor in "Adaptation") appeared together in another 2002 blockbuster, Doug Lyman's "The Bourne Identity."
Lyman directed the recently aired pilot of Fox-TV's mid-summer teen drama "The O.C.," but I digress! The real stars of "Adaptation," as they were in "Being John Malkovich," are once again director Jonez's visual style (polished over a resume of Fat Boy Slim and other music videos) and screenwriter Kaufman's ability and willingness to bend the rules of screenwriting to fit his ever-expanding universe of wackiness. "Being John Malkovich" was at its core a funny but acute indictment of people's willingness to live vicariously through celebrities. "Adaptation" applies the same creative bite that fueled "Malkovich" to the cliché sub-genre of writers struggling to adapt a book or written article into a motion picture screenplay. This topic has already been milked to death as black comedies (Ethan & Joel Cohen's "Barton Fink," etc.), hedonistic dramas about self-destruction (David Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch," Philip Kaufman's "Henry & June," etc.) or uplifting fairytales (Gus Van Sant's "Finding Forrester," etc.). And yet the Kaufman/Jonez team goes into overdrive milking Ernest Hemingway's classic line about'men leading lives of quiet desperation' for every potential ounce of nuttiness they can squeeze out of the concept.
The clash of reality vs. fiction (yet another sub-genre in and of itself) propels "Adaptation" past its inability to surprise and enchant viewers with the same gripping intensity of "Being John Malkovich." Unlike "Malkovich," which has been around for four years now and has been seen by anybody that wants to, I will not reveal much about what makes "Adaptation" such a delicious second bite at the apple. The box office receipts indicate not as many people went to see this film as expected given its star power, which means that many of "Adapatation's" best moments (some of which rival "Malkovich's" classic moments) have still not been discovered by the mainstream. Let's just say that "Adaptation" writer Charlie Kaufman creates an on-screen version of himself and his twin brother Donald (both played by Nicolas Cage well-enough to make each brother a unique character) to deal with his inability to adapt author Susan Orlean's best-selling book, 'The Orchid Thief,' into a screenplay. Kaufman runs into both fictional characters (John Laroche, AKA Chris Cooper) as well as real one's, resulting in a mess that would leave even Mia Farrow ("The Purple Rose of Cairo") and Woody Allen ("Zelig") scratching their heads.
Not as funny or memorable as "Malkovich" (though it has a charm and zest of its own) "Adaptation" is nevertheless a unique-enough experience to merit being the follow-up project to that 1999 classic. The supporting performances (particularly by Brain Cox's asshole-like Robert McKee, Cara Seymour's Amelia Kavan and Stephen Tobolowsky's Ranger) are on par with the lead performers, particularly Cage in a dual role that shows the man has as much comedic range as star magnetism. Chris Cooper is a delight to watch, and the only weak link in Streep's sleep-inducing portrayal of author Susan Orlean (I would have reacted differently if a character from my book came to like and talked to me, but what the hell do I know?). Terrific adult entertainment for those viewers that are sick of star-driven romantic comedies eating-up Hollywood's movie-making resources.
The Disc:
You wouldn't know it from its simple packaging, but "Adaptation" is part of Columbia's ever-growing arsenal of silver-cased Superbit DVD releases that emphasize disc space for picture/sound over bonus features. The only meaningful extras are the movie's Theatrical Trailer and a Cast & Filmmaker Filmographies section. Following the absurd humor of "Being John Malkovich's" DVD extras, the back of "Adaptation's" case advertises Animated Menus and delivers instead out-of-frame blurry still shots of characters from the movie (Brian Cox's lower body, Meryl Streep's feet, etc.). Oh well, that only means that the Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) Video Transfer and English DTS, English Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 Surround and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Audio Tracks have enough disc space to flex some digital muscle.
From Carter Burwell's score (less informal and cute than his work on "Malkovich") to the clarity of the dialogue, and from the seamless digital integration of two Nicolas Cage performances into one frame to the natural skin tones and beautiful ambiance of nature, "Adaptation" looks and sounds like a million bucks. A double-dipped DVD edition of the movie is in the works for future release, but it will only add bonus material into a second disc or a commentary track (fingers crossed!). Until the time to upgrade comes don't hesitate to buy (or rent) this "Adaptation" DVD though. It's quality stuff through and through despite the static menu screen stills. Did they really need a close-up shot of Cage's hairy chest?
bottom line:
The Spike Jonez/Charlie Kaufman team survives the sophomore jinx. "Adaptation" delivers a creative tour-de-force into the mind of a screenwriter struggling with his inability to adapt a book into a screenplay. This premise, as riddled with pitfalls and clichés as any other one, is skillfully turned into a hilarious trip into the absurd and the ridiculous, with performances and visual pyrotechnics to match. The absence of any meaningful extras means, ironically, that "Adaptation" looks/sounds terrific but lacks the bonus material most DVD fanatics want. Oh well, waiting for "Adaptation's" inevitable double-dip will be a pleasure with this disc (and "Being John Malkovich's") sitting on my shelf.
By - J.M. Vargas
1/2
