The first time I saw this film was many years ago - I was much younger then. I remember liking it and, more than anything, wanting to like it. But I also remember that I didn't care much for the ending. I was a bit disappointed.
I recently watched Adaptation again and now, nearly 10 years later, I realize that this is a flawless film.
As much as this is a film about a writer's struggle through the creative process - inspiration, the lack thereof, internal conflict and self loathing - this is also very much a film about disappointment.
The true ending of this film, for me, was that moment in the swamp when Orlean and Laroche cannot find the "ghost" orchid. Charlie Kaufman's character says:
"That's the end of the book. I wanted to present it simply without big character arcs or sensationalizing the story. I wanted to show flowers as God's miracles. I wanted to show that Orlean never saw the blooming ghost orchid. It was about disappointment."
Sure, life is full of drama, as Bob McKee so passionately reminds us. But for most average people there are no scandalous affairs, suspenseful pursuits or 11th hour epiphanies.
Still, too often, such an ending is not satisfactory, not enough for today's audiences who crave sex, drugs and violence and other cheap thrills. Perhaps the reason we love film is because it tells stories that are satisfying and have closure, things we lack and crave in our lives.
And so Kauffman offers an alternate ending... and that is all I'm going to say.
This film is a triumph for writers, and in many ways a message to Hollywood producers. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in years and I assure you, it's better the second time around.
So to those who found the ending disappointing...all I ask is that you look a bit closer. The whole story comes together perfectly. It is probably the most beautiful and brilliant script ever written.
I recently watched Adaptation again and now, nearly 10 years later, I realize that this is a flawless film.
As much as this is a film about a writer's struggle through the creative process - inspiration, the lack thereof, internal conflict and self loathing - this is also very much a film about disappointment.
The true ending of this film, for me, was that moment in the swamp when Orlean and Laroche cannot find the "ghost" orchid. Charlie Kaufman's character says:
"That's the end of the book. I wanted to present it simply without big character arcs or sensationalizing the story. I wanted to show flowers as God's miracles. I wanted to show that Orlean never saw the blooming ghost orchid. It was about disappointment."
Sure, life is full of drama, as Bob McKee so passionately reminds us. But for most average people there are no scandalous affairs, suspenseful pursuits or 11th hour epiphanies.
Still, too often, such an ending is not satisfactory, not enough for today's audiences who crave sex, drugs and violence and other cheap thrills. Perhaps the reason we love film is because it tells stories that are satisfying and have closure, things we lack and crave in our lives.
And so Kauffman offers an alternate ending... and that is all I'm going to say.
This film is a triumph for writers, and in many ways a message to Hollywood producers. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in years and I assure you, it's better the second time around.
So to those who found the ending disappointing...all I ask is that you look a bit closer. The whole story comes together perfectly. It is probably the most beautiful and brilliant script ever written.
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