Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) moves from the relative anonymity of upstate New York to the high pressure world of Broadway. Backed with a huge grant, Cotard sets out to create his masterpiece, a brutally honest work staged in a life-size replica of New York City built in a theater district warehouse. While the production grows and its development stretches over years, Cotard struggles with the realities of his life and his difficulties with the women in it, including his ex-wife, Adele (Catherine Keener), his daughter, Olive (Sadie Goldstein), his new wife, Claire (Michelle Williams), and his therapist, Madeleine Gravis (Hope Davis). Directed by Charlie Kaufman. With Tom Noonan, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson and Dianne Wiest. Categories: Comedy, Drama. Year: 2008.
Charlie Kaufman in Synecdoche, New York
When Joel (Jim Carrey) discovers that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had the memories of their turbulent relationship erased from her brain by a professional service, he decides to have Clementine removed from his mind as well. But, as Joel's memories are removed one by one, he begins to recall the happy moments he spent with Clemintine and attempts to escape the procedure. Directed by Michel Gondry. With Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and David Cross. Categories: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi. Year: 2004.
Charlie Kaufman in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage), a neurotic screenwriter, is having trouble adapting a book about an orchid thief into a movie. While Charlie agonizes over his writer's block, his less cerebral twin brother Donald (also Cage) decides to become a screenwriter himself, much to Charlie's disdain. When Charlie finally gets his inspiration, he becomes so caught up in his screenplay that the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and he sets out to locate the book's author, Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep), and the real-life orchid thief, John Laroche (Chris Cooper). Directed by Spike Jonze. With Cara Seymour, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston, Brian Cox and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Categories: Comedy, Drama. Year: 2002.
Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an out of work puppeteer with a dowdy girlfriend (Cameron Diaz) and few prospects. After starting a strange new job, he discovers a doorway in his office building that allows him to enter the head of actor John Malkovich for fifteen minutes. This discovery opens up new avenues in his life as he experiments with this bizarre ability. Directed by Spike Jonze. With Catherine Keener, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Winona Ryder and Ned Bellamy. Categories: Comedy, Fantasy, Drama. Year: 1999.
Charlie Kaufman in Being John Malkovich