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MAN ON THE MOON review
One of the reasons I love film is from time to time
while watching it, you realize that the story has quite
a bit to say about you.
I was not expecting that by going to see a biography
on Andy Kaufman. But...
Well... Let me begin as I like to do, at the beginning
of the story.
Last Tuesday I went to a local theater here in town to
go see THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. I was
really up for it. Dad and I traversed viscious
grid-lock traffic on MO-PAC and after about 40
minutes to traverse a 10 minute drive, found
ourselves staring at managers and theater ushers that
had no idea what we were talking about.
You see... while the tickets said, Tuesday 7:30 at this
particular theater... you see... that was a mistake. So
that whole big long gridlock nerve wrangling
bumper-hell drive was... for nothing. We learned that
our passes were actually for a Thursday screening...
today actually. But that’s not what they said. But
heck... sure... Why not.
So it was this morning (that same Thursday I was
supposed to be seeing THE WORLD IS NOT
ENOUGH) when I awoke and pressed the answering
machine button and heard, “Harry, this is Jan, I don’t
know if you know this or not but MAN ON THE
MOON is playing at the Lincoln tonight...
beeeeeeeeeeeeeep”
Hmm... I love James Bond. I’ve seen all 18 Bond
films in that series as well as the outlaw Sean
Connery one and the Casino Royale bit where
everyone was James Bond. I know James Bond...
He’s familiar with me. But... I don’t know Andy
Kaufman. And... I can’t become familiar with Andy
tomorrow at any number of 3000 screens across the
country like I can THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH,
so... I saw MAN ON THE MOON tonight instead.
It’s strange. I’ve written a lot about MAN ON THE
MOON. I’ve had a lot of anticipation about the film,
based solely upon my affinity for Jim Carrey, Milos
Forman, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski. I
know of Andy Kaufman. I have seen some of the
Saturday Night Live sketches, I had seen the
Letterman with Lawler and Kaufman and I have been
a gigantic fan of TAXI. But I didn’t know how the
pieces fit together. Until I saw this brilliant film, one
in a long line of brilliant films from Milos Forman
“You have to ask yourself if you are trying to
entertain yourself or your audience...”
That’s a line delivered by the exasperated George
Shapiro played by Danny Devito. It hit me very
strongly. You see... While watching this film I
realized quite a few things about myself by watching
Andy Kaufman, and hear me out on this, I was
watching Andy Kaufman. I don’t know who Jim
Carrey is supposed to be in this film, but if the
Academy gives an Oscar to anyone other than Andy
Kaufman or John Malkovich (why is it two of the
very best performances this year were handed in by
the actual people that they were supposed to be
playing)... then there is some sort of crime going on.
Carrey wasn’t even in this movie.
Anyway... Kaufman does things that are funny to
maybe a dozen people. Maybe just himself. Maybe...
just maybe for Tony Clifton.
I do this quite a bit too. You see... let me invite you
in a bit on one such tidbit. Right now, on the main
page there is a headline entitled, “The
Wolf-Baggingly Cool Dude, Harry Lime looks at
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.”
Sounds innocent enough. Yesterday, the front page
of my site was captured for CNN HEADLINE
NEWS... reaching millions upon millions of viewers
all over the world. They scan right by that word.
“Wolf-Baggingly” Hell... Some people may have
adapted that stupid sounding word into their
vocabulary. Perhaps little kids have asked Mom and
Dad... “What does Wolf-Bagging mean?” Perhaps
some people have signed letters in the last 36 hours...
‘Wolf-Baggingly Yours,...’
I recently learned this word. It hasn’t entered the
popular vernacular yet. Not many know what it
means. But it happens to be the word used to
describe the act of putting one’s penis into the anus of
another while the owner of the anus gags her/himself
thereby causing the anal wall to contract around said
penis owner’s penis thus giving the penis owner great
pleasure... Allegedly...
Millions have seen the word.
Me and a couple of others. Just a few friends here
and there have been in on this, and now you. Who
knows... you may be appalled. It may disgust you.
