Pulls Its Punches

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 1999)

Jim Carry turns in an excellent performance in this film but is let down, as he was in Truman Show, by a director and writers who don't have the courage to go all the way. While some tout Kaufman's originality this film had the vitality of a Wolfgang Puck tv dinner...yes, we know it's supposed to be gourmet food, so why does it go down like warmed-over meatloaf?
Kaufman, let's face it, was an unhappy guy who used his comedy to work through some deep mental problems and never quite succeeded. Was he a genius who died at the height of his powers? No, by this time he was a has been. Of course it would have been difficult for writers and directors to write close to the bone with the knowledge that those who loved and cared for him would be watching (indeed were part of the production), but how could Foreman, etc., not delve into the self-hatred and contempt for audience which was clearly a part of Kaufman's act? I say that with respect for the dear departed, I was a fan, but I wasn't fooled, surely we're more sophisticated about these sorts of things.
Watching this film reminded me of the feeling I got during the last few minutes of Truman Show, the directors and writers were opting to cut and run just when the story got good, when Truman was about to face the rest of the world, when the story might have a chance to say something original, nope, that was too risky. Only in Man On the Moon such feelings lasted for two hours of movie. Not brave, not a classic, this film will be forgotten quickly.