Synecdoche, New York

It is safe for me to say that I am a big fan of Charlie Kaufman and his work in cinema. His writing and ideas has provided some of the best movies of this century and some of the most creative films unlike anything else audiences have seen. These films include Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Plus did you know he was a script supervisor for Kung Fu Panda 2? You learn something everyday. Anyways I was certainly excited to see Charlie behind the camera for once and to once again watch another unique story from his brilliant mind. The only question is would this directional debut be with the greats (Donnie Darko, Mean Streets, Citizen Kane) or would it fall short? Read on to see my thoughts...

Synecdoche, New York follows Caden, a middle aged writer, as he tries to be a successful theater director while balancing his personal life with his wife and kids. As his career becomes a critical success, his personal life starts to unravel. While he is being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship his wife is leaving to Berlin with his only daughter. As Caden flows through different women and relationships all while trying to get back his daughter, he decides to create a brutally honest play that will mimic real life. He gathers a large ensemble of actors to play out characters from real life, many from Caden's own life. As Caden's ex-wife's career starts booming, Caden's play grows in scope as he slowly becomes more obsessed and insane. Making plays within plays, Caden's life is in a downward spiral all while trying to reconcile with the women in his life.