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Summary: The people that hate this movie can't even spell 'reason'.
Review: (...).Great script. Great actors. Great director. Very well-made film. Hey, if you're intelligent, you'll love this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst movie I've seen in about 10 years
Review: I expected to like this because I think "Being John Malkovich" is one of the most creative movies I've ever seen. After the first 15 minutes or so of "Adaptation," I just thought it was a slow-starter. Same thing after about an hour. I don't know why my wife and I watched the whole thing, but we wish we hadn't. What a waste of time. "Being John Malkovich" has bizarre elements, but that is not what makes it successful. It is thought-provoking, surprising, and hilarious. After watching "Adaptation," I had the impression that the creators decided to recapture the bizarreness of "Malkovich" without its well-thought story and rich humor.
Rating: 
Summary: HOPELESSNESS CHOPING AT THE BITS OF REASEN
Review: Its a No Brainer over achiever streep and a hairy no plot beef to hang any the viewer plausible belief in this shreder, NO brainer,HOLLYWOOD heavt header its not its a stinker. ITS kind of me to say thank GOD for comedy LIKE the shallow tragedy of SHALLOW SHRILL, yeah i get the point story as excuse in all its HACKEYED glory,errupts like in CAR CRASHES, fantasies involving self FLATUENCE,etc etc,BUT ITS funny! KINDA SICK
Rating:
Summary: Like trying to see the Sistine Chapel in one glance
Review: It's fantastic. Profound. But I'd have to watch it twice in order to digest everything it threw at me, it was mildly disorienting.
Rating:
Summary: Worst movie of the year!
Review: Went to see this movie as the critics all gave raving reviews. First suspected something might be wrong when I saw there was no one else in the theatre. Walked out halfway through the film (something I have not ever done before). If you think Hollywood and the movie making business is the center of the universe, and thoughly enjoy stories about screwed up people - then you might like this movie. If on the other hand you see making movies as only a very small part of the real world, and if you don't enjoy mucking through the details of messed up lives - then this movie is a waste of time. Frankly, even a "1 star" rating for this movie is too high!
Rating: 
Summary: It gets better with every viewing.
Review: It just does! For me, anyway. I found this one to be one of the most funny, intelligent and entertaining movies of the last years. It should get to the status of classic with the passage of time, but that is not for me to decide. Nicolas Cage is simply hilarious in his two roles (Donald K. is awesome) and the script (is there a script??, kidding) is very intelligent and funny and serious at the same time. There is comedy, drama, suspense and a good soundtrack, too. Go check this little gem out, especially if you like good dialogue. Brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: In Originality League of Its Own (3.5 stars)
Review: To fully appreciate "Adaptation", you need to know something in advance. Some people from the movie really do exist: script writer Charlie Kaufman (he even roughly resembles Nicolas Cage who plays him), the New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean and the Florida orchid thief named Laroche about whom she wrote a book. "Adaptation" was originally meant to be a film version of the book. BUT, apparently, Kaufman had problems with it (maybe trying too hard to match his and director Spike Jonze's first hit "Being John Malkovich")... So he helped himself out by letting fantasy take it from there. The film thus has both real and 'unreal' characters and events, shifts back and forth in time like crazy and at the end changes completely from a light comedy to a would-be generic thriller. "Adaptation" owes much to Hollywood -- it adores it and mocks it at the same time. Chris Cooper got Oscar for his supporting role of Laroche, also nominated were Meryl Streep as Orlean (with this 13th nomination she surpassed the legendary Katharine Hepburn) and Cage for his leading two-role of Charlie and his thought-up twin Donald. Apart from the wild originality and acting, though, "Adaptation" has not much substance. Still, it's worth checking out.
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Summary: Maybe a computer wrote this movie
Review: In the 1960's I read a rather minor science fiction story about a frustrated writer. During the course of the story he developed a computer program that would generate random sentences. He then turned the computer loose to print millions of lines every day hoping that a novel would eventually come out. He had lots of frustrations--including the computer writing 3/4 of a wonderfully good novel. Unfortunately, he wasn't a good enough author to finish it. The last two lines of the story were a repeat of the lines that began it--giving the impression of a computer writing a story about a computer writing a story... I hadn't thought about this story in years but after watching this movie I did. And one of the thoughts was that I liked the old story better.
Rating:
Summary: don't be fooled, this movie is TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!
Review: like many unfortunate souls out there, i had heard how great adaptation was, blah blah blah. i rented it and proceeded to utterly waste two hours of my life. i'm writing this for one reason only: to try to stop you from doing the same. believe me, even bill and ted's is a better film. this movie is pathetic.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully blurred line
Review: From the brilliantly warped mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman comes "Adaptation." This film didn't get all that much play in the theaters and true, it's not for everyone. But "Adaptation" is destined for classic-status. You've probably heard something about it or else you wouldn't be here looking at this page. For a synopsis you can look just about anywhere, so I won't bore you with that. But in the likely chance you are here because you are confused and looking for information, that I can help you with. I won't give any spoilers, I'll just help focus the line between reality and whatever dark corner of Kaufman's mind this came from. True: "The Orchid Hunter" is a non-fiction book by author Susan Orlean about an eccentric Floridian named John LaRoche who was convicted of attempting to steal orchids from the Fakahatchee swamp.
True: Charlie Kaufman was hired by Colombia to write a film adaptation of the book. "Adaptation" is that film.
True: Nicholas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, the real-life screenwriter of this film and the film Being John Malkovich.
False: Charlie Kaufman has a twin brother named Donald Kaufman. Kaufman does not have an identical twin brother.
False: Donald Kaufman co-write "Adaptation" and wrote a script called "The Three" that is coming out in 2004. Obviously, if Donald Kaufman doesn't exist he didn't write a screenplay. However, this is still worthy of mentioning just in case you noticed the cast bios on the DVD - it lists Donald Kaufman as a writer with "Adaptation" and "The Three" as credits.
True: Robert McKee is a leading screenwriting teacher with a bestselling book entitled "Story." As far as the story itself goes, you'll have to discern fantasy and fiction for yourself. But if you pay careful attention to what McKee says it's fairly obvious at which point in the film fiction enters ("Wow them in the end..."). Lastly, it's been stated that this film has a cop-out in the end. I can't believe someone would actually say that if they remotely paid attention to the film. It's the entire point of the movie! (And Kaufman's philosophy on story-writing.) Kaufman is anti-Hollywood and anti-formula. So clearly there is a great deal of rhetoric and irony involved in his choice of the ending, especially when you consider McKee's words to Kaufmann. It's not a cop-out - it's a brilliant slap in the face to Hollywood.
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