Screenplay data
Struggling screenwriter Charlie Kaufman attempts to adapt a non-fiction book, but his twin brother Donald's sudden success and a crush on a waitress complicate his efforts. Charlie's investigation into the book's author, Susan Orlean, leads him and Donald to discover her secret involvement with John Laroche in cultivating a psychoactive drug from ghost orchids. During a chaotic swamp chase in Florida, Laroche and Orlean attempt to murder Charlie, but Donald sacrifices himself to save his brother. In the aftermath, Charlie finds a new perspective on life and love, finally connecting with the waitress, and dedicates his completed film to Donald.
Save the Cat beat sheet
Adaptation follows Charlie Kaufman’s struggle to adapt The Orchid Thief, interweaving his self-doubts with Susan Orlean’s quest for passion and John Laroche’s orchid obsession.
Open full beat sheetCharlie Kaufman is listed as Protagonist/Screenwriter. Fat, balding, insecure, self-loathing screenwriter. In the parsed data, Charlie Kaufman is connected to 69 scenes, 285 dialogue lines, 287 text mentions, first appearing around scene 3.
69 scenes / 285 dialogue linesSusan Orlean is listed as Journalist/Author. Pale, delicate, blond, melancholy beauty. In the parsed data, Susan Orlean is connected to 61 scenes, 133 dialogue lines, 146 text mentions, first appearing around scene 7.
61 scenes / 133 dialogue linesJohn Laroche is listed as Orchid poacher. Skinny, missing front teeth, intense, obsessive. In the parsed data, John Laroche is connected to 42 scenes, 135 dialogue lines, 144 text mentions, first appearing around scene 12.
42 scenes / 135 dialogue linesDonald Kaufman is listed as Charlie's twin brother. Charlie's identical twin, aspiring screenwriter, optimistic. In the parsed data, Donald Kaufman is connected to 18 scenes, 97 dialogue lines, 97 text mentions, first appearing around scene 28.
18 scenes / 97 dialogue linesRobert McKee is listed as Screenwriting Guru. Opinionated, arrogant screenwriting teacher. In the parsed data, Robert McKee is connected to 8 scenes, 28 dialogue lines, 29 text mentions, first appearing around scene 172.
8 scenes / 28 dialogue linesValerie is listed as Development Executive. Attractive woman in wire-rim glasses. In the parsed data, Valerie is connected to 6 scenes, 31 dialogue lines, 63 text mentions, first appearing around scene 10.
6 scenes / 31 dialogue linesMIKE OWEN is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, MIKE OWEN is connected to 6 scenes, 16 dialogue lines, 32 text mentions, first appearing around scene 31.
6 scenes / 16 dialogue linesMOTHER is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, MOTHER is connected to 5 scenes, 12 dialogue lines, 36 text mentions, first appearing around scene 14.
5 scenes / 12 dialogue linesAlice is listed as Waitress. Waitress at California Pizza Kitchen, orange hair. In the parsed data, Alice is connected to 4 scenes, 23 dialogue lines, 47 text mentions, first appearing around scene 40.
4 scenes / 23 dialogue linesJERRY is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, JERRY is connected to 3 scenes, 22 dialogue lines, 31 text mentions, first appearing around scene 77.
3 scenes / 22 dialogue linesTony is listed as Ranger. Swamp ranger. In the parsed data, Tony is connected to 3 scenes, 11 dialogue lines, 35 text mentions, first appearing around scene 9.
3 scenes / 11 dialogue linesBOY is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, BOY is connected to 3 scenes, 8 dialogue lines, 23 text mentions, first appearing around scene 14.
3 scenes / 8 dialogue linesMargaret is listed as Development Executive. Soulful, enthusiastic. In the parsed data, Margaret is connected to 2 scenes, 18 dialogue lines, 36 text mentions, first appearing around scene 11.
2 scenes / 18 dialogue linesBAXLEY is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, BAXLEY is connected to 2 scenes, 6 dialogue lines, 7 text mentions, first appearing around scene 38.
