A Talented Man That Brings You Strong and Contradictory Emotions

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2005)

Before seeing "Man on the Moon" I had never heard before about Andy Kaufman. By reading some comments and plot outlines, I got the impression that this was simply another celebrity guy who projected an aura of eccentricity just to raise his publicity level (like quite many stars do).
However, I have to admit that watching "Man of the Moon" was definitely a shock. Portrayed fantastically by Jim Carrey (which gives an Oscar-worthy performance, here), this is a story of a talented man that brings you strong and contradictory emotions: At one point he can make you laugh, at another he can (intentionally) bore you to death; at one point he can make you berserk with his vulgar and rude jokes, at another you can become deeply touched by his strength and willingness to live and entertain his audience despite his grave illness. Andy Kaufman was truly a special man, who did not conform to any norms or rules of society, but whose sole purpose in life was to produce laughter with his own twisted way: Even if the product of his acts was not laughter but boredom, anger, or insult, he still was happy with himself as he thought he was doing the right thing.
The film is neither trying to make a hero out of Kaufman, nor a villain out of him; it depicts him in an objective way, leaving the viewer to decide for himself about what kind of man Kaufman really was. As I noted previously, Carrey does a stunning act as Kaufman; an example that shows how he wanted to identify with his role, is that during the filming he insisted to be called "Andy Kaufman" both on and off stage! (I read this in the IMDb trivia).
The rest of the crew are also superb, and the fact that some actors come from Kaufman's real-life circle brings an air of greater authenticity. Forman's direction is also up to the task.
Either you already know about Kaufman, or not (like me), I strongly suggest you see this movie. 8/10.