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Showing reviews from 1 to 50 (total: 105)
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Interesting and original, may have to watch it again sometime. Nicholas Cage is good in this role, sometimes he can be mis-cast.
7/10
20.10.2008 -
flickdude75@ - age: 26-35
Very well written and directed. Nicolas Cage was great. Had an unusual storyline and thats what was so enjoyable.
8/10
30.6.2008 -
casserly5@ - age: 36-49
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What a fablous preformance by Nicholas Cage. WOW. Loved this movie, I highly suggest everyone go and see it.
9/10
6.3.2006 -
enuf_talk@ - age: 18-25
This isnt a comedy but it isnt a drama... I dont know what it is except an amazing movie...
10/10
2.10.2005 -
tommyponte@ - age: 18-25
This is one weird movie. It starts out slow and takes a long time to get going. Probably could speed it up a good 30 minutes before they do. But I have got to give the very imaginative creator of other gems like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind bonus points. I'd rather watch something different and have to explore my feelings of how good it was, instead of watching some remake of some same old Hollywood flavour d' jour. I also see why Cage took on the roll. He is one that looks for a challenge..
9/10
7.10.2004 -
cliffa@ - age: 36-49
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Very boring movie about orchids? Didn't enjoy any of it. Found some of the scenes and language quite offensive too. Had to turn it off.
2/10
1.9.2004 -
atmeier@ - age: 36-49
Nick Cage, not just a prety face! Amazing! Saw it 3 times in a row!
10/10
5.8.2004 -
parkersandra@ - age: 26-35
I really liked Nick Cage in the lack-of-confidence role. The layers in this movie really, well, mad it a hit for me. It was amazingly well wrapped together. This movie actually had a good moral that worked and didn't push it on you like an episode of Full House would. The Orchid Thief was a really interesting character as well. One question though... can you really get high off of orchid dust?
9/10
11.3.2004 -
okiro@ - age: 26-35
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I didn't see this movie when it was released in the theatres, fearing that it may have been boring and draggy. But nothing could be further from the truth. This is movie history. We get into the lives and minds of writers. We see how simple writing is and how complex it can also be. We see how a writer and his/her work can take over their lives. The writer becomes a character. Sadly, he usually becomes a weak character molded from the fear of his mind. Meryl Streep is terrific here. She shows her range again as she switches from cute to interesting, to adorable, to curious, to businesslike, to sexy, to deviant, to pure chaotic. She, and not the twins, is the most important character in the story. Her morbid fascination makes no logical sense to us. But, after all, she is an artist. That should be a sufficient reason for her actions. Until the climax is reached. Then we get into unknown territory. This movie slowly turns into a thriller, and needlessly so. Nicolas Cage gives the performance of his life playing polar-opposite twins. He is the narrator of the story. Like Streep, his range is so exceptional. This movie is so smooth and artistic, yet cunning and violent. Almost perfect.
9/10
14.1.2004 -
tedk68@ - age: 26-35
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Very intiguing storyline, hard to tell what is fiction and what is real. Slow moving movie but gets better at the end.
6/10
6.1.2004 -
patnkat@ - age: 26-35
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Weird... boring beginning and action packed ending... so unbalanced...
5/10
27.10.2003 -
innuendo555@ - age: 18-25
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Spike Jonze is one of my favorite directors. After making Being John Malkovich, as well as several of my favorite music videos (including Sabotage by the Beastie Boys), I was pretty sure I would enjoy this movie (even though it has one of my least favorite actors, Nicholas Cage) Adaptation didn't disappoint, Jonze always does something new with his movies and videos, telling the stories in really interesting ways. Even as the movie seemed to get a bit hokey, it was always making fun of itself which is something a cynical kid like me really enjoys.
9/10
6.8.2003 -
bszine@ - age: 13-17
Great movie. Very interesting plots, withgood twist and turns. Nice to see a movie that challenges normal thinking.
8/10
23.7.2003 -
nichelal@ - age: 26-35
The premise of this movie was very promising, and I watched it for almost two hours, but I just couldn't bear to watch one more minute. Nicolas Cage is very talented indeed, but it wasn't enough to make it interesting enough for me. I realized right away that Donald doesn't really exist, he is Charlie's alter ego. Images were fast and beautiful yet I really didn't enjoy this movie.
5/10
10.7.2003 -
nyayla58@ - age: 36-49
I don't think it should be rated "Comedy", because it was not funny to me, nor do I think a "13 year old" kid could understand it. However, I must say that I found it interesting, intelligent and I enjoyed it. N. Cage gave a very good performance playing the two brothers.
7/10
30.5.2003 -
h,ravenda@ - age: 50+
'Adaptation' works on so many levels. As the insect adapts to pollinate the flower, the screenwriter adapts to pollinate his script, going from non-fiction to fiction; from real to surreal. One can ridicule oneself and the world and still see how beautiful everything is, how everything works so perfectly even without understanding it all or even some of it."Adaptation" has a grace that thousands of movies have tried and failed to achieve because they were trying too hard. Life doesn't always make sense because of our perspectives and prejudices about it. Why shouldn't great movies be the same way? The same flower is considered beautiful and ugly or plain, just depends on who's looking at it.
10/10
28.5.2003 -
funnylikehow@ - age: 18-25
My husband and I think this definitely was not a comedy as in the description. It was a depressing drama. If anyone had depressed feelings and saw this movie because it is rated as a comedy, they would fall to a lower depression.
4/10
27.5.2003 -
septembersmoon@ - age: 36-49
Very emotionally driven. Deeper and more complex than both 'human nature' and 'being John malkovich'. You really feel for Charlie Kaufman, onscreen and offscreen because you can't help wonder if he actually has such demons! Loved it- go see it already!
10/10
6.5.2003 -
erinvensel@ - age: 18-25
The best movie I've ever seen my entire life.
10/10
26.4.2003 -
hatesolicitor@ - age: 18-25
Entertaining. Nicholas Cage was great in this dual role.
8/10
12.4.2003 -
movies@ - age: 18-25
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I wish I would never seen it!!! Boring, no story, no humar, confusing plot with rediculous ending!!! If you have an insomnia it is the best movie to watch!
1/10
11.4.2003 -
opa@ - age: 26-35
Adaptation is a so-so movie with a lousy end. Best advice- Read a book instead.
2/10
8.4.2003 -
mmerhav@ - age: 50+
Charlie Kauffman is an orchid.
10/10
1.4.2003 -
erikafisnar@ - age: 18-25
The story line is simple and boring... you are always waiting for something exiting to happen and it doesn't!
3/10
30.3.2003 -
francag29@ - age: 26-35
It is a story about writing a story... nothing exciting... kind of a seinfeld episode!
4/10
30.3.2003 -
franca1@ - age: 26-35
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A very interesting movie, a wonderful, funny puzzle. A good saying that capsulates the film is "is it live or is it memorex".
9/10
29.3.2003 -
bnewton@ - age: 50+
I thought the acting was absoultely incredible. It was a hard movie to do as well. All of the characters, plot & subplots were superlative. I hoped that Nick. Cage would have one for best Actor. I also thought Chris Cooper was absoultely amazing. This guy is more than incredible talented & able to immerse himself in his role. Meryl, as always was stunning. I've seen the movie twice based on the level of acting and of the plot.
10/10
26.3.2003 -
mimik@ - age: 36-49
What an outstanding film. All of the Oscar nominations the actors received for their performances are well-deserved. That literally goes double to Nicholas Cage for expertly playing fictional twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman, making them very distinct characters with seemingly little effort. Director Spike Jonze once again proves his depth of talent with this wonderful work of art.
9/10
22.3.2003 -
d_breakenridge@ - age: 18-25
Not everyone understood the movie and so most sat like stones. I laughed till I cried.
