Carey proves his worth in this superb dark comedy.

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2001)

Man On The Moon, produced by Danny Devito and directed by One flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest director, Milos Forman, deals with the tragic story of Andy Kaufman who's comedy was so real, his close friends couldn't even tell when he was joking. His entire life was a song and dance act and such comedy came to be expected of him. It is how the film and Carey portray Kaufman and Hollywood that is so interesting and highlights a part of American life. In a media obsessed culture, Hollywood films are known to follow a general format. They have a clear beginning where the viewer's attention is usually grabbed dramatically, a clear middle section follows and the film ends with a climax and closure. It was people like Andy Kaufman who exposed this well known method of entertainment, mocked it and generated a great deal of laughter in the process. The film itself manages to stay away from the usual format, partly by the subject nature and Kaufman's erratic behaviour but also by Carey's incredible and realistic performance as the comedian and Forman's unnoticeable and fluid direction. It seems the story almost tells itself. The reality of the film is further strengthened by the appearance of most of the original cast of the sitcom, Taxi, of which Kaufman received great reviews for his part as the almost incoherent yet enigmatic, Latka Gravas. The wrestler Jerry Lawler is also included in the cast as yet another of Kaufman's victims of comedy. The comedian wrestled women wrestlers for a time before challenging Lawler to several matches. He very cleverly worked Lawler into a rage in front of a live audience on the Late Show with David Letterman and then proceeded to shout obscenities that fitted perfectly with the situation. Had it been anyone else, such as the not so enigmatic Madonna, it would have just appeared childish and rude. The irony of such acts was that Kaufman and Lawler were friends behind the camera, but Kaufman lived out such lies so convincingly on stage and screen. The beauty of the film is that it feels like watching the real Kaufman and his gift for comedy is not lost on Carey who scores another credibilty credit, following his other noteable dark comedy, The Truman Show. The film also highlights how human nature mocks what it does not understand as Kaufman was thrown off the Saturday Night Live Show and cancelled by many theatres. In capturing the comedian's talent and worth with an excellent supporting cast, Man On The Moon offers an engaging tribute to a still, very under rated comedy figure.