Adaptation

okay, what on earth took me so long to see adaptation? was i resistant? not that i can think of. i think it must have come out when i was not going to the movies or overwhelmed with cinematic choices. but this was a stunner. reeled me in so thoroughly that i got very lost in the story, as layered and unreal and metanarrative as it ways. charlie kaufman: genius. i even had to do some digging on imdb this morning to find out about "donald kaufman"--oh, so clever! the twin brother is entirely ficticious! (and even received several award nominations; not bad for someone who exists only in a screenwriter's mind!) i was attracted and repelled by larouche (chris cooper--those teeth!), which i'm sure it what we were meant to feel, to mirror susan orlean (meryl streep)'s feelings for him. and the weaving of the book's adaptation--can it even be called weaving when it's central, yet isn't the plot?--was so well done. streep has never been sexier or more alluring, and i was utterly mesmerized by her character and her luminous performance. nicolas cage, in the dual role of the kaufman twins, was disgusting but appealing. a truly lovely, beautiful, complex, compelling film. i'm so glad i saw this, finally!