"Adaptation could very well be one of the best films of the year -- It truly is a roller coaster ride of pioneering pandemonium, and shouldn't be missed." Clint Morris MOVIEHOLE

Insight

"One of the best movies Hollywood has ever made about itself, a extraordinary meta-narrative that continually questions its own ability to capture human experience, disappointment and uneventful loneliness." Ken Fox TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE

Personally I've never been a big fan of Nicolas Cage. To me he was always a little like Kevin Costner, a luckless actor looking for a kind break to really launch him on a highway to super stardom. I started to warm to him in the film "The Family Man", he grew a little more on me in "Captain Corelli's Mandalin", I grew more attached to his style when he stole the show in "Windtalkers" as a battle scarred soldier returning to the hell of war in WW2, but I must say he has won me over completely with his performance as twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in the distinctly unique film "Adaptation". That it has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards should be enough to send hordes of cinema lovers stampeding into their local picture theatres. This is no ordinary experience watching Cage at work on "Adaptation" because both brothers are a world apart when it comes to personality. Charlie sweats, he has no confidence and feels totally inadequate where-as Donald totally admires his brother, wants to follow in his footsteps and is an outwardly infectious character. But there is more to "Adaptation" than just the brilliance of Nicolas Cage, there is of course two others stars, Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep. Cooper plays a rebel Florida flower expert John Laroche whose life has, in recent times been plagued by tragedy. Cooper was aware how Laroche was so central to the theme of "Adaptation". He took off to Florida, immersing himself in the character he was about to play, he went to an 'orchid school', changed his appearance, became much leaner to match the physique of the wirey Laroche. "I haven't been this weight since high school," he says. "I became amazed at the orchid species' ability to adapt. It's truly amazing what, over the years, orchids have been able to do. They've been able to mutate in order to survive. To imagine that a flower could take on the color and shape or stripes of a certain bee in order to attract that bee for the purposes of pollination, I mean, that's mind boggling." Streep was the ideal choice for the role of Susan Orlean the best selling author of "The Orchid Thief". "Meryl was always our first choice and even now, when I step back, I'm amazed that we got to work with her. On the set, she would just set the tone. She'd get there, and you wouldn't even realize it, but she might be intense and serious, or playful and funny, and it would get everybody else in the mood for that particular scene," explained Jonze. Streep had seen Jonze and Kaufmans previous work and was prepared to go along with the style her character had been written in. "The sensibility of "Being John Malkovich" definitely resides in Adaptation," she said adding, "It's obvious that they both sprang from the same brain." When it comes to Spike Jonze, she says, "he was inventive, sure, unfailingly sensitive and very well prepared. I truly enjoyed making this movie - except for the parts where I was waist deep in a swamp." And what of author Susan Orleans [writer of the short story from which the film "Blue Crush" was developed], how did she feel about Streeps portrayal of her in the film. "Absolutely unimaginable," she admits. "I've only been a movie extra once in my life and that was in The Deer Hunter, starring Meryl Streep," Orlean relates. "So it somehow seemed like karma that she was going to play me. To have such a great actress wanting to play a character based on you is thrilling. It gave me confidence about the outcome. Watching where she takes the character of Susan is like taking the most amazing virtual reality ride." That readers sums up the whole 'thing' about "Adaptation", it is like a reality ride, a real life experience. It twists, it turns, its pace is frenetic at times, gentle at another. Like I said, six Golden Globe nominations, that should be enough on its own. Go along for the ride, you certainly won't be disappointed with "Adaptation". The Story

"I loved it - I got on the phone to tell everyone to see it right when I left the theatre." Karina Montgomery CINERINA

"It's the most original, exhilarating and hilarious movie of the year." Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has just finished working on the highly succesful "Being John Malkovich" when he is offered the opportunity to adapt best selling author Susan Orleans book "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay. Charlie is going through a phase of self doubt, anxiety and he has become his own worse enemy. Donald ponders over the theme of the book about a renegade orchid expert John Laroche and a rare white orchid, he is looking for an angle, but all he's getting is writers block. Charlies brother Donald is on the other hand impressed by his twin brothers success in the film industry. In the middle of Charlies darkest hour he announces he is going to become a writer too. Donald sets about the task with great enthusiasm, writing a zany script that Charlie believes is doomed to failure. But Donald produces a winner. He encourages Charlie to attend a seminar run by Robert McKee [Brian Cox]. When Charlie decides he will break all his self-imposed rules by writing himself into the screenplay, the revelations flow. They will lead to more than he expected. It will lead the Kaufman twins down a dark and dangerous trail. The Verdict "If Adaptation had been released earlier in the year it would have been acclaimed the "film of the year". Now it will have to prove itself against films that are popularist and of far lesser value. That is the pity. "Adaptation" is a work of art. A smashing, remarkable tale, one beyond comparison, made all the better by a double dose of Nicolas Cage, a scrawny Chris Cooper minus his front teeth and a wonderful performance by Meryl Streep as author Susan Orleans. If it's quality you want in films then this is it!" What The Critics Say

"Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage have great chemistry together!" Kevin N Laforest MONTREAL FILM JOURNAL "Kaufman and Jonze seamlessly blend reality and fantasy into an outrageously original offbeat comedy." Todd Anthony SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL "What a bewilderingly brilliant and entertaining movie this is." Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "Features what is surely the funniest and most accurate depiction of writer's block ever." Jonathan Foreman NEW YORK POST "This is epic, funny, tragic, demanding, strange, original, boldly sincere filmmaking." Wesley Morris BOSTON GLOBE "Kaufman and Jonze take huge risks to ponder the whole notion of passion -- our desire as human beings for passion in our lives and the emptiness one feels when it is missing." Kirk Honeycutt HOLLYWOOD REPORTER "Adaptation may not be the first movie to examine the creative process. But it's the most playfully brilliant." Desson Howe WASHINGTON POST "Adaptation is simply brilliant." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "It's another of Kaufman's satirical, cynical, fascinating swipes at himself and the Hollywood way." Stan James THE ADVERTISER "For those in on the joke, it's funny and smart -- a bold experiment in rule-breaking." Dan Fazio CITYSEARCH "A blast and is worth the price of a full ticket. See it." Eric Lurio GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE "Infinitely impractical, consistently unique and vastly imaginative." Clint Morris FILM THREAT

The Cast & Crew

	Nicolas Cage Meryl Streep Chris Cooper Tilda Swinton Cara Seymour Brian Cox Judy Greer Maggie Gyllenhaal Ron Livingston Jay Tavare Litefoot Roger Willie Jim Beaver Doug Jones Stephen Tobolowsky Gary Farmer Peter Jason Gregory Itzin Curtis Hanson Bob Yerkes Lynn Court Roger Fanter Sandra Lee Gimpel Caron Colvett Ray Berrios Nancy Lenehan	... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...		Charlie/Donald Kaufman Susan Orlean John Laroche Valerie Amelia Robert McKee Alice Caroline Marty Matthew Osceola Russell Randy Ranger Tony Augustus Margary Ranger Steve Neely Buster Baxley Alan Lerner Prosecutor Orlean's Husband Charles Darwin Laroche's Dad Uncle Jim Laroche's Mother Laroche's Wife Officer Kaufman's Mother

Directed by Spike Jonze From Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman & Donald Kaufman Original Music by Carter Burwell Cinematography by Lance Acord Film Editing by Eric Zumbrunnen Casting by Justine Baddeley & Kim Davis Production Design by KK Barrett Art Direction by Peter Andrus Set Decoration by Gene Serdena Run Time 114 minutes Rated MA 15+[AUST] ©2002 - Columbia Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright©2002 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved