It is hard to believe that a little over a decade ago Nicolas Cage received his second Academy Award nomination for his superb turn(s) as twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Spike Jonze's very meta, very brilliant comedy drama. The film, which also starred Meryl Streep (who was also nominated) and Chris Cooper (who won Best Supporting Actor) is a world away from Cage's latest, Outcast, a low budget sword and sworcery film that is sure to bypass cinemas entirely. It's a stark reminder of how sad it is that Cage's considerable talents are being so wasted. It's tempting to believe that, had Cage not run into such extensive financial difficulties and legal issues in the last few years, he might have been able to sustain his career trajectory after the success of Adaptation. Perhaps he might have been able to work with Spike Jonze again, a director who went on to helm such critically acclaimed work as Where The Wild Things and Her. He certainly would have been afforded the luxury of being much more considered in his approach to choosing his roles, as lately it seems as if he will do any movie that affords him a paycheque, no matter how small or how low rent the project is. His performance as the twins in Adaptation, each one beautifully delineated, is amazing and fully deserved the accolades it received. Perhaps another Adaptation is just around the corner? We can only hope.