You might get really really angry. But... I find it
hilarious.
In MAN ON THE MOON, you get let in on alot of
the jokes that maybe only Andy and Bob Zmuda were
in on. The film also killed me. If you don’t cry and
giggle at the same time during the funeral scene...
Then I don’t want talk to you anytime soon. The
scene has soooo much pure soul and emotion. It’s
such a rich moment that well, even Dad... heh...
It’s funny, before going... Dad told me, “Well, I know
it’s better for the site if you see MAN ON THE
MOON tonight, but I didn’t like Andy Kaufman when
he was alive, I don’t see how I’ll be anything but
miserable tonight.”
Father Geek really liked this movie a lot tonight. It
gave him a completely different perspective on Andy.
He has thought for years that Kaufman was just... Just
an asshole. A prick. A bastard. But then, Dad did
not know Andy Kaufman. Few people it seems did.
Hopefully this film will change that, because it
seems... Andy was quite a beautiful person, and
continues to be. Andy’s performance in this film was
stunning and it was remarkable that he allowed this
docu-drama to be shot. That Kaufman has a big pair
of cajones I’ll give him that.
I don’t know if what I saw tonight was an accurate
representation of Andy Kaufman... just as I don’t
know if Johnny Depp’s Ed Wood was accurate at
all... or his Hunter S Thompson. I also don’t know if
Ben Kingsley did a great Gandhi.... or if Henry
Fonda did a dead on Young Mr Lincoln. Or... when
Ian McKellen did his James Whale... was that James
Whale? I don’t know... but I like to think so. It
comforts me to watch those movies.... read those
books... ponder over histories and to see these
seemingly magical performances where the identity of
the actor seems to drift away and my thoughts are left
only with the person I see before me.
That’s what is so beautiful about this film. As I
watched the flashes of sequences in Kaufman’s life I
knew, I felt I was watching exactly those moments. I
felt as though that was real. That was honest. And
because every single moment that I knew ahead of
time and had experienced before was sooo real.... I
accepted every single new moment. All the scenes
and moments of Andy’s life that I haven’t been
privvy to. I felt as though all of this was reality... not
created or manufactured. I felt as though everything
was honest... even if it was all a big lie and
somewhere behind the projector there was Kaufman
fucking with the opening’s sound.
I don’t know if anyone else will see this movie as
brilliantly as we did here in Austin today. But let me
take you through the opening moments.
The theater went dark and the projectionist had the
wrong lens in place... making the film in the aspect
ratio of CINERAMA. The lights came on. Boos and
hisses escaped a few mouths.
Then the lights went dark and the ratio was correct...
The UNIVERSAL logo came up in silence... the
MUTUAL logo came up in silence. And then there...
staring at us unblinkingly was Andy Kaufman
(remember, Jim Carrey is not in this movie, though
his name is in the credits for some inexplicable
reason). His eyes dodged around nervously... as
though just below the screen a wet spot was
appearing upon his pants... Then he opened his
mouth and began speaking... But there was no sound.
SCREAMS sung out. “TURN THE FUCKING
SOUND ON!!! FIX IT!!!”
The screen went black and the theater lights came up.
The audience applauded. “REWIND IT!!!” someone
screamed.
The lights begin dimming.... Again that unblinking
black and white face of Kaufman’s talking at us
mutely... still no sound...
“JESUS CHRIST FIX IT!!!” “REWIND THE
FILM!!!!”
The screen goes dark. The lights come up. The
audience is restless... A couple of people head out to
the lobby.
Suddenly there’s a pop of a speaker.... the lights
begin to go down as lobby music is piped in.
“FUCK,” someone screams out.
Another says, “I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!”
this was a free screening.
Then Andy Kaufman again appears.... talking... this
time we hear the Latka voice... And the audience
cheers.
I hope this is your experience too, because
somewhere... maybe up in that projection booth...
Andy was laughing. I hope Andy visits your
screening too.
