Man on the Moon (1999)

There is no real you. Oh yeah, I forgot.

Man on the Moon is Jim Carrey's homage to comedian/non-comedian Andy Kaufman. A complex man, Kaufman didn't think of himself as a comedian, but he pioneered a bizarre act--as much conceptual art as comedy--oftentimes trying to provoke as much as get laughs. As his manager asked him:

George Shapiro: Andy, you have to look inside and ask this question: who are you trying to entertain--the audience or yourself?

In the movie George Shapiro is played by Danny Devito, but the real George Shapiro plays Mr. Besserman, who is forced to fire Andy from his comedy club because he isn't funny. He suggests a joke, like: "Why did the Siamese twins move to England? So the other one could drive," but Andy doesn't get it, isn't interested.

But Andy creates a character--foreign man--who does get a good reaction from the audience. He begins as a nervous, inept comedian, does a lousy impression of President Carter, and then says he will now do "the Elvis Presley." He rips off velcro strips on his pants, revealing the studs and sequins of "The King's" Las Vegas bell-bottomed jump suit. To a boom box rendition of "Thus Spake Zarathustra" he dons the costume and transforms. His lip curls. He does a great "Don't Step on My Blue Suede Shoes," then returns to character and nervously thanks the audience. Shapiro ends up managing him, though he is uncertain just where to book him. His break comes when he is cast as Latka Gravas for the sit com Taxi.

Andy is loath to do a sit com, but dictates his terms, one of which is that Tony Clifton must appear in 4 episodes. Clifton turns out to be either the worst Vegas lounge act of all time, or an alter ego of Andy Kaufman, in either case, he is thrown off the set of Taxi, along with his entourage of hookers, after inciting a riot, complete with fisticuffs.

The movie hits all the high and low points of Kaufman's career: Taxi, Tony Clifton, The Mighty Mouse theme lip synch on SNL, the "fight" on Friday's, The Great Gatsby bit, The intergender wrestling, the "fight" on Letterman, touch my cyst, his interest in Transcendental Meditation, his Carnegie Hall performance, complete with The Rockettes, Santa Claus, and an invitation for the entire audience to have milk and cookies, and finally his death from cancer. Or was that just another prank?

Jim Carrey gave a pretty good performance, but overdoes it with the crazy eyes. Kaufman's crazy eyes were just a bit more unsettling. Carrey doesn't have as good a rhythm on the bongos as Kaufman--though his comic timing is impeccable. Jim Carrey has made an entertaining movie, and also let the audience in on the joke, if it was one of Andy's pranks--but that is also the problem. How do you make a movie about a comedian/non-comedian who stretched the whole concept of comedy to include jokes at the expense of his audience? He wasn't always even trying to make the audience laugh. Maybe the joke was just something he and perhaps one or two others could appreciate.

Unlike this movie, whose aim is clearly to entertain. Was it then a failure because it strayed from the path pioneered by Kaufman? And what of Andy Kaufman. Was he serious, or was he putting you on? Even as he was dying of cancer, members of his own family think it may be just another prank. To this day there are people who think he faked his own death and will come back to laugh at our gullibility.

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Also directed by Milos Forman, and also featuring Courtney Love.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Also directed by Milos, and featuring Danny Devito.

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition): Great Jim Carrey performance in title role.

The Cable Guy (Full Screen): Great and creepy Jim Carrey performance in title role.

L.A. Confidential: Devito in a serious drama.

American Splendor: A great Paul Giamatti performance.

Sideways (Widescreen Edition): Maybe Paul's best work to date.

Taxi - Seasons 1-3: For a sit com, this was pretty good. And check out some great Kaufman as Latka, and other characters.

A&E Biography: Andy Kaufman: More of the enigma that was Andy Kaufman.

Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells All: This guy helped Andy come up with his stuff, and sometimes he even portrayed Tony Clifton. He had a cameo in Man on the Moon, and how then to explain Tony Clifton disrupting the wrap party?

April 30, 2008

one of the most underrated comedies i've ever encountered

Jim Carrey is amazing through this whole film - I didn't know a thing about Andy Kaufman, but Jim Carrey's delivery and style are right on. CHECK THIS OUT!! February 14, 2008

Child of the 70's Middle Aged by 2007....

I grew up watching alot of tv in the 70's, I first noticed Andy Kauffman on Saturday Night Live and later in life as a wrestler. He died too young before many knew much about him. His humor like Jim Carrey's could be defined as dry wit or an occasional laugh. This movie changed my opinion of Jim Carrey; he is very talented; he truly brought Andy to the screen in a magnificent piece of work. I loved Eternal Sunshine and I loved Man on The Moon. Jim Carrey keep up the great job with your incredible roles. December 31, 2007

Excellent Movie

Very good movie about Andy Kaufman. Shows us a little bit about the eccentric side of the person we knew as Latka from the television show "Taxi". Has a lot of funny parts in it but was also sad. December 17, 2007

Probably a better rental

I really enjoyed this movie, and it does a great job telling Andy's story. However, I can't say I would watch this movie more than once a year, so a rental would probably work for this movie. I recommend this movie highly, and enjoyed it, however the bonus DVD features are kind of disappointing. May 14, 2007

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