What does it mean to be truthful when adapting a piece of nonfiction? Is a project only considered worthwhile if it is completely faithful to the real-life events? Or can honesty be achieved through a thorough examination of the emotions behind the project? When you have a writer as inventive as Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) adapting your story, you can expect something a little less than straightforward. Originally tasked to adapt Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief as a straightforward feature, Kaufman took his extreme writer’s block and crafted a meta-script that tackled his struggles adapting the book into a film. While this may seem like an interesting exercise that would never see the light of day, Adaptation miraculously got made and became a critical and box office success, earning Oscar nominations for all three leads and a Supporting Actor win for Chris Cooper. With Kaufman’s recent release of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things on Netflix, now seems like the perfect time to revisit this tale courtesy of Shout! Factory’s new Shout Select Blu-Ray release.
The film begins with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) struggling to be comfortable with himself and his success as his debut feature Being John Malkovich starts production. Despite his obvious talents, Kaufman is filled with anxiety and self-loathing, especially when it comes to his weight and thinning hair. When he is hired to write a screenplay adapting Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, Charlie struggles mightily to craft a straightforward narrative. Stifled by writer’s block, Charlie often devolves into obsession over his professional and sexual shortcomings. In this film, the real-life Kaufman provides the movie-Kaufman with a fictional twin brother, Donald, who is also hoping to become a screenwriter. Donald approaches life a bit differently; he does not suffer crippling social-phobia or self doubt like his brother, and he is more interested in writing puddle-deep thrillers that are considered to be hack by the high-minded Charlie. Cage gives one of the great performances of his career in the dual roles, each with their distinct personalities. Charlie might turn up his nose to his brother’s work, but he could use some of his creative spark to get his assignment completed.
Although Adaptation serves primarily as a fascinating look at the creative process, the film unlocks all of the potential of an adaption of The Orchid Thief through Charlie’s struggle. Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) is a New York Times writer tasked with profiling John Laroche (Chris Cooper), the eventual subject of the book known for stealing rare orchids from remote Florida swamps. Laroche is a bit of a character that at first presents as a bit of a kook, but soon reveals himself to be a man of great intelligence and emotional connection to the world around him. As more is revealed about his tragic backstory, Orlean draws closer to him while confronting some of her own unhappiness. Their relationship is incredibly moving and poignant even through Kaufman’s creative lense. Streep and Cooper are otherworldly good and natural in these roles. In the final stretch of the film, Kaufman eschews facts in favor of something that feels emotionally honest to his experience. The film is an engaging dissection of the relationship between authors and their subjects; between the real-life Orlean and Laroche, as well as the dreamed-up dynamic between Kaufman and Orlean.
Kaufman is in his comfort zone when he is making your head swim in confusion. The line between fiction and reality can be hard to parse, but you never feel like you are being cheated out of anything genuine. Through the evolving relationship with Donald, Charlie is able to confront some of his own biases and self-righteousness in a healthy manner. Armed with an intense self-awareness, it is only appropriate that Kaufman embraces his full Donald ethos and goes for broke with a wildly fictional ending that serves as the perfect extension of everything that came before. Few films have captured the struggle of creative expression with such emotional honesty and nuance as Adaptation does. It is only through breaking free from convention that the film can serve up something groundbreaking. Director Spike Jonze continues to be the perfect creative partner for Kaufman, taking his heady, layered script and transforming it into one of the most emotionally satisfying films of the early 2000s.
Video Quality
Adaptation comes to Blu-Ray with a lovely AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is not a film that is bursting with colors, but everything appears very natural from the greens of the foliage to the pops of color in the flowers. The film retains its natural grain structure that mostly avoids being unnaturally heavy. Where the transfer really shines is the impressive level of detail in even the subtlest aspects. Everything from the sheen of sweaty faces to the texture of the costumes is showcased admirably. Black levels could stand to be a bit deeper, but at least skin tones are natural throughout. None of the bright outdoor scenes suffer from any blooming from intense whites. The film sports some luscious cinematography, and that is showcased pretty well here. Overall, this is a fine looking transfer.
Audio Quality
The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that does the trick without being too showy. Dialogue is the main driving force of the film, and there are never any issues with clarity or voices being overwhelmed by competing elements. The voiceover elements and at-times layered thoughts are well defined. Surround speakers do not get much of a workout outside of some ambient environmental sounds. The unassuming score from Carter Burwell appropriately surrounds you in the track with accurate directionality. Activity in the low end is not much of a factor here outside a few kinetic moments here and there. Nothing is really going to blow you out of your seat with this track, but it is perfectly pleasing for the type of movie you are watching.
Special Features
- Featurette: A two-minute look at the swamp shoot including safety precautions, setting up shots, on-set bonding and more. The highlight of the piece is interactions with Cage, but it really would have been nice to get something more in-depth.
- Image Gallery: A selection of promotional material, behind-the-scenes moments and stills from the film are provided here.
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here which does an excellent job of selling the film without giving too much away.
Final Thoughts
Adaptation is an inventive film that folds in on itself in the pursuit of creative truth. This twisty exercise results in one of the most rewarding films to come out of the early aughts and standout performances from all involved. Shout! Factory does not dig too deep in the special features department, but the A/V presentation is quite solid. Those who do not already own this wonderful movie should not hesitate to pick this one up. Recommended
Adaptation is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