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+ Expand All
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KEVIN SPACEY WILL WIN, the oscar that is. Ha!
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I guess I will see this movie because of Milo's, I have been a big fan since Amadeus and will see whatever he does. I will admit, the trailer for Man on the moon urks me. The music and Jim Carrey opening the trailer saying "HEELLLLOooooo I AM ANNNN-DEEEE" makes me cringe.
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I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a little strange because I felt like i was watching Jim Carrey doing Andy's routines. I thought the plot was a little lacking...Amadeus was more than watching Whatsisname just playing Mozart concertos. This was very heavy on the routines, but I loved that. I had never been a huge Andy fan. I remembered seeing him on SNL, and I thought he was okay on Taxi, but once that female wrestling crap started, I stopped paying attention to him. This movie made me really like him. And it was fun seeing the old Taxi gang back (minus Tony Danza, who was doing a star-turn on Broadway) even though they barely said 2 words. (For those interested, what they do is re-create 2-second scenes from various episodes with Jim Carrey doing Latka...this is why it was easy to not include Tony OR the Louie DePalma character (since Danny DeVito is playing Andy's manager). They just didn't show any Latka/Tony or Latka/Louie scenes. :) I don't know yet if I'd give Jim the Oscar, but I'd CERTAINLY nominate him. Oh, and once again, Paul Giamatti was GREAT.
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So Harry, did you apply for the Mastercard???
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The Talk Backs have all vanished, somewhat mysteriously. Hope I didn't offend with my lengthy post or my candid comments on a certain sexual activity..... :-/
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I love Paul Giamani (or however the hell you're supposed to say his name) Still, the guy is great, though the best I've seen him in was "Private Parts" (hope this is even better) Oh yeah as Lord El Cosmico would say, "Hasta El Courtney Love"? That skanky ho isn't exactly on my fave list so I'm not all that excited to see her in it. (even though her ex-bassist is now playing for THE SMASHING PUMPKINS! Yeah, take that Courtney!!)
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I noticed that the talkbacks had a persistently nasty tone today. Perhaps that's why they were wolf-bagged.
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This review has me more pumped about seeing this movie than I was before. As a kid, I loved Andy Kaufmann in his Latke persona. As an adult, I love his offensive stand-up style. He challenged his audience like no one else and I always wished I could have been part of one of those audiences. Now I can. I love the movies!
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Absolutely bizarre about the disappearing talkbacks. Shocked as hell to see them gone, but I guess that's kind of like a few weeks ago when Father Geek made his pronouncement. Oh, well.
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two words, not one.
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They have secretly created a CGI code that sucks your soul in to it when you register for Talk Back but they could only activate the "removal of the soul" process on the day that the pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock. This is what happens when you combine technology and Voudon, you get really esoteric dates for events to happen on (Boy, is that an awkward sentence). In essence (pardon the pun) what has happened is that Harry and his family (as in the Chainsaw Massacre definition of family) have stolen our souls and now will control our lives so that we have nothing better to do than sit around a computer all day waiting for update and bickering about the minutiae of movie...hey, wait a minute...
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SAM I AM.....Did you really have to post the EXACT same damn message in all the talkbacks?? It's getting freaking redundant. As well as for all the conspiracy theorists......since it looks like ALL of the talkbacks from yesterday are gone, I'm assuming that it was more of a glitch or a computer-related thing than someone actually deleting all of them because of content.
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Hey Gites, why don't you send me a FUCKIN EMAIL, then you'll see who I really am. Just cause I'm a whole shitload smarter than you and I figured out why the talkbacks were really deleted, don't get your panties all in a twist. I had some posts yesterday that were deleted too, but I didn't jump to any FUCKING conclusions like your paranoid pansy ass did.
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Well, at least you've accepted my conclusion that you're a dumbass. So is this your reasoning?
1. Harry is a sellout
2. Everyone hates Harry
3. Thus, if someone tries to defend him, he
4. IS HARRY
Good deductive reasoning! -
this is turning into a god damned war-zone, everybody pick sides quick!!!
