从半年多前看了老友大龙space上推荐的《Being John Malkovich》（确切地说，是半年前看的上半场，最近才看的下半场），还看过《Confessions of a Dangerous Mind》和《Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind》，我都没有注意到编剧是谁。直到昨天看的这部《Adaptation》，我才发现它们是同一个编剧，而我几乎把这人近年来所有作品看了个遍。Adaptation 原意是改编剧本，也有适应环境的意思，这片子说的是编剧自己的故事，主角就是编剧自己，Charlie Kaufman。记住这个名字，一个才华横溢的编剧。
影片的开头的场景是《Being John Malkovich》的拍片现场（半层楼高的房间大家弯腰走路），暗示我们这是一个真实的故事。由 Nicolas Cage 扮演的编剧 Charlie(Charles) 由一段旁白引出。这段旁白能让每个处于中年危机的人立刻找到共鸣：不快乐、自卑、爱面子、在乎他人的看法、认为自己失去了创造力吸引力、饱受生活的压力、全盘否定自我、找不到生活的目标，为此烦躁、慌乱、不知所措：
Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head. Maybe if I were happier my hair wouldn't be falling out. Life is short. I need to make the most of it. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'm a walking clich». I really need to go to the doctor and have my leg checked. There's something wrong. A bump. The dentist called again. I'm way overdue. If I stop putting things off I would be happier. All I do is sit on my fat ass. If my ass wasn't fat I would be happier. I wouldn't have to wear these shirts with the tails out all the time. Like that's fooling anyone. Fat ass. I should start jogging again. Five miles a day. Really do it this time. Maybe rock climbing. I need to turn my life around. What do I need to do? I need to fall in love. I need to have a girlfriend. I need to read more. Improve myself. What if I learned Russian or something, or took up an instrument. I could speak Chinese. I'd be the screenwriter who speaks Chinese and plays the oboe. That would be cool. I should get my hair cut short. Stop trying to fool myself and everyone else into thinking I have a full head of hair. How pathetic is that. Just be real. Confident. Isn't that what women are attracted to? Men don't have to be attractive. But that's not true. Especially these days. Almost as much pressure on men as there is on women these days. Why should I be made to feel I have to apologize for my existence? Maybe it's my brain chemistry. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. Bad chemistry. All my problems and anxiety can be reduced to a chemical imbalance or some kind of misfiring synapses. I need to get help for that. But I'll still be ugly though. Nothing's going to change that.小说和电影不一样。《兰花窃贼》是一部描写花和追寻花的故事，没有追车，谋杀，毒品，床戏，没有一切好莱坞式的东西。Charles 接手这本书的改编，他喜欢这本书，甚至喜欢这本书的女作者，他想把它拍成一部这样简单脱俗具有独立风格的电影，可是他也知道仅仅这些构不成一部电影。电影是戏剧（drama）需要戏剧冲突（dramatic）。于是从小说到电影需要改编，这就是 Adaptation。
Nicolas Cage 不但出演了 Charles 本人还有他的孪生兄弟 Donald。这个人物似乎是为了反衬 Charles 的存在。弟弟写出的剧本充斥着好莱坞式的俗套，一切哥哥所鄙夷的东西，却大获成功，他不止一次告诉哥哥只要往这个方向改变，问题就会得到解决，这是唯一的出路。哥哥心里也明白但就是不愿改变，不愿落入俗套，很让人怜悯。
终于在影片的最后揭示了真实的存在：小说中女作家遍寻不遇鬼兰花的遗憾美其实是找到以后的审美疲劳弃之如敝；风趣而传奇的兰花窃贼寻找兰花的目的竟然是为了提炼毒品；有夫之妇的女作家对窃贼的敬仰也绝非柏拉图式；他们害怕私情被揭穿于是出现了绑架，谋杀，枪击，撞车，等等一切好莱坞式的俗套。
问题解决了，剧本改编成功，Charles 的中年危机也暂时得到了缓解。从超凡脱俗的唯美主义到庸俗的现实存在需要适应，需要改变，这就是 Adaptation。
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