Man on the Moon Review
by Annie M Benson (anniebenlen AT mindspring DOT com)December 31st, 1999
Numeric Rating =8 out of 10
This movie didn't feel like most other movies to me. Although it told a story, it wasn't a smooth narrative progression, rather it was series of disconnected feeling moment that when put together gave a glimpse into the life of the late Andy Kaufman.
I wasn't a big Kaufman fan going into this film. I'd seen him on Taxi, and in a few other venues, but I didn't really know that much about him. While I now know more about the events of his life, I feel that I don't know much about him personally. Jim Carrey was on-screen almost constantly, yet it seemed like there was only ten or fifteen minutes of him playing Kaufman, not him playing Kaufman playing a character. This could be appropriate, the impression I was getting was that Kaufman was almost engulfed b the characters he created. Kaufman's childhood and early career are almost entirely skipped over. There is a hint that he had to struggle at the beginning. but basically the movie gives the impression that fame fell into his lap overnight. It seems like he got handed his role on "Taxi" despite his hating it, and through very little effort of his own.
This movie seems to raise a question. Was Kaufman really a jerk, or just really good at playing a jerk, almost constantly, for comedic effect? The film's answer is the later. Yet, this answer seems sugar-coated. His relationship with the others in the cast of "Taxi" seems strained as best, with him being shown as a bigger star, but disdainful of his fellow cast and not willing to associate with them except when the camera was rolling. His relationship with his family is equally strained. When his doctor tells them of his illness, they speculate on how Andy managed to pull off the joke. I left feeling that maybe both positions were true.
No review about this movie would be complete without a few words about Jim Carrey's performance. Aside from eye and hair color, Carrey and Kaufman don't look that much alike.
Kaufman was shorter and stockier, Carrey more lanky and slender. And yet I didn't find myself noticing that too much as I watched. Carrey threw himself so effectively into the role that it's almost as if he ceased to exist and Kaufman had come back from the grave. As I watched him recreate scenes from "Taxi" he was just as I remember Kaufman being. In fact, it was jarring watching the scenes being played with original "Taxi" cast members, many of whom were showing their age. If it is an actor's job to make us believe the role he is playing, the Carrey deserves an Oscar nomination.
While this movie seems to paint a rosier picture of the man behind this story than the facts may dictate, it does do justice to enigma and creativity that was the Kaufman experience.
Annie
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
