Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Orlean begins writing that Laroche sees a profitable outcome in every situation.

Scene 66 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Orlean

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 39 min into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 66

Unable to find a conventional story in The Orchid Thief, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman turns his own crisis into an increasingly self-referential adaptation.

Scenes 1–9
Charlie inhabits an isolated, self-condemning world while Orlean’s book supplies a distant model of obsession.
Scene 10
Valerie and Margaret give Charlie the assignment to adapt The Orchid Thief.
Scene 31
Donald’s rivalry and affection give Charlie a living counterpoint to his isolated view of himself.
Just before
Scene 63
A girl swings alone as her parents stare away from each other through separate windows.
Scene 64
Charlie types a grand circular opening, then Donald brings back McKee’s ideas and Charlie confesses their shared loneliness.
Scene 65
Orlean and her husband share a quiet dinner without finding a way to reconnect.
Scene 66
This scene

66INT. ORLEAN'S STUDY - EVENING

Orlean looks at the photo of Laroche, sits sadly for a moment, then types.

ORLEAN (V.O.)

Laroche is an optimist. That is, he sees

a profitable outcome in every situation.

When he was a young man he worked in

construction.