Director:		Spike Jonze
Year:		2002
Language:		English
Time:		114 minutes

Nicholas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, a screenwriter who is struggling with the arduous task of adapting "The Orchid Thief", by Susan Orlean, which doesn't have an obvious dramatic line (it is essentially a book about orchids). At the same time he faces a mid-life crisis, which is worsened by the presence of his twin brother Donald (Nicholas again), a less talented but more joyous person than Charlie, who dreams of making a lot of money with screenplays. The movie also shows Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) as she does her research for the book, and John Laroche (Chris Cooper, who won an Oscar for this role), a colorful orchid hunter whom Susan interviews and, later, falls in love with. These stories eventually intertwine, with unpredictable results.

Charlie and Donald Kaufman, the screenwriters, won numerous awards for their adaptation of The Orchid Thief. Chris Cooper won several awards for his role as John Laroche.

Rated R for language, sexuality, some drug use and violent images.

Links

Review of the film.

About Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief.

Article " 'Adaptation' and the perils of adaptation"