The whole point of the change in plot structure toward the end was because Donald got involved in the writing of Charlie's screenplay. As soon as that happened, and Robert McKee came in as the deus ex machina, the movie began going in the direction Charlie didn't want his adaptation to go. Donald was all about cliches and shallow action, and before you know it the movie itself becomes a culmination of these cliches.
This movie's entirely about the exploration of the process of screenwriting, even within the plot itself, acting as metafiction. Charlie Kaufman (who's really the screenwriter of Adaptation) came up with the idea for this movie because he was struggling adapting The Orchid Thief. Donald, Charlie's inner voice telling him to make *beep* up and Hollywoodize it so it would be exciting, became a character in the movie that had to be killed off, ultimately.
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chubbykipper
11 years ago
Jobeykobra is exactly right. Charlie brings Donald in to help him with the script and suddenly (and nonsensically) we have mystery, guns, car chases and heroic but silly deaths.
_____________________________
"Knowing how the world works
Is not knowing how to work the world"
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Tales-from-the-Goondocks
11 years ago
I hadn't thought about Robert as a deus ex machina. I thought the deus ex machina was supposed to be represented by the alligator, but now that you said it, you are right. It was pretty obvious actually. Don't know how I didn't catch this when I saw it (maybe because I've only seen it once, but that should've been enough to get something that obvious).
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Oldherrence555
11 years ago
At the same time it's sort of defending Donald's way of writing because the ending isn't all that bad and Charlie's big resolution in the third acting is actually a nice sentiment. It all gets tied up in a bow, which he didn't want, so in a sense he's giving Hollywood the ending they want the best way you can, but admitting that he knows it's Cliche.
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