An enigma, wrapped in a puzzle...

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 1999)

Much like the man himself, "Man on the Moon" is a biopic on Andy Kaufman that tell you pretty much nothing you dindn't already know. The performances are outstanding, but it plays more like a highlight show that an introspective.
First off, Jim Carrey is great. You get the feeling if there's one person who might get Andy Kaufman, it's Jim Carrey. He seems to hit all the characters just right. Paul Giamatti as Bob Zmuda is the best of the supporting cast, and there are a number of interesting guest cameos of people playing themselves.
The only problem is that all the movie seems to do is show you his various acts in succession. There's no attempt to make Kaufman out to really be anything other than the actor he was, no attempt to see what was behind the characters. Milos Forman fails to make anything out of Kaufman, to suggest anything of his persona. This is strikingly different than his last movie, "The People vs. Larry Flynt", and this technique lacks a little. There are a couple of various, really obvious attempts to show everyone's aware he's a little nuts, not no real probe into his physche. There's also a somewhat mysterious ending, something in the true Kaufman spirit.

The bottom line is basically, if you thought Andy Kaufman was funny, you'll like this movie. Otherwise, it will likely appear a bit hollow, though good for a laugh. Still, it seems the movie could have somehow been a bit better. After all, if the filmmaker's didn't stick to the facts, as the opening suggests, why not take some guesses into his inner thoughts?