Charlie Kaufman: Ranking All 8 Films Worst To Best

Charlie Kaufman is the most idiosyncratic screenwriter working today.

His films are often eccentric and strange and never adhere to the usual narrative structure we've all come to expect from Hollywood Cinema. From a puppeteer who can journey into the mind of actor John Malkovich, to a film written about Charlie Kaufman trying to write the film that you're actually watching in Adaptation, he's anything but predictable.

Despite so many quirky and odd plot points, Kaufman's films are incredibly philosophical, often questioning human agency and challenging our own reality as well as his own. A Kaufman film will make you think about your own life and make you speculate as to how much autonomy we really have and that is the mark of a truly exceptional writer.

With the recent release of his latest existential nightmare I'm Thinking of Ending Things picking up potential awards steam, Kaufman is relevant once again. He has a lens firmly focused on both society and the individual that can be equally compelling and uncomfortable. he is one of the smartest and most captivating filmmakers working today, and no one takes risks quite like Charlie Kaufman.

It is not uncommon for writers to reuse themes and motifs from their previous work. Unfortunately, Human Nature borrows a little too much from Kaufman's feature debut Being John Malkovich.

After a scientist and his lover (who can grow hair to the point of appearing like a monkey) discover a wild man in the woods who believes himself to be an ape, the scientist captures the man and attempts to rehabilitate him so he may be introduced to society.

Tim Robbins' scientist is a strong parallel to John Cusack's puppeteer in terms of insecurities and behaviour. They treat their romantic partners (Patricia Arquette here, Cameron Diaz there) with similar contempt and both women act incredibly dependent on them as a result.

Miranda Otto plays an almost identical clone of Katherine Keener with an added French Accent. That leaves Rhys Ifans' wild man as a substitute for John Malkovich, a man who slowly loses control over his life throughout the film.

Unfortunately, Human Nature takes far too much from Being John Malkovich that it verges on self-plagiarism. This makes it feel like the least original film he's made and originality is his whole appeal.