Right Idea, Wrong Man

Best Adapted Screenplay

by Kenneth Turan

While Bill Condon's work on "Chicago" and Charlie Kaufman's on "Adaptation" have solid chances, this looks to be a category which "The Hours" will prevail, partially because turning Michael Cunningham's book into a film was especially challenging and partially because voting for playwright David Hare fits in with the academy's traditional respect for all things British and prestigious.