Man on the Moon
Overview
In a remarkable and touching performance, Jim Carrey tones down his usual idiosyncrasies to play late avant garde comedian Andy Kaufman in MAN ON THE MOON. In life, Kaufman was a complex, controversial, and, at times, insane performer, and Carrey captures this, as well as the subtle nuances of his more toned-down private life. Director Milos Forman stages faithful recreations of Kaufman's pranks, method-like immersion in characters, and even scenes from TAXI, the hit TV show that made him a star, but also follows the comedian through his tragic diagnosis with cancer and his loving relationship with his girlfriend Lynne Margulies (Courtney Love). Danny DeVito, Kaufman's real-life TAXI co-star, plays George Shapiro, the manager who discovers him and is willing to put up with all his antics, acknowledging Andy's wry genius. Along the way on his self-made rocky road of stardom, Kaufman reinvents himself as a foreign man who mangles jokes, and as Elvis; lip-syncs the MIGHTY MOUSE cartoon theme after a full minute of dead air time on Saturday Night Live; becomes a "professional" wrestler, and subsequently manages to sabotage his TV career. The supporting cast in MAN ON THE MOON is excellent, including Paul Giamatti has his comedic partner-in-crime, and many members of the real cast of TAXI.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Milos Forman - Director
Jim Carrey
Danny DeVito
Courtney Love
Paul Giamatti
Gerry Becker
Leslie Lyles
George Shapiro
Richard Belzer
Patton Oswalt
Melanie Vesey
Details
- Format: DVD (Widescreen)
- Run Time: 120
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 025192072024
- Genre: DRAMA
- Rating: R (MPAA)
- Release Date: May 2000
Movie Reviews
Notes:
The title MAN ON THE MOON refers to an R.E.M. song about Andy Kaufman from the album AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE.
Director Forman could not decide between Edward Norton and Jim Carrey for the lead role, so he left it up to the studio.
Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman were both born on January 17.
The role of Andy's sister, Carol Kaufman, was played by Andy's granddaughter, Brittany Colonna.
Reviews:
"...Carrey scores mightily in an eerily spectacular make-or-break performance that nails the public persona of [Andy Kaufman]..." - 06/02/2000 USA Today, p.10E
"...[Carrey gives] a virtuoso turn that unerringly captures the behavioral quirkiness and disquieting vacantness of the man he's portraying..." Variety, p.109
"[Carrey gives] a dazzling performance that maintains its intensity throughout..." - 02/??/2000 Movieline's Hollywood Life, p.32
"...[See] it for Carrey's creepy impersonation act..." -- 3 out of 5 stars - 07/01/2000 Premiere, p.99
"...It is a fascinating, whirlwind tour through the life of a true Hollywood enigma....The film does offer an illuminating dissection of Kaufman's comedic style and philosophy..." - 02/01/2000 Box Office, p.58
"...Carrey is a major fan and seems to have an intuitive understanding of his bizarre subject. His performance is a brilliant, almost terrifying impersonation..." - 12/22/1999 Los Angeles Times, p.C1
"...What is most wonderful about MAN ON THE MOON, a very good film, is that it remains true to Kaufman's stubborn vision....The film has a heroic performance from Jim Carrey..." - 12/22/1999 Chicago Sun-Times, p.68
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