2 scenes / 6 dialogue linesLERNER is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, LERNER is connected to 2 scenes, 3 dialogue lines, 10 text mentions, first appearing around scene 35.
2 scenes / 3 dialogue linesRUSSELL is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, RUSSELL is connected to 2 scenes, 3 dialogue lines, 7 text mentions, first appearing around scene 6.
2 scenes / 3 dialogue linesRANDY is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, RANDY is connected to 2 scenes, 2 dialogue lines, 4 text mentions, first appearing around scene 6.
2 scenes / 2 dialogue linesBRITISH NARRATOR is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, BRITISH NARRATOR is connected to 2 scenes, 2 dialogue lines, 3 text mentions, first appearing around scene 4.
2 scenes / 2 dialogue linesRADIO VOICE is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, RADIO VOICE is connected to 2 scenes, 2 dialogue lines, 2 text mentions, first appearing around scene 9.
2 scenes / 2 dialogue linesGUY ON BENCH is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, GUY ON BENCH is connected to 1 scene, 14 dialogue lines, 15 text mentions, first appearing around scene 123.
1 scenes / 14 dialogue linesTEENAGED LAROCHE is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, TEENAGED LAROCHE is connected to 1 scene, 5 dialogue lines, 11 text mentions, first appearing around scene 56.
1 scenes / 5 dialogue linesDRIVER is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, DRIVER is connected to 1 scene, 5 dialogue lines, 8 text mentions, first appearing around scene 125.
1 scenes / 5 dialogue linesTHERAPIST is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, THERAPIST is connected to 1 scene, 4 dialogue lines, 9 text mentions, first appearing around scene 52.
1 scenes / 4 dialogue linesMOTES is identified from the parsed character and dialogue data. In the parsed data, MOTES is connected to 1 scene, 4 dialogue lines, 6 text mentions, first appearing around scene 141.
1 scenes / 4 dialogue linesThis scene block presents the title page for the screenplay "Adaptation," crediting Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman as writers and Susan Orlean as the author of the adapted book, "The Orchid Thief," along with the date and draft number.
The scene describes a desolate and hostile rocky terrain, devoid of life, where volcanoes erupt, meteors bombard, and lightning strikes murky pools of water.
Charlie Kaufman, a balding, overweight man, paces his living room, delivering a voice-over monologue about his self-perceived repulsiveness and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
Charlie KaufmanThe scene opens on a lonely highway in swampland at dawn, where a British Narrator speaks about natural selection, before a beat-up white van and an old green Ford race around a curve, followed by a subtitle indicating the location and time.
BRITISH NARRATORJohn Laroche drives his van, filled with gardening supplies, while listening to a Charles Darwin audio cassette. He nearly misses his turn-off for the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, causing the cassette case to fly into a bag of peat.
BRITISH NARRATORThree young Indian men, Russell, Vinson, and Randy, are in a green Ford, smoking a joint and observing the erratic driving of a van ahead, whose driver they believe is asleep, leading to a shared laugh.
RANDY, RUSSELLThe scene opens on a late-night New York street, focusing on a glowing apartment window where a woman is typing, while Orlean (O.S.) describes John Laroche.
Susan OrleanThe scene opens in an apartment, introducing Susan Orlean typing at a desk filled with orchid books and a photo of Laroche. Orlean then turns to the camera and begins to recount her journey to Florida to meet Laroche after reading an article about him and three Seminole men stealing rare orchids.
Susan OrleanRanger Tony drives into a swamp preserve, spots a Seminole license plate on a parked vehicle, and reports "Indians in the swamp" over his CB radio, growing frustrated by the lack of understanding from the other end.
Tony, RADIO VOICEKaufman has a business lunch with Valerie, where he is visibly nervous and sweats profusely while discussing a film adaptation of "The Orchid Thief." He expresses a strong desire to avoid typical Hollywood tropes and maintain the book's integrity, much to Valerie's initial confusion and then her suggestion of a romantic subplot, which Kaufman immediately dismisses.
