Adaptation (DVD review)

Adaptation (2002) starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper. Directed by Spike Jonze. Apparently this movie is not for everyone, but it is one of my favorite movies of the past decade. Based on Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief," it is one of those rare films that reflects the screenwriting process in intimate detail. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman made the script about the process of adapting this plotless book to the movie screen. It is partly about him, partly about Susan Orlean, and partly about the orchid thief himself, a strange character who is definitely the most interesting thing about the book and the movie. Cage, Streep and Cooper all deliver top-notch performances. Grade: A