- Title: Man on the Moon
- IMDb: link
Director Milos Foreman‘s 1999 biopic of Andy Kaufman (played by Jim Carrey) is most notable for Carrey’s performance of the unusual celebrity that took himself too seriously but nothing else all that seriously at all. The film highlights the big moments of Kaufman’s career including his inter-gender wrestling, his reluctance to accept a role on Taxi, his chaotic appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and Fridays and the creation of his grating alter-ego Tony Clifton.
While Carrey is the backbone of the film, the script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski never really explores the reasoning behind Kaufman’s various antics or hold him responsible for those that fell flat in what is very much a celebration of the unique performer’s career.
The film has aged fairly well as a mostly surface-level look at Kaufman’s career that won’t answer questions about the man but will provide some basic CliffsNotes summary of his biggest hits (and misses). Re-released on Blu-ray, the supporting cast includes Paul Giamatti, Jerry Lawler (playing himself), Danny DeVito (not playing himself), and Courtney Love as Kaufman’s friends and biggest enablers. We also get R.E.M.’s loving tribute to the performer as the main track of the movie’s credits.
Watch the trailer