For as much as I loved loved LOVED ETERNAL SUNSHINE and MALKOVICH, I have to say that ADAPTATION left me stone cold. It just felt TOO self-consciously clever, TOO meta, too much like Kaufman writing himself and his screenplay in knots just to prove that he could, and that he was more interested in making a treatise on Process than an entertaining Story. And his intentional third-act collapse, rather than just pointing out the flaws of formulaic screenplays as I'm sure he intended to do, just confirmed for me that, without heart, his stories can be mighty airless. I felt the same way about CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, although to hear Kaufman tell the tale, he wasn't happy with the way that movie turned out, either, because of all the changes Clooney made to the script.
I will say that I enjoyed Meryl Streep in ADAPTATION, though.
Yeah. I think I agree with you. There were moments, though, with his relentless self-loathing and missed moments that my own discomfort level gave the story a bit more oomph than it might have for other people.
And, yes. I almost wrote something about Streep, because, well, she's just wonderful. Like, she's SOOOOO Meryl Streep, but she's also so very good at what she does. The dial tone bit was awesomely funny.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2005-04-21 02:34 pm (UTC)I will say that I enjoyed Meryl Streep in ADAPTATION, though.
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Date: 2005-04-21 02:48 pm (UTC)And, yes. I almost wrote something about Streep, because, well, she's just wonderful. Like, she's SOOOOO Meryl Streep, but she's also so very good at what she does. The dial tone bit was awesomely funny.