Back in days when I took creative writing classes, wherein we’d regularly have to write essays, every so often it was commonplace to come up dry. Some days ya just got nothin’. And on those days, there was always a temptation to write an essay about a blocked writer trying to write an essay.
Which is pretty much what “Adaptation” is, which I just saw today with my daughter, Shana.
It’s the most aggressively and unapologetically self-indulgent film I’ve seen since “Being John Malkovich,” which by no shock is by the same creative folks. The film wraps around back on itself as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (the real screenwriter, but played by Nic Cage) has to do an adaptation of the real-life book “The Orchid Thief,” and his script winds up being about himself trying to do the adaptation which in turn becomes the movie which…
It was certainly a riveting two hours, but I’m almost afraid to think just how self-directed the next film these guys make will be.
PAD
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Been there, done that! In college I gave an informational speech on how to give an informational speech. 2nd best grade next to a short story I wrote for a science fiction class. The SF story was my 1st writing “A”. …. the good ole days.
I haven’t seen “Adaptation” yet. (Actually, I probably never will.) But if I do, I suspect that I’ll spend the whole time comparing it to “The Muppet Movie”. Is Nic as worthy a protagonist as Kermit? Will I walk away humming the “Life’s like a movie/Write your own ending” bit of the final song?
Yeah, but where is our Buffy debate? 🙂
I enjoyed the heck out of “Adaptation.” It’s hard to talk about, sicne I don’t want to give anything away to people who haven’t seen it. But I thought the use of music in the movie was really clever. It was probably my real tip-off to what was about to happen.
I hope that was vague enough…
Rob
The technique has worked for me as well. Back in college, I had to write a term paper (worth half the grade in the class). I blew it off for weeks, did a half-assed attempt at researching the topic then, the night before it was due, I dashed off fifteen pages about how difficult the subject was to research. I figured I was screwed anyway, so I just wrote to be entertaining.
It must have worked. I got an “A” for the paper, and was introduced to a talent I didn’t know I posessed: the power of bûllšhìŧ!
This film, and its predecessor, just sound so uninteresting to me. I like meta, but I can’t imagine wanting to spend two hours and $9 on it. Kudos, I guess, to those involved for trying to do this, with name actors. But I will pass. (Which I admit may be foolish on my part.)
Yes, bullsh*t is a powerful tool. In college I wrote a paper comparing a J.D. Salinger short story to Hesse’s Siddhartha. I wrote it in a day and thought for sure my professor, one of the hardest meanest in the department, would fail me. Instead he gave me an A+ and wanted to copy it for use in his future classes. Imagine my surprise. I felt like George W. Bush finding out he had a good approval rating.
Adaptation looks good. I haven’t seen anything except the trailers but as long as it is different from regular Hollywood slop I am bound to at least not mind I spent the money to see it.
Simon, can’t speak for ADAPTION yet, as it’s not opening here until tomorrow, but BEING JOHN MALKOVICH was brilliant. Give it a rent, I think you’ll like it.
I believe the next Jonze/Kaufman collaboration is called COLONOSCOPY. Not sure what it’s about, but I’m told the subject matter is very deep.
PAD,
How about some news on the “Fallen Angel” series from DC?
I must be the only person in the country who doesn’t like ADAPTATION. I loved MALKOVICH, but that movie was about something. (To me, anyway.) This effort seemed like a hat trick, and a tedious one at that.
I pay strict attention to the TV Spots and Billboards – both of which have failed to give me any clue what so ever as to what this film is really about. That is generally a red flag. I’ll wait until it’s on video.
BJM seemed to me like a student film which got a studio polish and wide release due to its cast, but I don’t think that movie is much more than a vaguely commercial art film.
I’m not begrudging anyone else their opinion, of course – if you enjoy its quirkiness, more power to you.
Maybe it’s just me, but I like stories about nothing. It usually means the writer concentrated more on character than plot and that is sometimes refreshing after watching or reading endless stories where you can almost see the outline of the story in your head and can pretty much predict what is coming next. I am from the characters are more important school. < Awaits the throwings of rotten tomatoes.>
I think part of it is that almost all writers are appropriately encouraged not to make writers or the process of writing the emphasis of their fictional creations.
Just keep in mind that this is a “second production” by someone established who had to claw their way into being established.
I hope that most writers or students who wish to be writers do not take this as their cue to change their protagonist probelms into writer-characters.
Now a villian? I’m not sure if that’s been done too much before, and that may be way Adaptation works.
My understanding is that the brother of the protagonist is also a breaking in writer — and this effects the story and the storytelling of the feature.
WHy all these things happen?
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