8/10
19.3.2003 -
dgamble@ - age: 36-49
HORRIBLE movie... at one point I leaned over to speak to my friend and said [...] This movie was SO bad, that it left my friend and I in stitches... and it's not even a funny movie! Not worth the $4 at the Cumberland.
1/10
15.3.2003 -
larinator@ - age: 26-35
Great movie! Interesting and original script. Chris Cooper did a fantastic job. Being a fan of Nicolas Gage, I thought he was awesome in this movie. The only question is will this be up for best original, or best adapted screenplay? :)
9/10
12.3.2003 -
yeemailme@ - age: 36-49
I didn't get it until the next day. I actually found it inspirational as a writer... but I found it's probably better not to think too much about it. The movie is about truth in human characters, and how artificial the struggle to write them is. Writing is not a struggle. It's about telling the truth.
9/10
11.3.2003 -
salepale@ - age: 26-35
Brilliant. Extremely smart, well constructed, original. The fact that the story is linear (wich means that there are no flashbacks, with "misteries" solved at the end of the film, so traditional in hollywood) , that 3 stories are shown at the same time, one dependent of the other, that the fictional and the "real" materials are mixed, without distinction,... and so much more. Kaufman and Jonze have already setled their places on movies' history with Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.
10/10
10.3.2003 -
gio_gp@ - age: 18-25
Excellent. One of the most original and compelling movies I have seen in a long time, and definitely the best movie of 2002. If you enjoyed Being John Malkovich, then you'll love Adaptation as well. Don't walk -- run -- to the closest theatre playing this movie. You won't be disappointed.
10/10
9.3.2003 -
rob914_02@ - age: 26-35
The movie has its moments, but only that: moments. You are left with the feeling that lots more could have been done, could have happened, but didn't. The ending was stereotypical, as far as I was concerned.
6/10
8.3.2003 -
fluke@ - age: 36-49
This movie grows on you. I can't wait to see it again. The more I think about its themes, the more is revealed to me. Very complex story that at times feels very fragmented with all of the different levels to it: comedy, drama, romance, and action. But the more I think about it all, the more it makes sense. And that is what I love about great movies like this one... they make you think! So if you hate using your brain, go see Old School. If you like movies that make you think, then Adaptation is definitely worth seeing.
7/10
7.3.2003 -
valkur8@ - age: 18-25
Excellent, thrilling, amazing directing, acting and screenplay. A must see for the thinking crowd.
10/10
6.3.2003 -
njanko0696@ - age: 36-49
A writers movie that I can see would leave some people cold. Kauffmans frustrated battle to try and turn this novel into a screenplay is what really happened, and this is what he ended up with. You watch and listen to his battle to create something fresh and interesting and not your average Hollywood pap out of a difficult subject, as well as his neurotic mental workings. The ending was a let down emotionally but I guess theres your Hollywood finale, off into the sunset. Its smart and hilarious, and Nicolas Cage is redeeming himself for the bunk he's chosen to do lately. Check out Kauffmans "Human Nature" with Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette on video for something equally funny, and easier going.
9/10
5.3.2003 -
mgreigover@ - age: 36-49
Excellent Movie! Chris Cooper WILL win the Oscar! But seriously, this movie isn't for the faint of heart - it takes some thought! Only go to it if you DON'T want to check your brain at the door!
10/10
4.3.2003 -
lee_coll@ - age: 18-25
This movie was pure genious. The script is intelligently written and there are some lines that are downright sidesplitting. The ending is also very good. Now I see a lot of people complaining about the fact that "it was a letdown" or that "the movie started off so well and then the ending was overly abrupt and representative of the Hollywood ending that the screenwriter was trying so painfully to avoid." This is where the genius lies and is one of the strengths of the movie. You observe the total breakdown of something that was serious - but in the end, impossible (at least for Kaufman) to write a screenplay about - into something totally absurd and completely the opposite of what Kaufman was originally trying to conceive. Once you see it twice, this becomes all the more clear and you see how every one of Kaufman's intentions becomes muddled into everything he was trying to fight against.
