Indeed, it is a very interesting film to watch unfold.  There is a lot of voiceover and editing and cross story and side story that it really is interesting to watch and take in.  The actors are really good at carrying out their roles as Cage plays twin brother struggling and up and coming screenwriters.  Streep plays the author of the book to be adapted, while she too struggles to find her story and her place in her own life.  Cooper plays the inspiration for the story, a hard luck man who has found his place in himself.  In fact, this story is more about finding about oneself than it is about the screenwriting thing, but in the end, it really is just that.  If I haven't lost you yet, I'll continue on saying Jonze has a great vision and the cinematography and editing are excellently done, and the scenes well managed.  Further, the screenplay (nominated along with the actors) is very well written, which is saying a lot as the story really is very minimal.

  In fact, that's where I found the problem with my overall enjoyment of the film.  The story becomes a jumble of a mess in the third act as it tries to find away out of itself, and a way to resolve issues that had yet to exist (other than Kaufman finishing his adaptation).  So what we get on top of the characters coming to grips with themselves and their growth, which would have been a wonderful film in itself (Kaufman coming to terms with his brother; Orlean's downfall into drugs and obsession with Laroche), we're thrown an odd, and out of place in this film, action sequence with guns and snakes and car crashes.  In those 10 or so minutes, I was confused and disappointed in the direction the film had gone.  Only one good thing came out of that, and that was the line that should have been the climax without the action, Danny's "you are what you love, not what loves you".  That line could have been used in general context with the film in a normal bonding sequence without all the thrown in action.  Indeed, the denouement turned right back over to what the film had been, but by that time I was taken away from that quiet, personal story and it felt tacked on.  A good film, but could have been much stronger. 5.5/10