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I have often wondered and stared in awe at the massive toiletry of human shit that it the AICN talkbacks. Today, I am a peanut sitting in that festering turd. God bless technology. And God bless ANDY KAUFMAN!
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A few months ago ACIN posted a editorial about how Universal was screwing up the release of vthis flim now look Mr. Knowles gets a advance screening and POOFF we get a glowing review...I have not heard alot about this flim but I'll tell you I'm wondering why a major studio woulsd go to a piss poor media market like austin to do a preview screening???
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Part of (most of) the reason Kaufman is so well-regarded is because he always kept the act up, and never acted like what he was doing SHOULD be funny (and that made it so it was). Talking about how hilarious some stupid word is and how funny it is so many people have seen it is hardly in the same vein.
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The soundtrack is awesome (I got the promo where I work - the new R.E.M. song The Great Beyond is one of their best) and this and Toy Story 2 are what I'm waiting to see this year. I didn't know much about Andy Kaufman when he was alive except from Taxi and HeartBeeps (which is one of my secret favorites - it played over and over again on cable and I must have seen it every time it was on) but this looks like one I will take to heart. Also, Milos Forman is a god.
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Well Harry, I saw this documentary on Edward D. Wood Jr. once, and Mr. Wood himself looked more chubby than Johnny Depp was. I dunno. Maybe Tim Burton couldn't find a chubby or slightly chubby person to fit Ed Wood, so he turned to Depp. I dunno.
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I doubt it was andy in the projection booth. Whoever it was probably is quite suicidal right now. Damn the life of a projectionist is depressing. You almost HAVE to do interesting stuff like Tyler Durden to keep your mind occupied or else you will DIE. Theater managers are pricks who are so sick and tired of their own SORRY failure lives that they take out their anger on the meager high school kids they employ. God bless that kid who screwed up man on the moon (although I am sure it wasn't purposeful. I almost had a heart attack, myself, when the projector almost demolished Forces of Nature during an advance screening). and I hope he sleeps well at night. Raise your head high, kid. There is more to live for than movies and sorry-sack theater workers. :-)
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hello all I was just wondering if anyone can tell me who andy kauffman was really ?
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.....am I the only one that didn't learn a single damned thing about the movie by reading Harry's review?
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I saw this movie at a sneak last night in Tucson, it was absolutely great. Maybe it was the college crowd, maybe it was because I had seen that special on Comedy Central and have been looking forward to this movie for the longest time...but this move blew me away. I don't want to give too much of it away, but it's really not as touchy feely as everyone makes it out to be...I haven't laughed so hard at a movie for awhile. This movie quite possibly gave Andy Kauffman more justice than he deserved...it's that good. I serves as kind of a metaphor for his life, it's really good. Jim Carrey plays him stunningly well...I couldn't picture Nicholas Cage in that part or anyone else for that matter. I now know why Bob picked Jim so convincingly, despite not wanting him originally for the part...But are you all getting the moral of the story: GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
P.S. I wish I coulda had that same atmosphere as Harry described, it would've added to the greatness of it -
OK, here's the easy part: the synopsis. Milos Foreman ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus", "The People vs. Larry Flynt") directs "Man on the Moon" (December 22), the "biopic" of the short life of Andy Kaufman -- famed (but often misunderstood and VERY often loathed) American entertainer and comedian (though he would have never labeled himself the latter). Jim Carrey portrays (and/or impersonates) the late Kaufman as the man, but
moreso the legend. The film gives us a (too) large dose of Andy's antics -- his Latka days on "Taxi", his Elvis impersonations, his alter-ego obnoxious lounge singer Tony Clifton (though the jury's still out as to whether this was ever REALLY Kaufman), and his stint as a pseudo-pro wrestler. What is revealed is that Kaufman had most, if not, everyone who wasn't Kaufman
himself completely hood-winked to the ultimate delight of... Kaufman. Now, some may find this behavior boringly pretentious and just as un-funny as all get-out, but few would argue the comedic genius that he was. A (too) small portion of film further delves into his personal life -- his relationship with girlfriend Lynne Margulies (Courtney Love); the behind-the-scenes schemes with his manager, Bob Shapiro (Danny DeVito), and his friend, Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti); his affinity for Eastern religion and meditation; and his final battle with a rare form of lung cancer.
