Trivia / Synecdoche, New York

• Acclaimed Flop: Very few people saw it in theaters, those who did were polarized, but many of the positive reviews called the film one of the greatest films of the 2000s and possibly of all time, with Roger Ebert even saying the former and heavily considering the latter.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Reportedly, the first draft of the script was a horror film. It may still be.
  • Spike Jonze was originally slated to direct, but he chose to direct Where the Wild Things Are instead.
  • The first draft contains a section in Germany where Caden meets Madeleine 2, a young female artist with the same name as Caden's therapist. They spend an afternoon together where they realize they have many of the same fears. She takes him to a restaurant where, instead of a menu, one is simply given what the restaurant has available. Shortly after this, she is struck by a car, and no one really seems to care but Caden. She reports to him that the world is turning into stone before dying. Other deleted scenes include:
    • Caden calling the original Madeleine near the film's end, to find her having a psychotic break. She screams "no more names!" before hanging up.
    • When talking about the Little Winky book, Madeleine refers to a program that was created that was able to extrapolate what he would've written if he were still alive. After Hazel dies, Caden uses this program to see what would've happened if he had never cried during their first date, and is shown a picturesque life.
    • Caden repeatedly using a noise machine throughout the film, projecting the sound of a beach with footsteps getting closer & closer.
    • a slightly modified ending. The earpiece with Millicent's voice cuts out before Caden exits Ellen's apartment, meaning the final line is not present. "Ellen" is attached to several breathing tubes, and actually pines for Eric him/herself instead of Millicent having an actor play him.

---