Adaptation (2002)

The weird and wonderful Charlie Kaufman is the go-to guy in Tinseltown for those head-scratching screenplays that offer the little head a tug or two. Adaptation (2002) is the supposedly true story of his life while bringing Susan Orlean’s nonfiction book “The Orchid Thief” (1998) to the big screen. Nicolas Cage plays Charlie as well as his faux twin brother Donald Kaufman. The addition of this fictional sibling seals the deal, but it’s not just the truth that’s being bent here. Thanks to Judy Greer, as a fantasy love interest who bares her perfectly pert pair, viewers will find their love muscles twisted as well as their minds. The movie also features Brian Cox, Cara Seymour, Chris Cooper (in his Oscar-winning performance), Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ron Livingston, Tilda Swinton, and cameos by Catherine Keener, John Cusack, and John Malkovich — all of whom were in Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich (1999). Last but not least, the one and only Meryl Streep plays Susan Orlean. Obviously, she has a lot of fun per her fictional portrayal. This is especially the case when the blonde beauty posts her topless image online. Maybe that’s why she was named Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, the Gold Derby Awards, the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, and by the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association. But the joke is on these organizations since Ms. Streep’s bare breasts belong to a body double! Nevertheless, shouldn’t a method actress delve more wholeheartedly into her role?