What annoyed me about the movie (see my parenthetical hints above) is the fact that MOST of it is made up of highly-detailed, re-created vignettes of
Kaufman's acts and stunts (the wrestling matches with Jerry Lawler, TV spots on David Letterman, "Taxi" episodes, etc.). If any of you watched fairly-recent television specials about Kaufman's life (E! True Hollywood Story or A&E's Biography), you would have easily seen half this movie. Why do I need to sit through almost two hours of dramatizations when the actual events themselves were MUCH more entertaining? In fact, every time I DO see old Andy Kaufman video footage while flipping channels, I STOP because I'm
so enthralled by what's going on (yes, there is a Jerry Springeresque junkie in ALL of us -- ADMIT IT!).
With my principle beef aside for one moment, if it is possible to give the highest glory, laud, and honor to an actor but not the film, then that's what I'd have to do here. With that in mind, let me say that the Performance of the Year Award goes to Jim Carrey! What an amazing, TOTAL immersion of self into character! If you go see this movie for NO other
reason, go see it simply because Carrey is BRILLIANT in this movie. But Boom, you said it yourself! Isn't it merely Carrey impersonating Kaufman in all these little skits that make up the film? Couldn't ANY good actor
have been able to do that? To a small degree, I'd have to say, "Yes." But when you take the Big Picture approach to Jim Carrey's performance, you can't help but notice how incredibly detail-oriented Carrey is in this role. Jim Carrey literally becomes Andy Kaufman! And forget about the stupid faux sideburns, uni-brow, and extra moles Carrey is saddled with in order to look
like Kaufman. He would have been convincing without any of it, trust me! What stood out for me the most was how Carrey performed the personal moments of Kaufman's life. The emotion and energy Carrey exuded could have never
been accomplished by mere imitation.
SO! My final word is this: If you're at all curious about Andy Kaufman, have never seen any of this video footage I alluded to, and you're a Jim Carrey fan (or not), get out and see this movie. -
I actually saw this movie Nov 2, because my school (Emerson College in Boston) invited Bob Zmuda (producer and Kaufman Friend) to talk, along with a free screening. I am a huge Kaufman fan, so of course I was going to love it. But it's not stellar. There's nothing new here that would make me kiss Milos's feet. It's enjoyable, if you like Kaufman. It's kinda like Episode 1. I knew i was going to love that regardless, because Star Wars can do no wrong in my eyes, (except for Jar Jar..)
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Watch the movie again, Mr. Gites. It's 2 T's and an E.
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I have every confidence that Jim Carrey will pull off the performance of his career playing Andy Kaufman (I like how the poster credits: "Jim Carrey IS Andy Kaufman in..."). I am not a Kaufman fan but I do like Carrey and unlike a lot of people, I feel that Carrey can be an excellent dramatic actor. The only reason I would see this film is because of Carrey, really. I hope I won't be disappointed.
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Ok, first off, DON'T read this if you haven't seen the movie yet, duh! Second, is it true that there are 3 different endings to the film? If so, what are they? The one I saw was "One Year Later", with Shapiro, Zmuda, and Margulies at the Improv watching a Tony Clifton act. What were the other 2? I'm curious...
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I don't know if anybody reads these old things, but I check back after I've actually seen these movies. About Man on the Moon, I have to say I enjoyed the piss out of it. I always say that if I walk out of a movie not thinking it was the best movie, than it wasn't shit. This movie seemed to be the best at the time. Honestly I know it wasn't the best, but who cares? I need that punch walking out of the theater. Jim Carrey was beyond expectations. I do wonder why in the hell they cast DeVito as a character in this film when they showed everybody else (besides Danza) from Taxi as themselves. Anybody could have played the Shapiro role, besides maybe Kevin Sorbo. Anyway, I recommend this wholeheartedly to fans of alternative comedy or movie fans in general.