Charlie Kaufman, ValerieKaufman visits Margaret, a development executive, to congratulate her on a promotion and discusses a potential job adapting "The Orchid Thief," a book Margaret loves and enthusiastically encourages him to pursue. They bond over the book's subject matter, particularly the surprising meaning of the word "orchid."
Margaret, Charlie KaufmanLaroche leads a group of Indians through a hot, miserable swamp, attempting to engage them in conversation about turtles before discovering a rare, beautiful white flower that he then orders to be cut down.
John LarocheKaufman discusses with Valerie his desire to challenge himself as a writer by adapting a niche subject like orchids, moving away from his typical self-involved work.
Charlie Kaufman, ValerieA serious ten-year-old boy in a 1972 pet store chooses a turtle, and his mother explains its spiritual significance, which the boy finds cool.
BOY, MOTHERLaroche supervises Randy, Russell, and Vinson as they saw through tree branches supporting orchids and then unceremoniously stuff the flowers into pillowcases.
Kaufman attempts to invite Margaret to an orchid show, but she enthusiastically accepts and suggests bringing her new boyfriend, David, which visibly disheartens Kaufman. Margaret then proceeds to extensively praise David and discuss their intellectual conversations, further isolating Kaufman.
Margaret, Charlie KaufmanKaufman buys books at Barnes and Noble, observing a cashier flirting with another customer. When it's his turn, the cashier shows no interest in him, and he is hurt, fixating on her tattoo until she covers it.
Tony, waiting in a scenic drive, exchanges insults with Barry over the radio before spotting Laroche and Indians emerging from the swamp, leading him to believe they have caught poachers.
Tony, RADIO VOICEOrlean types gracefully on her computer keyboard while her voiceover declares orchid hunting to be a mortal occupation.
Susan OrleanThe scene opens on a tropical river with an overturned boat and uprooted orchids, as Orlean's voiceover reveals that an orchid hunter named William Arnold drowned on an expedition a century earlier.
Susan OrleanA man is found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Sierra Leone, as Orlean's voiceover reveals that Schroeder fell to his death.
Susan OrleanA man is found dead in a field in Rio Hacha, while Orlean's voiceover reveals that Endres was shot there.
Susan OrleanA man is stabbed and robbed of his boat on the Yangtze River while Orlean's voiceover discusses the ironic fate of Augustus Margary and Laroche's dangerous passion for orchids.
Susan OrleanTony confronts Laroche and a group of Seminole Indians who are illegally removing endangered plants from a state preserve, but Laroche argues their actions are protected by tribal rights, leaving Tony confused and seeking backup.
VINSON, RUSSELL, John Laroche, Tony, RANDYOrlean drives out of Miami Airport, observing the transient nature of Florida's landscape while reflecting on its constant growth and simultaneous disappearance of wilderness, eventually becoming emotional.
Susan OrleanExtraction failed.
Kaufman exits his car with books and observes two teenage girls who whisper and giggle, making him believe they called him "Fatso."
Kaufman, feeling glum about his appearance, encounters his twin brother Donald, who reveals his new plan to become a screenwriter like Kaufman.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanKaufman and Donald debate the merits of screenwriting seminars and the philosophy of writing, with Kaufman arguing against rigid rules and for originality, while Donald defends established methods and challenges Kaufman's perspective.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanDuring a family dinner in 1972, a young boy enthusiastically shares facts about turtles with his attentive mother, while his father and sister appear disengaged.
BOY, MOTHERLaroche, a self-proclaimed expert, enthusiastically helps Ranger Mike Owen catalogue various rare orchids that were presumably confiscated. Laroche boasts about his expertise and the unique nature of the plants found in the swamp, hinting at future revelations.
John Laroche, MIKE OWENKaufman and Donald sit in an empty dining room, reading their respective books, and engage in a bickering conversation where Kaufman criticizes Donald's eating habits and Donald announces his mother is funding his screenplay seminar.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanOrlean drives through Florida, describing the state as a landscape of transition and mutation, while also interacting with the camera.
Susan OrleanKaufman traces a map and then types on a typewriter, narrating a scene description about State Road 29 and a beat-up white van.
