What would a man gaze from the Moon?

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2001)

I was not fully prepared to understand the character of Andy Kaufman which I thought at the time, was a made-up character. Nonetheless, the shock of knowing that a person like him could exist was becoming more and more overwhelming as I was watching the movie, and one gets the impression that somehow Milos Forman does not excuse or blame him for what he is as a person, rather he makes a portrait-biography of a phenomenon. And what a phenomenon! For once, he doesn't fit in any kind of comedian we know. Second of all, he doesn't fit in ANY kind of human we deal with, every day. What upsets the most is the way that he considers what's funny and laughable at the cost of people's uncomfortness, to say the least, for what he says and does. He is disgusting, shocking, rude and not the kind of person we should have as a friend as he turns your thoughts into garbage. However, the genius of this "character" is your pursuing of making believe that being alive is the most extraordinary thing on Earth as he recollects all the bad emotions in human being and shows to the same human beings that want all but look into themselves. And he shows them with a great laugh without even consider where the bounds are, as all emotions take part of the comedy of life. But do we really know where are the bounds? When Kaufman tears apart the polish guy for just being polish or spreads his machismo-like thoughts about women; before we discover that this kind of attitude is actually funny material for his jokes, we feel threatened by him. And we still do afterwards. But he's being a comedian because THOSE SUBJECTS ARE FUNNY for him. The question he asks (as well as Forman) but does not answer is why shouldn't we laugh of our very sacred dogmas as humans, regarding that they can change as people change over centuries in their thoughts and prejudices about relationships. Perhaps we should have a little of Kaufman inside us to expand our emotions to the edge as far as relationships in our lives is concerned. After all, that is the fun: being alive and prepare to laugh at that feeling! The other aspect of this movie is Jim Carrey. Before Truman Show I was in the category of viewers that hated him and consider his performances as hysterical and not funny. After Truman Show, which I didn't see, I was very much surprised of what I read in reviews of his performance and I gave him the benefit of doubt. But when I "stumped" in Man of the Moon, I surrendered to him. He is the same Jim Carrey as he is in Mask or Cable Guy, but in so many ways completely different. For once, he is directed and his character knows where to go. On the other hand, he's free to play whatever he likes in portraying this person except that he is, in a way, THIS PERSON! What he gives to Kaufman (note that I don't know the real Andy Kaufman) is genuinely and apparently himself which makes us heart-felted and moved by his generosity in this role. (Why didn't he win an Oscar?) One last word: Somehow extraordinary people are not always the best people in the world but, as Forman shows to us and did in his previews films, are people who expand their views to the infinite possibilities of human life. Like only a Man on the Moon gazing at the earth would view.