10/10
18.2.2003 -
m10todd@ - age: 18-25
Nice story and well played by prof. Nicolas Cage is not a favorite of mine but did a wonderfull job in this movie But the best of all is of course Meryl Streep...
8/10
17.2.2003 -
dajb330@ - age: 36-49
I would call this a very dark comedy loved the movie especially the part where I wanted to put my hands around Meryl streeps neck and squeeze. She played the most selfcentered and evil woman. Cage &Cooper are brilliant... laughed cried was horrified... go go go.
9/10
16.2.2003 -
chelmurr@ - age: 50+
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
It's amazing how much you can tell about people by their reactions to good films... I loved "Adaptation", but I seemed to have seen it with a theatre full of people who had been born without a sense of irony. I got dirty looks from people when I laughed during the "cathartic" moment in the swamp, and at the very end, when it said, "In loving memory of Donald Kaufman", the idiot in front of me said, "Oh, he actually died, then? ". Luckily, my boyfriend got the joke, too... other wise, I would have had to dump him.
10/10
9.2.2003 -
leelahelen@ - age: 18-25
I saw it a week ago, and can't stop thinking about it. It's already one of my favorite movies. Adaptation is complex, cerebral, and funny - in short, a great film. If you are confused, get a dictionary, and take a hint: THERE IS NO DONALD KAUFMAN. The movie took on even greater significance when I learned this.
10/10
9.2.2003 -
kaw26il@ - age: 13-17
These Kaufman guys are sick puppies. First Being John Malkovitch, and now this. There certainly are problems with their movies, but originality is most definitely not one of them. This is one of the most original flicks ever, and it has to be seen just for that reason. Chris Cooper deserves an Oscar, as he does for just about every movie he's in. Give it to him already.
8/10
6.2.2003 -
newscott13@ - age: 26-35
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Kaufman felt he sold his soul when he went and visited moses' seminar... and he did... the fact that, that was the point when he fell victim to the hollywood equation is the whole reason the movie came to the end that it did... this movie was about the meandering tone it had initially... had the movie ended halfway through, I would have thought "great"... but because he ended it the way he did, and some people have expressed dislike for the hollywood ending, I think its brilliant... this movie was a jab at mainstream and they dont even know it.
10/10
5.2.2003 -
consciousclay@ - age: 18-25
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I agree with everyone else who said if you didn't like it, you probably didn't get it. The first time I saw it (and here I must concede my own obtuseness) , I missed the brilliant parody. Yes, I recognized the post-modern, self-referential element, but I didn't realize the full extent of that. Whereas I believed initially that Jonze and Kaufman had become brain-damaged during the making of the "last act, " I now realize the brilliance of the film's hyperbolically dramatic denouement. As for those who claim, "yes, it's brilliant, but it's condescending, " I have a more difficult time arguing conclusively against you. But *I* didn't feel condescended to. The movie made a case for beauty despite its hard, ironic edge-- and I took the case literally, choosing to believe that Kaufman (the real writer) found something of near-incommunicable profundity in Orlean's gorgeous book. Perhaps the book *wasn't* adaptable, and rather than mar it with an earnest but utterly failed attempt at adaptation, Kaufman and Jonze chose to use the format of film to point up the shortcomings of film itself. This movie is postmodern in the best sense because it doesn't leave us hopeless, only recognizing that even beauty is one part irony, one part earnesty.
10/10
5.2.2003 -
alea@ - age: 18-25
Winning best screen play, guaranteed.
9/10
5.2.2003 -
jmammon@ - age: 18-25
I loved the movie. Intelligent, funny, twisted... If you liked "Being John Malkovich" you are going to like this one as well. Not for the typical Hollywood movie fan.
9/10
4.2.2003 -
marie_pierred@ - age: 18-25
Amazing.
10/10
4.2.2003 -
skunk@ - age: 36-49
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