Genius Hollywood documentary - genius Carrey - made me discover Andy

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2003)

I'm afraid I might offend those of you who have been big fans of Andy Kaufman a long time. I know that I probably wouldn't like this movie if I had watched his shows and been an Andy fan for a long time myself.
Anyway, I think this movie is brilliant. The beginning of it is very much like Andy's performance concepts; everyone remotely intelligent realize that this is a joke on the people who are too stupid to understand.
I don't think very many of the viewers turn the movie off after this though - I've heard stories about people watching this movie in their homes and continously heckling it. That's the brilliant part.
Right now, the second last entry in this IMDB comment list is actually also an Andy Kaufman heckle .. it's so brilliant that Andy haters are still out there! Because when "Man on the moon" and Andy Kaufman concepts are funny, it is very much on the behalf of the feeble-minded viewers who demand jokes and entertainment(tm)(c).
This movie - a Hollywood production - actually dares to do what Andy did himself - just don't care about the people who don't understand it. I would almost go as far as to say it's a non-commercial film. Even, as the producers probably hoped, a lot more people get this humour now, I don't think Andy Kaufman will become accepted as a mainstream "legend" in my lifetime - probably never.
On the surface, you certainly don't see too much of the actual person Andy Kaufman in this movie. Would it have been possible to create a documentary for the Andy fans out there - documentary-style about Andy? I don't think so - I agree so much more with the producer and director's intent - to make the movie an Andy Kaufman performance - and only let glimpses of his life through.
Jim Carrey does an excellent performance - I would almost call him the number one typecast actor - and actually manages to make you forget Ace Ventura and The Mask completely during this movie. His best performance? I think so. I've really come to respect Jim Carrey a lot - to actually make his best performance as an actor a tribute to another comedian, and managing to envelope that comedian's unique style by means of his own acting - wow!
Again, to the people who are Andy Kaufman fans and didn't like this movie - I'm from Norway, I never knew about Andy until I saw this movie. But it spread the message. ;) I personally was instantly fascinated, because I could identify myself so much with him. Throughout my childhood, I liked to play with people's/audiences' heads the exact same way Andy did. But that's another story. ;)
10/10 - and thanks again to the people who don't understand the movie. It really wouldn't have been possible without you!