The Unique And Chaotic Andy Kaufman

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2013)

Even as an adult, Andy Kaufman had a child-like personality. He liked to play elaborate, childish pranks and hoaxes on his unsuspecting audience. A big part of the plot details some of those pranks. He was also well known for doing a very good impersonation of Elvis. And of course his "Latka" was a major character in the 1970s sitcom "Taxi".
Kaufman had a unique outward persona that made him easily recognizable. In "Man On The Moon", Jim Carrey captures that persona well. Carrey's performance is probably the best element of the film.
But there are a couple of problems with the movie. First, too much time is spent on these pranks and hoaxes. Just a little of the nasal and obnoxious "Tony Clifton" goes a long way. I would have preferred more emphasis on Andy's personal life rather than so much time on his various "acts", such as Clifton and the TV wrestling bits. Which leads to the second problem.
It's true that Kaufman's relationship with his audience was significant. But in this film there are way too many camera shots of the audience. Even worse is their hyped-up expressions. Many of Kaufman's performances are neither funny nor bad; they do not evoke much response of any kind. Yet people in these irksome audiences gush with animation every time Kaufman does so much as move his eyes back and forth or pauses in silence. Audience over-reaction is one strike against the film's Director.
Though Kaufman could be humorous, and many people regard him as a comedian, I would not put this film in the comedy genre. Indeed, there's an undercurrent of sadness throughout, owing mostly to Kaufman's death at an early age. The film has a poignant ending.
Although somewhat superficial, "Man On The Moon" is a reasonably interesting biography of an enigmatic entertainer who died too young. I admired Kaufman's uniqueness. And he came along at just the right time, in the late 70s and early 80s, a chaotic time culturally, a perfect historical fit for a chaotic personality.