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.