(rated R, 1 hour, 55 mins.) Trying to explain the premise of “Adaptation” is as confusing as last year’s premise to the smart, sassy “Being John Malkovich” directed by the same Spike Jonze, and written by Charlie Kaufman, who also penned the wacky “Human Nature”. But, if last time the two won an Oscar, then the present “Adaptation” is worth a look. In real life, Hollywood struggled to find a writer to adapt Susan Orlean’s best-selling book “The Orchid Thief”. But, how much can be written about flower robbers? That’s exactly the premise for this movie. When in doubt on how to make a book into a movie, make a movie about making the movie. Nicolas Cage portrays Kaufman, a self-loathing miserable, screenwriter with OCD, paranoia, you name it, who makes Woody Allen seem sane and can’t figure out an angle to adapt a book he’s been hired to write by producer (Tilda Swinton). To complicate matters more, the movie jumps between five years earlier when Orlean (Meryl Streep) is actually researching her book in Florida, to present day Kaufman, sharing an apartment with a twin brother Donald (portrayed by Cage again) who floats through life effortlessly. Cage is flawless in tackling the annoying, sweating character of Kaufman creatively blocked, which only makes the audience beg for the gentle, sweet nature of Streep’s character. Streep play her role so well, she actually begins to look like the fragile “Ghost Orchid” everybody is in search of. Chris Cooper should be recognized for his Oscar worthy performance as the obsessed hillbilly horticulturist know-it-all, John Laroche. As should Brian Cox who pokes fun as screenwriting guru Robert McKee. As a matter of fact, if a wanna-be screenwriter listens carefully, this movie can also save them the $500 McKee seminar fee. As the movie intertwines Cage and Streep, it becomes apparent that the real premise is a search for each owns passion. But even with all its energy, brilliance and confusion, the start-out-smart story, derails someplace in the third act landing in a swamp (literally).
