Every writer goes through it.
And every writer hates it.
Then, when the writer goes through it, they write about it.
Here’s a great double feature about writer’s block.
BARTON FINK (1991)
Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
When the Coen Brothers were writing Miller’s Crossing, they hit a wall. They went out to watch Baby Boom and decided to try out a different story.
One about the very problem they were having.
Barton Fink (John Turturro) is a fairly successful and intellectual playwright in 1941 New York. He’s called out to LA to write a script for a wrestling movie. While staying at Hotel Earle, though, he can’t seem to get anywhere on the script. Next door is Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), an insurance salesman who wants to help Barton with his plight.
Barton Fink is a brilliant and surreal take on the process of writing that shows just how hellish it can really be. The film becomes more surreal and Charlie becomes more sinister as time goes on. Is he actually an insurance salesman? Or is he something…more?
The Coens have never fully explained their film, and that’s a good thing. It’s much better to just watch it and come to your own conclusions. It’s filled with symbolism (which they sort of deny) and amazing sets that fill Barton’s world with dread and horror, especially the Hotel Earle. A more desolate hotel you may never see in a Hollywood film. And a creepier performance form Goodman you WON’T see anywhere else. It’s a great film that I think a lot of people have kind of skipped over.
ADAPTATION. (2002)
Written by Charlie and Donald Kaufman
Directed by Spike Jonze
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean is a book that does not want to be adapted into a movie. The movie rights were bought in 1994 and given to Jonathan Demme to produce. He took them to Charlie Kaufman, who nearly went insane trying to figure out how to adapt the book. Instead, he wrote a fictional version of his plight.
In his version, he suffers from nearly debilitating depression while his twin brother, Donald, is a happy-go-lucky guy who can deal with anything that’s thrown at him. (Both brothers are played by Nicolas Cage.) The problem is that Donald has no money and is pretty much living off of Charlie. When Donald realizes that his brother is having issues writing a script, he goes to a class taught by screenwriting guru Robert McKee (Brian Cox). Within a few days, Donald has a script for a conventional thriller that’s bought for six figures. This sends Charlie further down the rabbit hole.
Adaptation doesn’t just deal with writer’s block, but the effects of mental/emotional illness on the creative process. Charlie is horribly depressed and it ruins his relationships with most people, but especially women. His work suffers because he thinks that he’s never good enough and he won’t compromise in order to write a story that will actually work. (He sees McKee as a hack whose teachings only preach convention.)
The film is (sort of) an actual adaptation of The Orchid Thief, but with some sensationalism thrown in for good measure. Orlean is played by Meryl Streep while her “thief” is played by Chris Cooper. The two (unlike in the book) have an affair and end up embroiled in a cover up of their own antics. These scenes were probably written by Donald.
Speaking of Donald, part of the story is that Donald is a complete lie. He never existed. He’s only an aspect of the real Charlie Kaufman that he had to deal with in order to write this film. That, of course, didn’t stop him from being nominated for awards, which is kind of hilarious.
Adaptation is one of the great post-modern Hollywood films, but I think people have kind of forgotten about it lately. It’s a film that I point to all the time to say that, yes, Nic Cage CAN indeed act. He just has to have good material that doesn’t involve explosions, huge amounts of gunplay or bees.
(This article brought to you by writer’s block…and large amounts of Bob’s Burgers.)
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