Maybe they can put a man on the moon, but they can't make a good Andy Kaufman film

Rating: 2/10 (31 May 2000)

This uninspired biopic of the infamous oddball performance artist/comedian Andy Kaufman misfires on almost all counts. To begin with, there are millions of people who have never heard of Andy Kaufman, so there's a entire demographic that would need to be taught about the late auteur. Right away, when you have to convince a large portion of the population that the subject of your movie is worthy of your cinematic paintbrush, you're in a hole that most moviemakers can't dig out of.
But that's only the people who weren't aware of Andy Kaufman when he was alive. What about those of us who were? Those who closely followed the television series Taxi remember the character of Latka Gravas, but how many people paid any attention to Kaufman's offscreen antics? Those who did notice generally seem to fall into one of two categories: those who loved Kaufman and believed him to be an unsung comic genius, and those who despised him and saw him as a relentlessly weird pathological liar.

Those who loved Kaufman and his work might find something of value in this film. As a straight biography, there are inspired, original moments - such as the beginning acting as an end, or some of Kaufman's bits (including the legendary Saturday Night Live "Mighty Mouse" skit) - but most of the movie is rather pedestrian, given that it's directed by Milos Forman, who brought One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to the big screen. Our Hero struggles against People Who Don't Understand Him (parents, audiences) until he is saved by a Nice Agent With a Heart of Gold who shows him the way to superstardom. Ho-hum. The viewer, instead of being enticed by this purportedly unique, larger-than-life character, finds that it's really just an exercise in somnolence. The script is smarmy and self-satisfied, as if it's telling it's damn funny and if you want to be hip, you'll think it's funny, too.
Jim Carrey, as Andy, turns in some remarkable work, but thanks to a rather standard script doesn't really get to show off his acting chops (which we saw in The Truman Show). As Andy, Carrey turns in a good impersonation, but not a full characterization. Courtney Love as Andy's girlfriend Lynne isn't exceptional, but the character lacks depth. She's no more or less important than Adrian from Rocky, cheering her man on through thick and thin, leaving him at one point but - surprise - coming back to him when he needs her the most. Danny DeVito is his agent, George, and he's likeable in a thankless role (remember Edward Norton in The People Versus Larry Flynt?).

Like Oliver Stone's The Doors, we come away from this movie not knowing much more about the lead character than we did before the movie. There are no deep insights, no real secrets revealed. The result is a slipshod, lackadaisical film, a movie that promises to bring the story of a 'misunderstood' man to light but winds up being a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.