Good for what it was

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 1999)

I went to see this not because I am a big Kaufman or Carrey fan (though Carrey can be hilarious, and I did think Kaufman did a killer Elvis and a couple amusing routines)but because I liked The People VS Larry Flynt, and I love biopics, and it was well reveiwed, and the trailers looked good...plus I wanted to see the cast of Taxi playing themselves!
When I say "good for what it was", I mean as good as a biopic can be of Kaufman, who most people only know as Latka Gravas (sp?) died very young (sadly)and seemed to have a limited, cult following. Jim Carrey obviously threw himself into the role and gave it everything he had, and did a dead-on impression of him. But I guess I am one of the few people who couldn't forget that I was watching Carrey do a dead-on Kaufman, and also thought from time to time, "Edward Norton resembled him much more". Carrey is just too good-looking (he is a really handsome guy, when he's not making some horrible face) though he obviously gained weight, looked as unattractive as possible, etc. There was just the usual problem that biopics have, where you can't help but notice that the person playing them is much better looking ( though there are some exceptions to this rule). That being said, I still had a great time, and am not sorry I went to see it- I was quite entertained. (though I wish they'd included his sobbing-playing-the-bongos routine). A good movie to see on Christmas Eve like we did, with the Carnegie Hall scene and all, and it did actually make me teary. DeVito was great as his frustrated manager. Courtney Love was in it less than I thought, fortunately. SO, to sum up, though I'm not a big fan of Kaufman, (don't dislike him, just can take him or leave him) I recommend it for the performances and filmmaking. Also, it was fun seeing the cast of Taxi back in their old roles-Marilu Henner was the only one who couldn't pull off being 20 years younger (not trying to be catty- I really did think she'd look about the same, but it was obvious she'd lost weight and had some 'work' done on her face). There were some very funny scenes, and some touching ones - not a bad way to spend a few hours. But I don't think it was Oscar-worthy. For a nomination, maybe, but I'd still like to see Spacey get it. Yeah, I know, real bold choice on my part, but that's just my opinion.