Anna Daniels
More than 200 critics contributed to this rating, and equally impressive is the audience score, which sits at 85% with a whopping 188,619 votes. The critics consensus raves that Adaptation is “dizzyingly original” and it’s easy to understand why when you learn the premise: A screenwriter faces writer’s block as his brother moves in with him and attempts to become a screenwriter himself. The catch? The screenwriter in question is Charlie Kaufman, the real-life screenwriter who in turn wrote Adaptation. His brother in the film, however, is fictional… and both brothers are portrayed by Nicolas Cage.
The film is officially credited to both real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and the fictional Donald Kaufman, and both were nominated for a very real Oscar. Donald Kaufman’s real Rotten Tomatoes page notes that he’s the first real-life Oscar-nominated fictional screenwriter, which seems like a genuine milestone in fictional representation. An interesting fun fact: Rotten Tomatoes lists Adaptation as both Donald Kaufman’s highest and lowest rated film, but lacks his birthdate and birthplace, potentially because he doesn’t exist. If you’re a little confused on where this movie ends and real life begins, that’s exactly the point.
This 2002 dramedy was directed by Spike Jonze, a fascinating filmmaker who also wrote and directed Her, among others. However, he isn’t a Nicolas Cage character and any fictional brothers he may have remain utterly unaccomplished.
Written by: Looper
