(2002)
4
Derek Armstrong
Critics charged with the divine headache of describing Adaptation, in all its twisted magnificence, should find it appropriate that the story concentrates on the paralysis of writer's block, brought on by the impossible urge to say everything. The sophomore collaboration between screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze is so drenched with unorthodox ideas, yet so fundamentally accessible, that it actually outdoes the groundbreaking Being John Malkovich in existential pretzel logic, while remaining digestible to a middle-brow audience. Kaufman's real-life struggles adapting Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief get brilliantly expanded into a self-reflexive narrative of sublime originality, in which screenwriter, author, and muse become intertwined, and such rich topics as artistic integrity, social awkwardness, and sibling rivalry get teased and prodded. Not only has Kaufman written himself into the proceedings, but in Nicolas Cage, he's found an exquisite choice to interpret himself and his twin brother -- an imaginary character given "real" life by receiving a screenwriting credit. Sweating, stammering, lowering his eyes, and imploding in a crisis of relevance -- then doing just the opposite as Donald -- Cage kicks his own career out of neutral, at least briefly exchanging the hunt for ever-bigger paychecks with work that truly matters. Although the stories of Orlean (Meryl Streep) and John Laroche (Chris Cooper) both carry a vital urgency, this is Kaufman's film, full of the anxieties of a kinky-haired shlub whose overactive imagination is both his meal ticket and his curse. Inasmuch as it eventually imitates the very story structure it abhors, Adaptation is the rare film that both attacks and revels in the humbling, soul-crushing yet exhilarating mechanics of Hollywood moviemaking.
awards for Adaptation on AllMovie
Adaptation (2002)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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Nominated |
Best Actor
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2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2002 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
|
2002 |
American Film Institute
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Won |
Top Ten Movie of the Year
|
2002 |
Berlin International Film Festival
Broadcast Film Critics Association
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Writer
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
2003 |
Chicago Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Screenplay
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2002 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress
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2002 |
|
Won |
Most Promising Performer
|
2002 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
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Nominated |
Best Director
|
2002 |
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Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
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2002 |
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Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
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2002 |
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Won |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Screenplay
|
2002 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Screenplay (Runner-up)
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
National Board of Review
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Nominated |
Best Picture
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
National Society of Film Critics
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Won |
Best Supporting Actor (Runner-up)
|
2002 |
New York Film Critics Circle
Screen Actors Guild
|
Nominated |
Best Actor
|
2002 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
Toronto Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
2002 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
2002 |
Writers Guild of America
|
Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
|
2002 |