Charlie KaufmanIn a courtroom, Orlean arrives as the proceedings are underway, and Laroche, dressed in a Miami Hurricanes cap and Hawaiian shirt, is on the stand, confidently detailing his extensive horticulture experience to lawyer Alan Lerner.
John Laroche, LERNERKaufman admires a cashier's flower tattoo, and she responds by revealing a breast with a heart tattoo, which is followed by a sound transition from a heartbeat to knocking.
Donald barges into Kaufman's bedroom to pitch a complex and unoriginal movie idea about a serial killer with multiple personality disorder, which Kaufman immediately criticizes for its clichés and impracticality.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanOutside the courthouse, journalist Susan Orlean approaches a disgruntled Laroche for an interview, who tests her by making a provocative statement about the judge.
John Laroche, Susan Orlean, LERNER, BAXLEYThe scene opens in a field with an orchestral piece playing as a time-lapse shows an orchid blooming, while a sensuous female narrator describes the characteristics of the Orchidaceae family.
SENSUOUS FEMALE NARRATORKaufman, engrossed in an orchid book at a California Pizza Kitchen, becomes flustered and humiliated when a beautiful waitress named Alice, whom he was admiring, approaches him and expresses her own love for orchids, leading to an awkward exchange.
Charlie Kaufman, AliceAlice and Kaufman walk hand-in-hand at an orchid show, where Alice expresses her affection for orchids.
AliceKaufman is alone in an empty room at night, finishing a private act and feeling lonely.
In a dark, muted suburban backyard, a seven-year-old girl is pushed on a swing by her father and observes her mother smoking across the yard.
Orlean waits in a hotel parking lot, lost in thought, until Laroche arrives in his beat-up van, and after a brief exchange about his vehicle, they drive off.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanLaroche, driving erratically, passionately explains his intricate plan to Orlean, which involves cultivating rare ghost orchids, enriching the Seminoles, and becoming a hero by making the flowers widely available and exposing legal loopholes.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanThe scene begins with old black and white footage of 19th-century men poaching orchids, accompanied by Orlean's voiceover detailing Florida's orchid hunting history. The visual then transforms into a modern museum display where a man arranges orchids in a cart.
Susan OrleanKaufman drives past several businesses, observing different women working, and briefly stops at California Pizza Kitchen where he sees Alice before driving away.
Kaufman, attempting to write, is repeatedly interrupted by Donald, who offers strange and violent script ideas, leading Kaufman to sarcastically suggest a gruesome killer that Donald then wants to use.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanThe boy's bedroom is now filled with turtles and turtle-related items, and the boy, wearing a turtle T-shirt, looks troubled as he gazes out the window into the night.
In a somber living room where his sister is ill, a boy expresses to his mother his profound need to collect every turtle species in the world. His mother, despite the family's distress, supports his ambitious and seemingly impossible dream.
BOY, MOTHERLaroche explains to Orlean his pattern of intensely pursuing and then abruptly abandoning various passions, from turtles and fossils to lapidary and tropical fish, leaving Orlean puzzled by his finality.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanKaufman discusses his ongoing obsession with a girl from California Pizza Kitchen with his therapist, who encourages him to talk to her.
Charlie Kaufman, THERAPISTKaufman attempts to flirt with a waitress named Alice by discussing orchids, but his invitation to an orchid show leads to an awkward rejection, leaving him feeling insecure.
Charlie Kaufman, AliceOrlean sits at her desk and begins to talk about the vast number of orchid species, including one that resembles a German shepherd.
Susan OrleanKaufman attends an orchid show but finds his attention drifting from the dull flowers to the diverse women around him, while Orlean's voiceover describes both orchids and women. Despite his adoration, Kaufman remains isolated as the women interact with their companions.
Susan OrleanTeenaged Laroche and his mother are in a swamp, where Laroche photographs a rare orchid as part of his goal to document every orchid in Florida, while they share a tender moment remembering someone named Diane.
