MAN ON THE MOON RATING: 6 /10 --> Barely recommendable
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Are you sick of hearing about hoooow much Jim Carrey acts like Andy Kaufman in this movie?! Are you sick of all the comparisons, the praises, the highbrow kudos? Well, I am, and God knows he is really good in this movie, but lest we all forget what Jim Carrey does for a profession. He is an actor. It is his job to act. The fact that he does it so well in this film is really great and all, but why isn't anyone talking about the actual film? Helllloooo? Is it good? Is it entertaining? Does it have something to say? Well...allow me.
PLOT: Based on the real life of comedian/singer/bongo drummer Andy Kaufman, this film takes us through the early part of his career in Hollywood, his sudden rise to fame on TV's "Taxi", his manufactured multiple personalities and all the goofy stuff in between.
CRITIQUE: This film wasn't really all that funny, wasn't really all that interesting and wasn't really all that dramatic. In fact, if it wasn't for Jim Carrey's strong showing as the lead character of Kaufman, I doubt I would even recommend this film to anyone who didn't really care or know this man named Andy. I personally knew very little about the man before this film, other than his Latka performances on "Taxi", but I had the impression that he was weird, controversial and kinda "out there". After this film, I know much more about his performances (In fact, I think I know ALL of them, since it felt like every one of his acts was basically played out on the big screen), but little more about the man himself. In fact, all it did was confirm the fact that he was weird, controversial and kinda "out there". Did it address the man's upbringing, formative or high school years to get some kind of feel as to why he may have acted the way he did? Nope. In fact, besides admiring the man for his raw courage and debatable talent, I found very little of significant value in this film.
Some might enjoy Carrey's (Kaufman's) routines in the movie, but I personally didn't care much for most of them. Sure he was over-the-top, loud, different and obnoxious, but is that supposed to be entertaining? Well, I suppose it would be to some (Admittedly, Howard Stern is cut from the same fabric and I do dig him...), but considering that this film is little more than a showpiece for many of Kaufman's goofy shticks, I think that you actually have to enjoy many of them to truly appreciate the movie as a whole. And if you are thinking of seeing this movie because of the Courtney Love "romance" factor, stop dead in your tracks right now, cause this has got to be one of the weakest "love affairs" ever put to film. In fact, why was she even in the movie? She didn't appear to make one iota of difference in the man's life one way or the other. Anyway, if it feels as though I'm complaining too much, you're probably right, but it's Christmas time dammit, and I haven't even begun my stinky shopping!
Harumph...but with that bit of ugliness aside, I would recommend this film on video to most who are interested in seeing how some people in showbiz get started and how one goofy, really strange man made something of himself. On the big screen, it really isn't worth it, unless you truly like the Jim Carrey, who should definitely get an Oscar nod for his performance, or just want to see Andy's performances all over again. Oh and by the way, when I say that Carrey was excellent in his role as Andy, I don't pretend to know whether or not he was EXACTLY like the man himself (I didn't know Andy much). But what I am saying is that by the end of the movie, I no longer saw Jim Carrey playing a part...I saw a person named Andy. And that, to any actor, should be the highest praise indeed.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: According to good buddy Bob Zmuda's recent book about Andy entitled "Andy Kaufman Revealed! Best Friend Tells All", Andy was "so in love with prostitutes - he admired their "purity" - that if he'd been female he would have wanted to be one himself." As it was, he had to settle with being a one-man orgy at the notorious Mustang Ranch brothel in Reno. In fact, in 1979 he was in Reno for a week of shows and decided to have sex with every prostitute at the brothel. Not only did he bed six hookers per day, he paid $100 per prostitute - twice the going rate. By the end of the week, writes Zmuda, his friend was sore from all the activity. He did also like to keep in touch with many of the Mustangers and would, on occasion, fly one of them out to stay with him in Laurel Canyon for a few days at a time. Besides the numerous real life cameos by stars from TV's "Taxi", David Letterman and Lorne Michaels playing themselves, it's interesting to note the small role by Norm McDonald in one particularly awkward scene, and the real Bob Zmuda as an angry man in another. According to Jim Carrey, he and his-then wife, Melissa, were in attendance the night of Andy's last big show at the Carnegie Hall. Melissa also has a small role in this film as the waitress in the Comedy Store. The IMDb reports that the title of the film is a reference to an R.E.M. song about the late comedian, and that director Forman could not decide between Edward Norton (who was reportedly dating the overrated Courtney Love at the time) and Jim Carrey for the lead role. He eventually left it up to the studio, and they obviously went with the more bankable Carrey. And for all you who believe in the superstitious fodder, please note that both Jim and Andy were born on the same date of January 17 (though 13 years apart), and while on the set of this film, Jim apparently suffered the a similar minor neck injury while filming a scene with the same professional wrestler who once put Andy in a neck brace (Jerry Lawler, who incidentally plays himself in this film).
Review Date: December 22, 1999 Director: Milos Forman Writers: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski Producers: Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg Actors: Jim Carrey is Andy Kaufman Danny DeVito as George Shapiro Genre: Drama Year of Release: 1999 ------------------------------ http://www.joblo.com/ ------------------------------ (c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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