Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

saw adaptation with chas tonight. most everyone I know's been raving about this film as if it were jesus and they were one of the 12 disciples. and yes, it's good - but it's not that good. the centerpiece of the film is supposed to be charlie kaufman's script, about charlie kaufman writing a script. unfortunately, however, kaufman seems mightily impressed with his own cleverness, and eventually starts getting annoying (plus, the last 1/2 hour is a total cop-out). the performances are fine: chris cooper sinks his teeth rabidly into his role as orchid thief john laroche, and nicolas cage returns to his stellar self in the dual role of charlie and donald (his fictitious brother) kaufman. meryl streep, getting raves for playing a sexed-up, drug-taking susan orleans, is good, but not devastatingly so. and so is adaptation - yes, I "got it," and yes, it's quite clever, but perhaps a little too much for its own good.