Either you get it, or you don't.

Rating: 9/10 (9 October 2000)

There was a certain angle to Andy Kaufman's humor, just like any other comedian that stands out from the crowd. The audience that likes that type of humor is not "hip" to it, or "in on the joke", we just happen to find that kind of thing funny.
Much of the movie is devoted to getting into Kaufman's sense of humor, and its ties to his individuality and refusal to compromise. He apparently really was one of the few entertainers who performed what he wanted to perform, and wasn't going to be a puppet to his popularity.
If you ever laugh all by yourself, then you may "get" his sense of humor. If you do, you will "get" this movie, and find it hilarious in the sections where those who did not "get it" found it uncomfortable and uneven. >
Of course, if you liked Andy Kaufman, you are likely to like this film. I'd say that the converse is true, too. If you don't "get it", try watching something without laugh tracks, and see if you know when to laugh. Jim Carey does a good job of demonstrating that he can actually play a role other than roles that just rehash his old In Living Color comedy bits.

If you don't like stories that vary from the regular Hollywood plot lines, leave this one alone. If you're curious, don't mind bypassing some social conventions, and have a healthy respect for the selective use of tact, check out Man on the Moon, there are some nice philosophical angles to it, not unlike American Beauty. They share a common thread of not being palatable to the people that they make light of.
One of the deeper messages of Man on the Moon is that we should all be able to make fun of ourselves, and have a good time in life. Of course, to take that message out of the film, you have to agree with that message already.