Brilliant depiction of the often misunderstood comic genius Andy Kaufman

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2000)

Man on the Moon is the life story of Andy Kaufman. There is no question that Kaufman was brilliant, and that when he chose to do so, he could charm and mystify his audience. The problems that he faced were almost all self-inflicted damage. At times Kaufman did humor that was acidic and grating. Any in the audience that took him seriously or did not count themselves in on the joke, turned against him in a rage.

The wrestling against women issue was the funniest example. If you looked at it as pure humor and didn't allow yourself to believe that he really felt that way about women, it was very funny. If you took him seriously, it was as offensive as any thing could be. Andy was very like Lenny Bruce in that way. He chose to attack societal norms to inflict shock on his audience. They were two of a kind in that regard.
And Jim Carrey was just brilliant. It was possible to believe that you were just watching Andy and those around his life. They also mixed in enough people playing themselves to further that illusion. They also had a lot of fun hiring actors and others in his life, to play different characters in his life, DeVito playing Shapiro, and Shapiro playing a club owner for example.
The biggest disappointment for me in the entire film was not getting to see the song `I go mad when I hear a yodel'. On one of Andy's Saturday Night Live appearances he did that song over the music of a Choir of Conga players. It was absolutely remarkable. The yodeling over the top of the extremely funky groove was strange and just hilarious. I was so hoping to see it includedÂ…
And of course the continuous running gag with the Tony Clifton character was another amazing piece of acting by Carrey. JC was playing Kaufman, playing Clifton. It was almost eerie how he could drop in and out of characters. The Clifton character was the ultimate obnoxious lounge singer, taken to the greatest extreme possible.
Kaufman was the consummate prankster or practical joker, and his favorite victim was his audience. The Tony Clifton character was playing a concert, and Kaufman came out on stage just to try and trick on the audience. He had his buddy play Clifton to add to the controversy. He worked together with the pro wrestler in Memphis to create tremendous controversy. I didn't know until I saw the movie that this was an agreement between those two. I thought it was real. Andy had put one over on me for nearly 20 years. The only problem with this joking was its failure as a marketable commodity.
Then as he was dying, he went to the Philippines to find a miracle cure for his Cancer, and instead he found a showman and grifter. It was just the kind of show that Andy himself might have done at some point. When he realized it was fake and how, the joke was on him, that realization was just one of the things that made me cry during this film. The irony of that moment was impossible to miss. Also what a horrible time he had convincing every one that he really had cancer. He had `cried wolf' in a comic sense once too often to be believed.
The funeral scene was another that brought on tears. Watching everyone who had been in his life singing together and holding hands was the ultimate Kaufman fantasy. Andy lived to see people just getting happy, and he made his final act and remembrance just such an event. This movie will move you, twist you and wring you out. It is a must see.