Adaptation

Last week's blog post got away from me. I will do my best to recount my experience two classes ago.

We watched the movie Adaptation. I was really excited to hear that Meryl Streep played a leading role in the movie, I just love her! Before the movie actually started I was trying to figure out just what is was about Meryl that I liked so much. I was thinking of all the movies I've seen her in, especially Doubt, It's Complicated, and the Devil Wears Prada (ok, so maybe those are the only movies of hers I've seen, but it's enough to justify a liking), and I was trying to pin IT down. After a few more moments of deliberation, I decided that I like Meryl Street because she can play a variety of roles. I LOVED her Jane character in It's Complicated, I told myself, “I wanna be just like her when I grow up (old!).” And then I saw Doubt, and I said “I don't wanna be like her when I grow up...” But I loved Sister Aloysius Beauvier anyway. Meryl Streep is one of those characters that you just want to cheer for in a movie, kind of like Owen Wilson (who doesn't love Owen?). And it's when she plays a character that shouldn't necessarily be cheered for that you are able to take a step back and say, “Wow, Meryl, you've really outdone yourself this time!” Because she is able to successfully make her audience forget all the fun-loving, fantastic roles she played in the past and experience the character for what she is really worth.

All of that being said, I thought Meryl Street played a wonderful liar, but one who was desperately in need of finding a passion (insert her relationship with John Laroche here). But even after she found “it” she still didn't seem truly happy. She was hiding things from her husband, lying at work, probably spending lots of money on plane tickets to Florida, and just all around not being “herself.” Or maybe she needed to do all these things in order to truly find herself, who knows. I need to move on to other things.

Sorry, Charlie, for talking about Susan Orlean first, I just have more to say about Meryl than I do Nicolas....

Charlie seemed to have been in quite a predicament. But I honestly could not relate with him. I don't think I could be patient with him like Donald was. I was frustrated with his frustration because I felt like if I were in his position I could just write the dang screen play, you know? But I guess that's why I'm not a screen writer, I would probably produce crap screen plays. I was think I was a little distracted as well because as soon as John Laroche's character was introduced, all I could think about was how much he reminded me of one of my friends. I was too preoccupied with thoughts of similarities to really care for Charlie's situation. It's just as well, because the movie ended gloriously with sex, nudity, chasing, alligators, death, and all those other things that make movies “great.”

I haven't decided how I feel about the movie yet, I just know I'm going to tell my John Laroche friend to watch it because that will be funny.