The amazing story of a business wizard--from the Louisiana cotton fields to the worlds of computers, retailing, fast food, high finance, and green energy--life lessons from a man ahead of the pack and ahead of his time.

Synopsis

One Story ... Four Lives ... A Million Ways it Can End

One of the most talked about scripts of the year, Adaptation is the story of an orchid collector (Chris Cooper), a journalist (Meryl Streep as author Susan Orlean), and the screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage) who, in adapting Orlean's book The Orchid Thief, writes himself and a twin brother (also played by Cage) into the movie.

In the foreword, written exclusively for this Newmarket edition, Orlean reveals her own struggle to tell the story of the orchid, and her delight that "strangely, marvelously, hilariously, the screenplay has ended up not being a literal adaptation of my book, but a spiritual one."

In a fascinating interview, Kaufman and Jonze take readers behind the scenes of Adaptation to speak about how they collaborate, where truth and fiction diverge, the challenges of balancing various storylines, why they do not like to comment on the meaning of their work, and Kaufman's approach to writing: "I try to write in the midst of confusion and be strong enough to stay there, rather than swim to the shore of some kind of conclusion."

Finally, screenwriting guru Robert McKee's commentary attempts to analyze Kaufman's work, identifying many of his themes including "that grand twentieth-century preoccupation of the Self."

Chris Cooper won an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor, and Adaptation was nominated for 4 Academy Awards® including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor Nicolas Cage, and Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep. Charlie Kaufman received a WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and was named Best Screenwriter by the National Board of Review. 

In the acclaimed Newmarket Shooting Script® series format, the book includes the complete screenplay, Orlean's foreword, the interview with Kaufman and Jonze, McKee's critical commentary, 24 black-and-white stills, and cast and crew credits.

Visit the official Adaptation movie website at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/adaptation/.

Reviews

"How does Charlie Kaufman do it? Grade: A-."

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"4 Stars. Smart, inventive, passionate and rip-roaringly funny. An altogether remarkable movie from the creators of Being John Malkovich."

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"4 Stars. Adaptation is fantastic, in every sense of the word."

Glenn Kenny, Premiere

"Adaptation is the best movie of the year."

Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer

"Adaptation is brainy and exuberantly funny."

David Ansen, Newsweek

"One of the year's best."

Joel Siegel, Good Morning America

"Moving and mind-bending."

Andrew Johnston, US Weekly

"It's official: The bar of cinema has been raised."

Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, Jane Magazine

"Brilliant! Wildly original and deeply entertaining. Adaptation is one of the best films of the year."

Paul Clinton, CNN

"The year's best film."

Mike D'Angelo, Time Out, New York

"Along with Barton Fink, this is probably the best depiction of writer's block on film."

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

"Cerebral where Malkovich was surreal, Adaptation is equally funny and somehow more affective."

Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

Reviews

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