Do screenwriters really matter?

…I can count on one finger the number of contemporary screenwriters whose voices frequently supercede those of the director: Charlie Kaufman. Only in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind has the director's imagination been nearly as forceful as the writer's, and even then, the ingenuity of Kaufman's conceit shines through brightest. And yet there's a case of a writer who gets credit from every single critic who talks about his work, because to ignore it would be completely irrational. Kaufman is finally preparing to direct one of his own screenplays, which should be an interesting test. Will he be able to wrangle the troops behind a cohesive vision, or will he be one of those screenwriters who try their hand Thanks to Robix for that one. at directing and display zero visual imaginat Thanks to Robix for that one.ion?

Thanks to Robix for that one.

That Synecdoche script? I can now say with a little authority: it's pretty interesting. More thoughts on it later, once I hear back from lazy stragglers a couple of people.