Wednesday 30 January 2008

Apropos of Adaptation


I adore this, the opening words of Adaptation:


'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 cliché. 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 would 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 apologise 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 gonna change that.



Poetry.



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4 comments:

Glamourpuss said...

Kaufmann is definitely my favourite contemporary screenwriter. All of his work glitters.

Puss

Curiosity Killer said...

Yes indeed, poetry. When I first saw "Adaptation" with this opening, I felt as though he was speaking my mind... in a parallel universe sorta way...

La Bête said...

Me too. Entirely. Except he was being paid to write screenplays, so I kind of wanted him to shut up and realise how lucky he was. Bloody Charlie Kaufman and his madcap ideas. God, I envy him.

Vulgar Wizard said...

WONDERFUL film.