Main Cast: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti, Vincent Schiavelli
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Comedian Andy Kaufman gave performances that were bizarre and difficult to categorize, in which he might do or say almost anything: show cartoons, impersonate Elvis Presley, play conga drums while singing children's songs, read aloud from The Great Gatsby, or take the audience out for milk and cookies. Written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and directed by Milos Forman (the team behind The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)), this biopic takes an in-depth look at Kaufman's life and art, with Jim Carrey as Kaufman, who could (and would) be any number of different people onstage: the quiet and childlike man, the little foreign guy, the overbearing showbiz "professional," the violently obnoxious wrestler, or the world's worst lounge singer. As Kaufman rose from comedy clubs to guest appearances on Saturday Night Live and a spot on the TV sitcom Taxi, his performances became more complex and dangerous -- so much so that when word got out in 1984 that he was suffering from lung cancer, many fans and associates thought it was just another bizarre stunt; the disease took his life later that year. Man on the Moon features Danny De Vito as Kaufman's manager George Shapiro, Courtney Love as his girlfriend Lynne Margulies, Paul Giamatti as his friend Bob Zmuda, and David Letterman, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Carol Kane, and Christopher Lloyd as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Another oddball biopic by the writers of Ed Wood (1994) and The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Man on the Moon (1999) attempts to take on the willfully unfathomable Andy Kaufman. Eschewing explanations of a man who blurred all lines between "self" and "performance," director Milos Forman and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski opt instead to simply portray Kaufman's bizarre existence and premature death. Kaufman's singular mode of self-presentation, however, does not always comfortably fit Hollywood bio conventions; still, Jim Carrey's masterful portrayal of Kaufman (with the star reportedly fully immersed in character off as well as onscreen) makes his famous routines come to life, even as the "inner" Kaufman remains a mystery. Paul Giamatti provides strong support as Kaufman's friend, collaborator, and co-conspirator Bob Zmuda, as do Danny De Vito as Kaufman's manager and Courtney Love as Kaufman's girlfriend. Kaufman proved to be as much a niche attraction at the movies as he had been in life; Man on the Moon sputtered at the box office despite Carrey's presence. Though he won a Golden Globe, Carrey was passed over for an Oscar nomination, as he was the year before with The Truman Show. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
James F. Truesdale - Art Director, Raymond Kluga - Art Director, Scott Ferguson - Associate Producer, Pamela Abdy - Associate Producer, Francine Maisler - Casting, Kathleen Driscoll-Mohler - Casting, Jeffrey Kurland - Costume Designer, David McGiffert - First Assistant Director, Milos Forman - Director, Lynzee Klingman - Editor, Christopher Tellefsen - Editor, Michael Hausman - Executive Producer, George Shapiro - Executive Producer, Howard West - Executive Producer, Bob Zmuda - Executive Producer, Anita Camarata - Musical Direction/Supervision, R.E.M. - Songwriter, Patrizia Von Brandenstein - Production Designer, Anastas Michos - Cinematographer, Danny DeVito - Producer, Michael Shamberg - Producer, Stacey Sher - Producer, Maria Nay - Set Designer, Karin Wiesel - Set Designer, Chris Newman - Sound/Sound Designer, Ron Bochar - Sound Editor, Scott Alexander - Screenwriter, Larry Karaszewski - Screenwriter
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
