Review of Man on the Moon (1999) by Timothy S — 08 Dec 2012

It hasn't happened a lot over his career, but when Jim Carrey strikes outside of his comfort zone, the result is usually nothing short of breathtaking. In one of the best of this oddball efforts, "Man on the Moon", the actor plays Andy Kaufman who was a comedian who reveled in frustrating and confusing his audience.

A certain similarity between the two funny-men emerges while watching the film, as Carrey also has a tendency to alienate his fan base much like Kaufman did during his brief career when he makes more subversive film choices such as this one For me, the results of this more adventurous Carrey films are always worth waiting for. and he disappears into his role here. The look, sound and even the quirky mannerisms transcend the simple mimicry that we see in a lot of biographies like this. He quite literally becomes Kaufman, and while he wasn't rewarded with an Oscar nomination for this speaks more to his past career choices than it does his actual performance here.

I was also very impressed with the near perfect way in which the past events in his life are recreated here, such as his first appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and the set of "Taxi". They're great moments, and my childhood came flooding back to me. Kaufman may have been a bit player in the world of pop culture, but he was a fascinating individual, and "Man on the Moon"gives bittersweet but fascinating insight into what made him tick. There will never be another quite like him, and this is an unique and captivating film.