The second collaboration between director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, Adaptation, released nationwide on this day in 2003, continued the duo’s pattern of quirky, cerebral moviemaking. The story of a creatively-blocked screenwriter and the novel he is attempting to adapt for the screen, the film stars Nicolas Cage as the brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman, as well as Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Maggie Gyllenhaal and a host of other notable actors. While Cage received high praise for his work in the film, it was Cooper who came away with the most tangible honors—in the form of both Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor.
Film Factoid: The screenwriting credit for this film, as well as all consideration for awards, went to both Charlie and Donald Kaufman, the screenwriter’s on-screen twin brother/alter ego, a totally fictitious character.
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