Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Laroche entertains orchid customers while juggling plant advice, phone calls, and an invitation to the swamp.

Scene 74 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Customer #1
Laroche
Customer #2
Customer #3

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 41 min into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 74

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 71
Laroche and his wife pose outside The Bromeliad Tree for a wedding-era photograph.
Scene 72
Charlie tries several opening ideas, loses his hair, and cannot settle on one.
Scene 73
Laroche says people began visiting the nursery to admire his plants and him.
Scene 74
This scene

74INT. THE BROMELIAD TREE - DAY

Lots of lonely-looking customers admiring orchids. Laroche is in the midst of them, happily chatting with whomever approaches him. One guy pulls Laroche aside.

CUSTOMER #1

John, what is this? It's so beautiful.

LAROCHE

Catasetum tenebrosum. From Peru. It's

neat 'cause its dimorphic, which means...

Customer #2 enters with a creepy, dark flowered orchid.

CUSTOMER #2

Johnny baby!

LAROCHE

Henry! Look at that Dracula vampira!

It's gorgeous, man.

Other customers gather around.

CUSTOMER #2

Take me in to the Fakahatchee. Show me a

ghost in bloom, and it's yours.

LAROCHE

Cool.

CUSTOMER #3

Mr. Laroche, would you be able to --

Laroche picks up a ringing phone. Customer #3 continues to try and get his attention while he talks.

LAROCHE

Bromeliad Tree. Hey, Dora! Good, good.

Well, sure, you gotta watch the

temperature. Don't want an odontoglossum

above seventy-five. Uh-huh, that should

be fine. Yeah, damp it down. Oh, I'm

doing well. She's fine, too. Sure...