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Adaptation. (2002)

 -  Comedy | Crime | Drama  -  10 January 2003 (USA)
7.7
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Ratings: 7.7/10 from 102,646 users   Metascore: 83/100
Reviews: 682 user | 233 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.

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(book), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Adaptation. (2002)

Adaptation. (2002) on IMDb 7.7/10

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 49 wins & 54 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Litefoot ...
Russell (as G. Paul Davis)
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Ranger Steve Neely (scenes deleted)
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Prosecutor
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Orlean's Husband
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Storyline

While his latest movie Being John Malkovich is in production, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is hired by Valerie Thomas to adapt Susan Orlean's non-fiction book "The Orchid Thief" for the screen. Thomas bought the movie rights before Orlean wrote the book, when it was only an article in The New Yorker. The book details the story of rare orchid hunter John Laroche, whose passion for orchids and horticulture made Orlean discover passion and beauty for the first time in her life. Charlie wants to be faithful to the book in his adaptation, but despite Laroche himself being an interesting character in his own right, Charlie is having difficulty finding enough material in Laroche to fill a movie, while equally not having enough to say cinematically about the beauty of orchids. At the same time, Charlie is going through other issues in his life. His insecurity as a person doesn't allow him to act upon his feelings for Amelia Kavan, who is interested in him as a man. And Charlie's twin brother,... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

orchid | book | screenwriter | thief | twin | See more »

Taglines:

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

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

10 January 2003 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Orchid Thief  »

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$21,240 (Hong Kong) (6 June 2003)

Gross:

$89,971 (Hong Kong) (13 June 2003)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (TV)

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Nicolas Cage was given completely separate credits for Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. The credits were given in order of appearance and each of Nicolas Cage's credits appeared in the order that Charlie and Donald appeared. See more »

Goofs

In the swamp scene when Susan Orleans is cradling John LaRoche's head, the hair on his forehead is totally disheveled. Then in a closeup, his hair sweeps neatly across his forehead. Back to the wider shot, his hair is disheveled again. 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. There's something wrong. A bump. The dentist called again. I'm way overdue. If I stop putting things off, I would be happier. All I do is sit on my fat ass. If my ass wasn't fat I would ...
See more »

Crazy Credits

The screenplay is credited as being written by both Charlie Kaufman and his fictional brother Donald. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.76 (2005) 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 »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
I get it now.
26 April 2005 | by (UK) – See all my reviews

The first time I saw "Adaptation" I expected something else and walked away severely disappointed. As some of you out there who Private Messaged me in regards to my initial review posted on IMDb might already be aware, I originally gave it a rating of 3.5/5 stars, back when I was frequently contributing to the site. I passed on without much thought, considering it a disappointment and leaving my critique for those who cared to read it.

It remains the single comment to have generated the most feedback for me. More than "The Passion of the Christ," and more than yes, even my upsetting review of 2003's "Peter Pan" (which seemed to anger the small die-hard fanbase for the film that lurks on these message boards - by the way, I've had to clarify this sentence by adding "for the film" because someone PM'd me yesterday accusing me of implying I have a fanbase on IMDb...no, I am referring to the film's fanbase, so please hold off on the accusations). I digress. In summary I gave "Adaptation" a negative rating and to my surprise, perhaps because I avoided totally slamming the film, the fans responded to me with kind words rather than harsh ones; conceivably they too had initially taken a dislike to the film? I made a daring move. I bought "Adaptation" on DVD for ten bucks, thinking, "I've got nothing to lose." Plus, the front cover looked cool anyway.

I watched it again (after taking into mind several themes and self-referential layers I had failed to visualize before) and was blown away by the originality and genius of the movie.

My hugest complaint regarding "Adaptation," originally, was its absurd ending -- I felt it was out of place, silly, and totally anti-climactic. Little did I realize this was the point -- to be a parody of the typical Hollywood blockbuster.

There are so many underlying jokes, gags and self-references that the film grows better -- like "Back to the Future" -- on each new viewing. You're always finding new stuff.

I found new respect for Nicolas Cage as an actor after my second viewing of this. I have always liked Cage despite the criticism he receives for being a one-sided actor; here, he proves he's capable of creating two very different human beings out of the same mold. Brilliant, Oscar-worthy stuff.

All in all I got it wrong the first time. "Adaptation" isn't a film that starts out clever and descends into a messy and stupid finish. Well, actually, it is. But that's the point. I didn't get it before. Now I do.

If you disliked this film, my advice? Watch it again. It knows a bit more about itself than you probably do. And read up on the message boards here a bit to get a clearer grasp of what's going on if you're totally clueless.

P.S. I'd like to thank all the people on this site who messaged me in response to my review.


303 of 386 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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