adaptation for couples

Rating: 9/10 (24 August 2004)

Once again Charlie Kaufman puts out a brilliant screenplay that speaks to the human plight on every level of it's existence. This movie is essentially for couples what Adaptation was for lonely souls. Jim Carrey turns in a performance as unexpected as anything I've seen in film. Even his other respected acting acredits still harbor an essence of Ace Ventura/Mask etc etc..... here it's gone completely and the character on screen is not Jim Carrey, it's Joel. Which is to say nothing of Kate Winslet who can not be forgiven for the first two hours of Titanic.
All the subtle nuances of that messy affair known as love or romance is brought to full bare in this arthouse take on Total Recall's premise. I've tried to get all my married friends to watch this so that they might learn to appreciate their spouses a little more, but to no avail. The writing lacks somewhat the irony and cynicism that are present in other Kaufman works (especially Human Nature) but here it works to the movies advantage as Carrey plums the mines of of his own psychosis in order to have the choice as to whether he will one day be able to savor the bittersweet essence of giving one's own self up for the noble pursuit of happiness.

I love this movie 10 out of 10