*Spoiler*
The scene with the "miracle worker" in the Phillipines was brilliant and sad. -
Man, what a disappointment this
was! Nothing about the man
Kaufman himself, just re-creations
of his acts. Carrey does a great
job of impersonating Kaufman, but
the script allows for no insights
and Carrey suffers as a result.
I went with a large group and
every last one of us was
seriously disappointed. -
Dec. 24, 1999
Man on the Moon is a powerful example of an actor sinking his species being into his craft. It's different. And while it's a stretch for Jimbo, he pulls it off. It helps to know and have seen Kaufman's schtick. If you like J.C. then you should appreciate his acting. Mr. Devito and Mr. Giamatti should receive consideration for an Oscar. Certainly J.C. He IS Kaufman. Sit back and savor the ride.
Malibu Joe -
It was good, but not brilliant. I enjoyed the hell out of it, but it had something missing.. It ran like a run-on sentence - this happened and then this happened and then this happened and then.. Without punctuation. Without structure. And it sort of barreled into an ending. On the other hand.. Let's just hand Jim Carrey the Oscar now. I completely forgot about JC as soon as the movie rolled, and was thinking of Andy Kaufman the whole time.. I've seen Andy Kaufman, and damn if that wasn't him. Jim will probably get his second golden globe in a row out of this, and it's well, well deserved. If you haven't seen it yet, run right over at least to see Carey complete his transformation into a Real Actor.
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I knew about Andy K. I knew about him from watching the special on Comedy Central called "I'm from Hollywood" I had only remembered Andy from Taxi and never really gave the guy a second thought but this special caught my interest, especially the clips of Andy making fun of Memphis. It was just so bizarre and one gets suprised that this sort of thing gets press or attention at all. If you have seen this special at all on Comedy Central you might recognize that Man on the Moon is merely a dramatic adaptation of that special, with some diaglogue bits thrown in between. I feared that the movie would just be a recreation of clips from the shows that Andy had been on and sure enough, it was. Now Carrey did a wonderful job of playing Andy but honestly, there wasn't much more to it than that. But not everyone has seen the documentary footage of Andy, so this movie still had merit. But if you want to talk about the joke of running the credits at the beginning of the film or changing the v-hold on a comedy special, I just don't find that funny. The audience goes to movies to suspend their disbelief. This is the most basic agreement between the film makers and the film viewers. I will pretend that the actors on the screen are not actors and I will pretend that the action on screen is not scripted, but is actually playing out before my eyes. I agree, essentially, to buy into the fact that the film maker is telling me a story. I know that the reality is that I am sitting in a theater watching pictures fly by, but I let that go for two hours. Andy K basically abused that disbelief, he abused the chance the audience gave him to show his work and his whole body of work is just shock-jocking. He was a prankster, a man who constantly tried to one-up the audience and much of his work seemed to be a direct retalliation towards those that opposed him. Playing a joke on someone is fine, if you eventually let them know they are be joked with. Andy never did this nor did he seem to want to try. His work has as much credibility as say, Howard Stern, but without the charm or the "letting off the hook" quality. One of the main reasons that Andy was so recognizable was based on his Taxi role, and that was one that he seemed to hate the most. But if it weren't for that role, not many would know who he was. His ability to play pranks on the audience and get those venues to happen was based on his ligit work from Taxi. I did like that the film made the point that the holistic cure he sought was nothing more than another prank, except this time, the prank was on him. Man on the Moon did a decent job in showing that Andy ultimately reapped what he sowed. I just don't see how taking advantage of my good graces to sit and watch a performance is funny, entertaining, or worthy of praise. Man on the Moon was entertaining because you knew it was all staged, the movie made a point of showing you that it was a joke, and the joke was not on you, it was on someone else. I laughed at Andy because he was acting like an idiot, and I knew that it was intentional. But with Andy, the joke never seemed to end, the punchline was never fully delievered, and watching him was like watching a staged car wreck. The wreck is interesting to watch, but ultimately it takes advantage of some innocent people who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Andy's story is an interesting one, but at what cost and at what value?
