"Man on the Moon" Review
 
 

Without a doubt, a reaction to comedy is one of the most subjective forms of
human expression. What one person finds hilarious, another may view as
tedious. For every person who sits through Dumb and Dumber stone-faced and
unamused, another will be clutching at his sides as the tears of laughter
spill from his eyes. And for everyone who chuckles knowingly at the phrase
"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!", there will be someone who offers a
blank, quizzical stare. A person's reaction to a joke has less to do with
intelligence, sophistication, or education than with background, mood, and
personality. There are some things that almost everyone finds funny, but many
attempts at humor will only be appreciated by a select audience that is in
the right frame of mind at the right time.
During his lifetime, Andy Kaufman was regarded by fans as a comic genius and
by detractors as an out-of-control lunatic. Most of the American public
simply didn't understand him, and the numerous outrageous antics of his later
life alienated many of those who had initially enjoyed him in the role of
Latka Gravas in the TV series Taxi. In 1982, Kaufman was ousted from Saturday
Night Live when a phone-in poll gave him less than a 30% favorable rating.
Opinions of Kaufman were deeply divided at the time of his 1984 death from
lung cancer. In subsequent years, as often happens with performers who suffer
an untimely demise, his reputation has been rehabilitated, and it's difficult
to find anyone who doesn't remember him fondly. Man on the Moon, with its
title taken from the R.E.M. song, is director Milos Forman's unabashedly
favorable look at Kaufman's public years, and may represent the final chapter
in the comedian's restoration to a platform of affection and respect.
 

Man on the Moon shares a few elements with Forman's previous outing, The
People Vs. Larry Flynt. Both are slightly fictionalized biographies that deal
with men who are regarded as mavericks by society. However, while The People
Vs. Larry Flynt offered Forman a forum in which to argue the importance of
free speech, Man on the Moon is more of a straight character portrait. It
touches on a few key issues - the line dividing madness from genius and the
nature of comedy - but it is predominantly concerned with unraveling the
mystery of Andy Kaufman - at least to the degree that a motion picture can do
so.
Man on the Moon opens with the most inventive prologue of any 1999 feature.
Jim Carrey, who bears an eerie resemblance to Kaufman, walks on stage and
announces in Latka's voice, "Hello. I am Andy and I would like to thank you
for coming to my movie." He then notes how the final result didn't meet with
his approval, so he decided to edit it - until there was nothing left. With
that, he starts playing a record, and the end credits roll. It's like one of
those episodes of Monty Python where the credits run mid-way through the
program. This isn't going to confound many viewers, but it is undeniably an
unusual way to begin a movie.
In telling its story of Kaufman's rise to fame and fall out of favor, Man on
the Moon briefly visits him as a young boy, then zooms ahead to the mid-'70s,
when he is starting his career as a stand-up comedian in improv clubs. One
night, agent George Shapiro (Danny DeVito) sees him perform and decides that
he wants to represent him. When the two later meet, Kaufman confides to
Shapiro that he considers himself to be a song & dance man, not a comedian.
"I don't do jokes. I don't even know what's funny." Following his signing
with Shapiro, Kaufman makes an appearance as a "musical guest" on the first
episode of Saturday Night Live, then goes on to star in Taxi. Along with his
writing partner, Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti), he pens a prime time special that
ABC executives nix, calling it bizarre and unfunny. Meanwhile, Kaufman is
living a double life - his alter ego is an offensive and thoroughly
untalented lounge singer named Tony Clifton.
Once he has the spotlight, Kaufman is unwilling to become creatively
apathetic. He enjoys playing with his mercurial image and toying with the
lines between fantasy and reality. So he sets himself up as a sexist wrestler
who will only wrestle women. His first public "bout" occurs on the Merv
Griffin show, where he defeats a woman named Lynn Marguiles (Courtney Love),
with whom he later falls in love. Other matches follow, until Kaufman is
challenged to go one-on-one with the King of Wrestling, Jerry Lawler.

At one point, Lynn remarks to Kaufman that "there isn't a real you." It's a
telling statement. By that point, how much of Kaufman's genuine personality
remains? Does he even know who he is any more? Perhaps it's only in the quiet
moments, when he's far away from the gleam of the spotlight, that his true
self emerges, however briefly. In fact, Kaufman becomes so adept at the art
of deception and illusion that, when he discovers he has terminal cancer, no
one believes him. His family views it as the latest in a series of cruel
practical jokes and believes that his doctor is a paid actor. Like the boy
who has cried wolf once too often, Kaufman must struggle to convince those
around him that, for once, he is serious. (This is one element I wish the
movie had explored in greater depth - parts of the final half hour feel a
little rushed, although the coda is one that Kaufman would have been pleased
with.)
The success of Man on the Moon rests squarely on the shoulders of Jim Carrey,
who, with this performance, completes the transition from off-the-wall
comedian to serious actor that he began in The Truman Show. Not only does
Carrey imitate Kaufman almost perfectly (including matching his trademark
"Thank you very much"), but he employs this mimickry in the service of a
compelling performance. The forcefulness with which the film conveys
Kaufman's character is as much a function of Carrey's portrayal as it is of
the script from which he is working. This is a role that Carrey, a lifelong
  Kaufman fan, wanted desperately, and, once he got it, he poured every ounce
of his talent into his work. An Academy Award nomination is warranted.
Courtney Love, who played Larry Flynt's love interest in The People Vs. Larry
Flynt, re-teams with Forman for this film, where she occupies the smaller
role of Kaufman's girlfriend. Love is adequate, but the part doesn't offer
the same degree of exposure she was granted in Larry Flynt. The most
interesting casting choice is that of Danny DeVito as Kaufman's friend and
agent, George Shapiro. By accepting this role, DeVito is unable to appear as
himself in the montage of Taxi clip recreations that are depicted (which
feature original stars Judd Hirsch, Christopher Lloyd, Marilu Henner, Jeff
Conaway, and Carol Kane, all looking long-in-the-tooth). In fact,
re-creations are an important part of Man on the Moon. In addition to the
Taxi and SNL bits, many of Kaufman's public appearances are resurrected,
including an infamous guest spot on David Letterman's show.
Anyone concerned that the picture might turn into an unsavory exposé can rest
easy. Two of the executive producers are George Shapiro and Bob Zmuda, and
the film's end credits (the real ones, not the ones that roll at the
beginning) thank three members of the Kaufman family. Man on the Moon does
not whitewash its lead character, but he is presented as a likable, albeit
strange, protagonist. And, as a side benefit, we are given the opportunity to
peer behind the scenes at some of the goings-on in Kaufman's projects. There
are many reasons to see Man on the Moon, but the two most compelling are to
appreciate the way the movie works on many levels and to experience what will
almost certainly be the crowning performance of Jim Carrey's career.