A compelling performance about a man who was not compelling at all.

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 2000)

Jim Carrey again demonstrated that he is more than just a slapstick comedian with a rubber face who does outlandish things. His performance in Man on the Moon was superb in that he was able to capture the persona of Andy Kaufman: a man who thought he was a huge talent but wasn't.
I'm not sure Jim meant to do this but this movie just reiterated what most people already knew. Andy Kaufman was a no-talent hack who became famous because he was willing to make an ass of himself. There is a group of people out there (let's call them Andy's fans) that think they know something that no one else does. They can see past the "facade" to the real genius of Kaufman. Well, perhaps that is the funniest joke that Kaufman ever pulled off. There's no facade, the guy was a goof. Unfortunately, Kaufman's death is portrayed as the passing of a great American comic genius. This is far from the truth. His death actually is the only thing that prevented Kaufman from inflicting his unfunny brand of humor on a "wise-to-it" public. Jim's performance was great and the movie was very interesting. It will give enough to Andy's fans to make them think they were right, but it actually demonstrates his extreme failings as a performer and a person.