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I saw MOTM and thought that it was lacking. Basically, it was (almost) everything in the commercial with some filler in between. I was looking for some insight into WHY Andy Kaufman was the way he was. WHY did he need to trick the audience with his characters. What happened in his life that made him this way? I saw all the documentaries on Comedy Central and was always intrigued by his behavior... expecially in and around the wrestling ring.
By the way, there were two scenes in the commericial for MOTM that were NOT in the movie! 1. When he was in the neck brace on the stretcher after getting hurt in the ring and looks to Shapiro with that devious look in his eye, as if to say "I'm ok, It was all a hoax". & 2. When he met his girlfriend at Jerrys Deli and said "Hi, I'm Andi Kaufman..." the girl goes "who?" and Andy said "Latka from Taxi". I was confused by those scenes missing. Maybe that was intentional by Milos... I agree that Jim Carrey did a great job... but I think that he was not able to carry this somewhat disjointed movie past his own acting success.
-6 out of 10-
David
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Really a good film,but not fantastic. Carrey's portrayal was excellent. I have been foolish and watched all the biographies that came out and I've researched Andy's life extensively. I wish I went in there not knowing as much as I did. I don't think they should have used the original taxi cast. That was not very convincing(too much make up, wigs). Definetly worth watching if you are fascinated with Andy. The beginning was excellent and very smart. I can't take Courtney Love. She makes me want to puke!!! She was good in Harry Flint, but that was like Jeffrey Dahmer playing a cannibal. I really hate her! Go watch the movie though! Pig vomit was really good. Also, Kudos to Jerry Lawler. I really thought he and Andy were not working together when they wrestled.
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Just saw the movie, and have some mixed thoughts. Jim Carrey was excellent in his "impersonation" of Andy Kaufman.
I followed Andy Kaufman's career, and was really looking forward to this movie. I came away a little dissapointed, maybe because I know too much about his career. I really thought the negative aspects of his career as a performance artist were emphasized. Those who aren't familiar with all his work will not have gotton a balanced image of how funny and creative he was. This really emphasized Clifton and wrestling, which is not at all how I remember his career.
All in all, a good movie. Jim Carey does deserve recognition for an incredibly good job in this movie. -
When I was a kid I grew up watching Saturday Night Live. I remember living to watch that show, and SCTV, the two greatest sketch comedy shows ever created. I loved them so much that when ABC started a new show called "Fridays" I hoped it would be great, too (this was in 1980, when I was twelve and about six months before Dick beat Brain in the Battle of the Body).
But "Fridays" sucked, primarily because the talent (writing and acting) wasn't there, and the only good show I ever saw them do was the one in which Andy Kaufman took over, threw out the script and brought the show to its knees. I remember thinking "I'm watching history right now. This has never been done before."
From that moment on, Andy Kaufman was a hero to me. One of the most exciting experiences of my life was getting my cousin to take myself and my older sister to see Andy perform live. His act was funny, weird, funnier, weirder, bizarre, infuriating, anarchic, disturbing, funny again and finally gentle and sweet. I never saw anyone ever run through so many different moods and emotions on the stage. At the end, he told us he was going to thank everyone in the audience, and my sister, who was sitting on the aisle, got a kiss from him. I actually shook his hand. I will never forget that night. I came away thinking that Andy Kaufman existed on so many levels, it would take years and years to see everything he had to offer to the world.
And then Andy died. I was one who thought it was all a fake, just another bit he was doing, and what a great idea it was, too. Then I remembered some film I saw about an air show, where a plane crashes and the announcer tries to keep everybody calm by saying "It's all part of the show, folks, all part of the show." But the plane really crashed, and the show was over.