MOTHER, TEENAGED LAROCHEKaufman confides in his therapist about his longing for genuine love, feeling that despite his success, no one will love him as deeply as he loves almost every woman he sees. He then unintentionally glances at his therapist's breasts, prompting her to adjust her shawl.
Charlie KaufmanLaroche enthusiastically tries to convince Orlean that she will also become obsessed with orchids, then excitedly points out a specific orchid, referencing Darwin, much to Orlean's annoyance.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanA depressed Kaufman sifts through a large pile of books on his bedroom floor, eventually picking up "The Portable Darwin" and reading it while pacing.
The scene opens in a sepia-toned book-lined study where a sickly Darwin writes at his desk. Darwin's voice-over articulates his theory that all organic beings descended from a single primordial form.
DARWINKaufman is in an empty bedroom, lost in thought, then suddenly begins pacing and dictating ideas for a movie's opening into a mini-recorder.
Charlie KaufmanAt a bustling flower show, Laroche passionately explains the intricate and intelligent pollination methods of orchids to Orlean, who, despite observing the vibrant scene and enthusiastic crowd, remains emotionally detached from the flowers.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanOrlean reflects on her inability to feel passionate about anything, expressing a desire to experience such strong emotions while feeling a distance from her husband.
Susan OrleanA seven-year-old girl swings alone in a backyard at night, observing her parents in separate windows, staring blankly in opposite directions, highlighting their emotional distance.
Kaufman, a frustrated writer, expresses a complex story idea before immediately criticizing himself, then his brother Donald bursts in to enthusiastically praise a screenwriting guru, leading Kaufman to reflect on their shared, lonely existence.
Donald Kaufman, Charlie KaufmanOrlean and her husband eat dinner, and she declines his offer to do something, stating she needs to work.
HUSBAND, Susan OrleanOrlean looks at a photo of Laroche, then types while narrating in a voiceover about Laroche's optimistic nature and his past as a construction worker.
Susan OrleanA younger Laroche, working at a construction site, identifies a flower from a distance but then loses his footing and falls.
John LarocheIn a diner, Laroche recounts breaking his back, seeing it as a family trait of pain, and then Orlean's voice-over reveals Laroche's unusual perspective on a past toxic pesticide accident, considering it a success despite severe health damage.
John Laroche, Susan OrleanA prim woman reads a magazine article by a frail Laroche, while Orlean's voiceover explains that Laroche sold an article about it.
Susan OrleanLaroche, while eating pie, tells Orlean about how a broken back led to disability, marriage, and opening a nursery, though his wife is now his ex-wife.
John LarocheLaroche and his wife, dressed in wedding attire, pose for an auto-timed photo outside their nursery, with Laroche wearing a cumbersome back brace.
Kaufman struggles to find an opening for his movie, trying out different ideas while hearing Donald's enthusiastic typing off-screen, and eventually gets frustrated.
Charlie KaufmanLaroche talks to Orlean in a diner, explaining how people started approaching him to admire his plants and himself.
John LarocheLaroche, an orchid expert, happily interacts with various customers at The Bromeliad Tree, identifying rare orchids and discussing their care, before being interrupted by a phone call.
John Laroche, CUSTOMER #3, CUSTOMER #1, CUSTOMER #2In a van at night, Laroche drives while Orlean looks out, and Laroche shares his thoughts on lonely people and his admiration for plants' adaptability, contrasting it with human struggles to survive.
John LarocheKaufman expresses his frustration to his agent, Jerry, about adapting a book on flowers, feeling it lacks structure and a story, while Jerry offers crude and unhelpful advice, eventually suggesting an "Apocalypse Now"-style approach. The scene concludes with Kaufman's voice-over, as he begins to brainstorm increasingly bizarre ideas for the adaptation.
JERRY, Charlie KaufmanKaufman wakes up in a messy bedroom filled with books, papers, and dirty dishes, while off-screen typing is heard.
The scene opens in a black and white, foreboding swamp where pioneers navigate dangerous waters, accompanied by Orlean's voiceover describing the harsh Florida wilderness. The setting then abruptly transforms into a colorful, artificial swamp with mannequins and a person carrying orchids.
