Even with their tricky narratives, I think the structure in his films is still the traditional 3 Acts.

I read the "Adaptation" screenplay again, and it's a thing of beauty. But I'm really curious what his script for "Eternal Sunshine..." looks like, as the scenes with his disappearing memory must have required some heavy brain power.

Adaptation has a very clear three-act structure, complete with a the 'big finish' third act -- the movie's story echoing the advice McKee gives Kaufman in the movie, which plays out as a fun twist -- and even a denouement. It's been a while since I've screened Eternal Sunshine -- good excuse to do that and track the plot's movement. Thanks for that, Tom.

I see I'm a couple years late coming to this one. Just wanted to point out, not to be contrary, that Kaufmann's view on structure isn't that you need to learn the rules before you break them. Instead, Kaufmann's saying that writers can have a natural instinct for rhythm and structure - the way Picasso had a natural instinct for art or Mozart did for music. In which case, he seems to think that it's better to just write whatever and however you want.