I guess it's all this emotional baggage I carry around about Andy that makes me so disappointed with "Man in the Moon." I think Jim Carrey did a wonderful job, and Milos Forman is one of the best living filmmakers. It's just that I walked out thinking, "You guys really didn't know Andy, did you? You really had no bond with who and what Andy was." The film recreates Andy's life with meticulous care, but while the facts are there and the setting is right, the film is like a s -
Wood was a depressive person, I think Depp played it to mockingly, although I think Burton's film was a good representation of Wood's early films, he left out Wood's desent into alcoholism and porn, he went broke lived in the worst imaginable places and got kicked out of those even, I don't think the movie fairly represented that....or it didn't at all. And one thing that bothered me was that Wood never got a premeire for any of his movies and Burton gave him one, he made Wood look like a joke, so while it was a briliant film, I don't think it at all represented the life of Ed Wood.
I suggest the book:
Ed Wood: Nightmare of Ecstasy, written by the people who knew him, his family and friends. -
Man, this has got to be the angriest bunch of people ever. I bet if this forum weren't so anonymous, that you guys wouldn't say all those awful mean rotten things to each other. Its disheartening.
But then, who am I to talk?
I hate everybody. -
I just hated this movie. I can't share the joy that Kaufman fans do. Why? Because his schtick was to make the audience hate him. Hey, making the audience hate you is the easiest thing in the world! The scene where DeVito's character tells off Zmuda & Andy for fooling the audience into believing Andy & Tony Clifton weren't the same person was the perfect example. These two deeply selfish & unamusing lugnuts pull a joke that exactly two deeply selfish & unamusing lugnuts would get. Wow. Sure pulled a fast one, huh, guys? I read both Zmuda's book & Bill Zehme's "Lost In The Funhouse", mostly in hope that I would finally "get" the whole Andy thing. Nope. Just justified my bewilderment. Carrey gives a performance in the same way Rich Little gives a performance: it was a very, very accurate impersonation. Anyone thinking he was acting is pissing on the real actors who gave a performance this year (Spacey in American Beauty, Farnsworth in Straight Story, etc.). The film tries to humanize a warped & self-indulgent personality and comes off trying to turn him into some cuddly, misunderstood Hello Kitty tragic comic genius. Me? I'm waiting for the Bill Hicks story or the Sam Kinison biopic. Now, THOSE guys were funny.
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hey gang. saw the film thursday. first, andy was a practical jokester along the lines of alan funt and candid camera.second with zmuda in the audience in the final shot, i think andy did fake it all. when jim carry wins the oscar andy will walk out and say his favorite line...."SUCKERS!!!" as i left the theater my thought was on jim morrison's line "did you have a good life when you died; enough to base a movie on."
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so what if up didn't sell millions. it's still brilliant. definitely better than limp bizkit, kid rock,or any of that other intellectually devoid david lee roth-esque shit that mtv shoves down our throats these days. maybe if you judge an album by quality and not quantity sold, you might develop a little taste.
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although the movie sucked. having andy play carnegie hall at death's door was too big of a piece of revisionist history for me to swallow. and courtney love has no range as an actress.
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A question?..
Who plays Tony Clifton at the end of the movie if it isnt Andy's writer/best friend? Please email me back if you know!
Thanx (smooth222@hotmail.com) -
Man, if Spacey's the best piece of ass in town Carrey is second. Fuck you Academy Fuckers, Carrey was great.
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Jim Carrey is one of the greatest comedians who actually also can do "serious". Roberto Benigni might be very talented, I still feel that Jim deserved that "best actor" Oscar for "The Truman Show". His performance there was as deep as the plot. And how about that elastic face, huh?
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MAN ON THE MOON is a performance vehicle pure and simple.If you don't know much about Andy Kaufman,this film may leave you cold.I did enjoy Jim Carrey's dead-on Andy impersonation,and Milos Forman is a class act.It DID fall short of THE PEOPLE VS> LARRY FLYNT,though....
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