Search - Adaptation on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Drug Content Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 05/20/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 55 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 50 Genres: Comedy Drama, Satire, Black Comedy

The creative team behind Being John Malkovich -- director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman -- return with this equally offbeat comedy, in which Kaufman himself becomes the leading character. Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) is a gifted but profoundly neurotic screenwriter who, after the success of Being John Malkovich, has been hired to write a script adapted from the nonfiction book -The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. But while Charlie is obsessive about his work, he's also intensely paranoid, given to deep depression, socially inept, and terrified of talking to women, qualities which are making it difficult to get on with his work or hold on to his tenuous relationship with girlfriend Amelia (Cara Seymour). Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin brother, Donald Kaufman (also played by Cage), has shown up to move in with his brother. Emotionally, Donald is Charlie's polar opposite -- a loudmouthed, over-confident, superficial party animal who has an easy way with the ladies. Donald has decided to follow his brother's footsteps and take up screenwriting as well, but embracing the dictates of screenwriting tutor Robert McKee (Brian Cox), he's cranking out a cliché-ridden serial-killer thriller when not busy making time with new girlfriend Caroline (Maggie Gyllenhaal). As Donald blazes through his screenplay, Charlie slowly picks away at his story, in which author Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) chronicles John Laroche (Chris Cooper), a scruffy but devoted plant enthusiast who tries to save rare species of orchids by stealing them from their natural home in the swamps of Florida. As John and Susan become better acquainted, they find themselves attracted to one another; similarly, Charlie finds himself increasingly fascinated with Susan, and finds himself falling in love with her, even though he's only seen her photo on the dust jacket of her book. Charlie arranges to meet Susan, but is too nervous to confront her face to face, so he sends Donald (who has just scored a seven-figure deal for his script) in his place, while he attends a screenwriting seminar held by McKee. Adaptation also features Tilda Swinton, Judy Greer, and Stephen Tobolowsky. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Nicolas Cage - Charlie Kaufman
Nicolas Cage - Donald Kaufman
Meryl Streep - Susan Orlean
Chris Cooper - John Laroche
Brian Cox - Robert McKee
Tilda Swinton - Valerie
Cara Seymour - Amelia

Considering the rich material and actor base that director Spike Jonze had at his disposal for the highly lauded Adaptation, it's disappointing, to say the least, that Columbia TriStar produced such an anorexic DVD. To be fair, the studio encoded the audio and visual aspects of Adaptation using the Superbit process, creating a viewing masterpiece. The 1.85:1 widescreen image is breathtaking. The colors are sharp and the blacks don't hold the least bit of blur or haze. The English DTS, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio formats are unsurpassed. But considering this film is a character-driven film laden with dialog, the use of such supreme technology for the audio aspect isn't exactly necessary. The studio did include filmographies and a trailer on the extra menu, but a tongue-in-cheek guide to orchids would have been a true gift to fans of the movie and Susan Orlean's book, -The Orchid Thief, on which the movie is loosely based. ~ Kyra Kirkwood, All Movie Guide