Adaptation

I must say that I absolutely love "No Country for Old Men;" over the past year or so it has quickly become one of my favorite films. Javier Bardem is a genius, and you can never go wrong with the Coen brothers.

If I were to teach an English class, I think it would be interesting to explore the strange creation that is Spike Jonze's film "Adaptation." If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. Made in 2002, this is probably the only movie in history that, I believe, should be watched before reading the book; they are two completely different entities. The film is based on the 1998 nonfiction piece by Susan Orlean, "The Orchid Thief," in which Orlean recounts her experiences while researching and spending time with John Laroche, an eccentric rare flower enthusiast.

This is truly a writer's movie. In the film, written by Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") Kaufman does the unthinkable for a writer and actually writes himself into his own script. Kaufman (played by a bloated and especially unattractive Nicolas Cage) explores his own insecurities and self-loathing as he frantically and nervously attempts the task he has been assigned of adapting "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay.

Kaufman creates his own fictionalized versions of actual people, including John Laroche (Chris Cooper), Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep, which is a stamp of approval in itself), his agent (played by Ron Livingston) and the film executive overseeing his script (Tilda Swinton). Kaufman even creates a fictional twin brither, Donald, to contrast his own impatience and other shortcomings.

This film is a weird but wonderful treasure. The acting is incredible. The writing is extraordinary. The cinematography is mindblowing. This is without doubt the most original film I've ever seen and is definitely worth studying.