Adaptation. Poster
MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Down 302 this week

Adaptation. (2002)

R  114 min  -  Comedy | Crime | Drama   -  10 January 2003 (USA)
7.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.8/10 from 83,028 users   Metascore: 83/100 
Reviews: 672 user | 220 critic | 40 from Metacritic.com

A lovelorn screenwriter turns to his less talented twin brother for help when his efforts to adapt a non-fiction book go nowhere.

Director:

Spike Jonze

Writers:

Susan Orlean (book), Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
 Loading Watchlist 

Watch now

Buy it from Amazon »

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 454 titles by Dr-Faustus created 9 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 1,127 titles by JLucasRJ created 5 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 346 titles by mehransolou created 6 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 509 titles by tmzLL created 7 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 10 titles by blackninja94 created 1 week ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Pre-Order the Kindle Fire
Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 50 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

Adaptation. -- Trailer for Adaptation. Adaptation. -- A lovelorn screenwriter turns to his less talented twin brother for help when his efforts to adapt a non-fiction book go nowhere.
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage ...
Tilda Swinton ...
Meryl Streep ...
Chris Cooper ...
Jay Tavare ...
Litefoot ...
Russell (as G. Paul Davis)
Roger Willie ...
Jim Beaver ...
Cara Seymour ...
Doug Jones ...
Stephen Tobolowsky ...
Ranger Steve Neely (scenes deleted)
Gary Farmer ...
Peter Jason ...
Defense Attorney
Gregory Itzin ...
Prosecutor
Curtis Hanson ...
Orlean's Husband
Edit

Storyline

Frequently cynical screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has just taken on a new assignment. That is, to adapt writer Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay, all of it based on the life of the eccentric John Laroche, an exotic plant collector based out of Florida. While his easygoing twin brother Donald, is writing scripts with ease, Charlie finds himself on a perpetual struggle that never seems to end. Written by MonkeyKingMA  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Orchid | Book | Screenwriter | Twin | Thief  | See more »

Taglines:

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. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality, some drug use and violent images See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

El ladrón de orquídeas See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$384,478 (USA) (8 December 2002) (7 Screens)

Gross:

$22,245,861 (USA) (20 April 2003)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | Turkey: (TV version)

Sound Mix:

DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The church mentioned by Amelia at the end of the film is the Sedlec Ossuary located in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic. About 40,000 bones are arranged to form decorations, including chandeliers in the church. This is the same ossuary that Jan Svankmajer filmed for his short film Kostnice. See more »

Goofs

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Charlie Kaufman opens the passenger (right) door of the rental car, we hear a buzzer, warning that the key was left in the ignition. The buzzer should only sound when the driver (left) door is open. See 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...
See more »

Crazy Credits

After the closing credits, there's a quote from Donald's screenplay
"The Three" and a dedication "To the loving memory of Donald Kaufman." See more »

Connections

Referenced in Reading Barton Fink (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

"Dead Melodies"
Written by Beck (as Beck Hansen)
Published by BMG Songs, Inc. o/b/o itself and Cyanide Breathmint
Performed by Beck
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises See more »