Rated R
Reviewed by: Tony
December 27, 1999

Man on the Moon is the story of the first true performance artist in the comedic venue, Andy Kaufman.

When it comes to Kaufman, there are (3) schools of thought:

# 1 - People who loved him
# 2 - People who hated him
# 3 - People who are too young to remember him

For all practical purposes, I fall in the people who loved him category, but even I was lost to some of his humor.  His ability to stay in character and to keep his audiences guessing will never be equaled.

As for the movie, Jim Carrey does a great job portraying Kaufman.  With very similar builds and many of the same mannerisms in real life, this was not a big stretch for Carrey.  There are scenes with the original cast of Taxi and Danny Devito even turns up as Kaufman's booking agent which is a nice twist.

What is missing here though is a story.  Yes, this is the life and times of Andy Kaufman, but it is fragmented and as a result boring in parts.  We are shown Kaufman's life, but never the man.  There is no inkling as to what, why, or how he thought -- we are simply shown the result of his genius, never the brilliant processes.

This is certain to be a vehicle for Carrey to move to more dramatic roles and away from comedy.  This will truly be a shame.  Kaufman one described himself as a simple song and dance man much as Carrey is.  The difference is Kaufman only wanted to be the best at one thing, comedy; a lesson Carrey might well learn.

If you are looking for a documentary on Kaufman, look elsewhere.  If you are seeking to see out takes of this great comedian's life, see the movie.