Susan OrleanLaroche and Orlean are in Laroche's dark living room, where Laroche's father watches TV. Laroche speaks about bad things happening, then observes his father and framed photos of his sister and mother on the TV set.
John LarocheLAROCHE Should we drown him, then hit him on the head? Uh-uh. A body bleeds different if the heart's stopped. These new forensic guys are very smart. We really have to know our corpses to stand a chance: rigor mortis, lividity, putrefecation, ocular changes. LAROCHE (cont'd) Maybe you think we hit him on the head and force water into his lungs after he's dead? No, darlin'. They'll know he didn't drown. See, contrary to popular belief, the lungs do not -- do not -- fill with water in a drowning. What happens is, choking causes an irritation of the mucous membranes. This creates a shitload of mucus in the windpipe. Efforts to breathe turn the mucus into a sticky foam which may or may not mix with vomit. It's the presence of this white foam that indicates drowning. There's a lot to be aware of, Susie. Shoeprints, hair, microscopic fibers. Tire tracks. They all tell a tale to today's forensic scientists. What do you think? You're a writer. How would you do it? What's a good way to kill somebody?
MCKEE Long speechs are antithetical to the nature of cinema. The Greeks called it stykomythia -- the rapid exchange of ideas. A long speech in a script, say a page long, requires that the camera hold on the actor's face for a minute. Look at the second hand on your watch as it makes one complete rotation around the clock face and you'll get an idea of how intolerable that would be for an audience. The ontology of the screen is that it's always now and it's always action and it's always vivid. Life is rarely vivid. And that's an important point. We are not recreating life on the screen. Writers are not tape recorders. Have you ever eavesdropped on people talking in a coffee shop? Then you know how dull and tedious real conversation is. Real people are not interesting. There's not a person in this world -- and I include myself in this -- who would be interesting enough to take as is and put in a movie as a character.
KAUFMAN (V.O.) I am old. I am fat. I am bald. My toenails have turned strange. I am repulsive. How repulsive? I don't know for I suffer from a condition called Body Dysmorphic Disorder. I am fat, but am I as fat as I think? My therapist says no, but people lie. I believe others call me Fatty behind my back. Or Fatso. Or, facetiously, Slim. But I also believe this is simply my own perverted form of self-aggrandizement, that no one really talks about me at all. What possible interest is an old, bald, fat man to anyone? I am repulsive. I have never lived. I blame myself. I --
ORLEAN (V.O.) It had been a hard day and I hadn't seen what I'd come to see. Maybe the ghost orchid was a ghost after all. ORLEAN (V.O.) (cont'd) There are certainly ghosts in the Fakahatchee -- ghosts of rangers who were murdered years ago by illegal plume hunters, and of loggers who were cut to pieces in fights, and for years there has been an apparition wandering the swamp, the Swamp Ape, which is said to be seven feet tall and seven hundred pounds and have the physique of a human, the posture of an ape, and the body odor of a skunk.
BOY Collect one of every turtle in the world. It's a long list, ma. Cuora galbinifrons, Graptemys versa, Callagur borneoensis, all the Galapagos species, people think there's only one, but that's hardly the case. Cycloderma frenatum, Cuora pani... I don't think my life is worth living if I can't do this.
LAROCHE (cont'd) And I stop future poaching by making the flowers readily available in stores. Then I give a big speech at the trial about how the legislature should get rid of loopholes smart people like me can find. I'm a hero. The flowers are saved. Laroche and nature win.
ORLEAN I suppose what I'd been doing in Florida was trying to understand how people found order and contentment and a sense of purpose in the universe by fixing their sighs on one single desire. Now I was also trying to understand how someone could end such intense desire without a trace.
KAUFMAN Well, actually, there wasn't much of a trial. Florida got 'em on a technicality, about cutting down non- endangered trees. Even the Indians aren't allowed to do that. They all plead no contest. Laroche got fined five hundred bucks and banned from the Fakahatchee for six months.
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