Rating: Summary: A major disappointment Review: I really wish I could like this movie. After Jim Carrie's performance in the "Truman Story" and seeing him do the "Mighty Mouse" routine I had high hopes that this would be a movie worth seeing regarding a comedian who - like others - I loved and hated at the same time.What we have instead is Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey imitating Andy Kaufman on, at best, a story that is most likely based on guess and golly. After seeing the excellent presentation NBC had on Kaufman which I taped I found the movie a major disappointment. The best part of the film is at the beginning with Carrie imitating the Mighty Mouse routine and Kaufman doing his Elvis impersonation. We see tidbits of his childhood which followed the NBC presentation rather well. The movie brings back the cast of "Taxi" - my how everyone's aged over the years. Was it supposition concerning Kaufman's trying to get people upset with his alter-ego character Tony Clifton. Did this same character really create chaos on the "Taxi" set? (If anything I thought that the Tony Clifton character was better played than the Andy Kaufman character at times. The wrestling business again: was this a put on as the movie indicates up to and including his match both in the ring and on the Letterman show with Jerry Lawler. Speaking of Letterman, while we can appreciate using the real people it seemed rather sad to see the present Letterman who is nowhere as funny and creative as the Letterman from the 1980's playing himself. I can clearly remember Andy Kaufman doing his wrestling on Saturday Night Live and how a number of people disliked what he was doing. The bit about Kaufman working in a fast food restaurant was true. The fact that a lot of people thought his cancer was just another Kaufman routine was true. One of the issues that we may never know is this: was Kaufman really so creative and so "avant garde" that he was way ahead of his audiance, or was he at times three cards short of a full deck? The movie never answered that either. For those of us who can remember the real Andy Kaufman - both the bad and good - this movie just seems to be lacking in where fact stops and fiction starts. I have seen other movies where the viewer can all but imagine the actor being the person he is playing. "Nixon" with Anthony Hopkins is one example. In "Man on the Moon" all we have his Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey imitating Andy Kaufman as I mentioned before. As for Jim Carrey, before I saw this movie I wondered why he wasn't even considered for an Oscar nomination. After seeing it I can understand why. We have had comedians before who have been able to cross the fine line between being a comic and an actor. Robin Williams comes to mind for some of the great work he has done. Carrey can be very funny and has the ability to imitate and mimic other actors. He showed that he could play a serious role in "The Truman Story". It appears that Carrey still has a lot more work to do to try to cross over to being a serious actor and not a comic. If you do want to watch the movie rent the VHS tape. Frankly I do not think it is worth the money for the DVD nor the VHS tape whenever it is released at a normal retail price for consumers.
Rating: Summary: My personal favorite,but not for everyone. Review: With a great movie and a grand performance by Jim Carrey,that deserved an academy award,much were bored by this movie,they call it comedy,but there is no Jim Carrey with his face full of bugs,attacking himself(Liar,Liar and Me,Myself,&Irene)What you will find is a great story that will captivate some and bore many others.I learned from this movie by a Jim Carrey fan,even if at first sight the trailer seems nothing to offer,but I was surprised by what I saw that day on the big screen.I took some of my friends,some liked it some didn't,but the writers of those one line reviews which say this movie is a waste of time,I think they barely understood the Ace Ventura plot.One of the best movies done,but I can't believe it didn't achieve a nomination,Jim Carrey went back to cheap comedy with me myself and Irene,I bet that will get great reviews.....
Rating: Summary: Jim Carry is awesome Review: I saw this today at my college, in the video lounge. I missed the first 1/3 of the movie but I quickly caught on to what everything was about. Jim Carry's in it, so expect to laugh. Word of advice, not with soda in your mouth, it will go everyhere unfortuanetly. The Tony Clifton character was obnoxious, but it certainy amused me with his stupidity. "What's your name" he asks. "Bob" the guy replies. "What's your last name, 'ing up and down in the water'?" It's so dumb I still can't stop laughing. I laughed throughout this fil, and it gets you thinkin, to what's real and what's not. An emotional scene at the end when Kaufman dies, but I smiled during the church scene cause of the fun little song that was playing in the church. Very good I thought.
Rating: Summary: Not a good movie Review: The reviewer "Heather from California" is most likely working for the publicity department at Universal Studios. She gives a raving review to a very bad movie about Andy Kaufman. This movie was a big disappointment, barely scratching the surface of what made Andy Kaufman a brilliant performer. It offers only fast snippets of his antics, omitting much of his most interesting work, and reveals nothing of his true nature. I am not alone in these opinions, everyone I have talked to about this movie found it very disappointing.
Rating: Summary: Bad, bad, bad... Review: I don't want to go into all of the reasons that I hated this movie. I just wanted to add my one star to try to reduce the average rating. I don't want anyone to be fooled into thinking this is some great misunderstood epic. It was poorly acted and terribly directed. The most unusual, confusing and downright stupid thing was Danny DeVito playing anyone other than himself, when the other Taxi characters were the same actors. Ludicrous. Stay away!
Rating: Summary: Andy Did You Hear About This One? Review: I've never been a fan of Andy Kaufman's work; in fact, I was rather put off by it. That said, "Man on the Moon" does a very good job at depicting Kaufman's life and career, although it does little more than scratch the surface. Many thought of Kaufman as a comedian. I do not. Instead, I think of him as an artist who strived to produce emotion from his audience, in whatever form, that he could feed from. One need look no further than the obnoxious Tony Clifton character to find evidence in support of my theory. Kaufman's five seasons on "Taxi" are given rather short shrift, although in one scene we see Clifton at work on the set. I don't recall Clifton ever being on the show, but I do recall a similar character named Vic Ferrari and was disappointed that he wasn't at least mentioned. Although the film moved too quickly and the script was shallow, the acting was first rate. Once again, Jim Carrey turns in a brilliant, top-drawer performance only to be snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences(the first time was for his tour de force performance in "The Truman Show"), and panned by worthless critics like Leonard Maltin. Paul Giamati is good as Andy's collaborator, and Danny DeVito turns in a solid performance as George Shapiro, Kaufman's manager. Watch for the ubiquitous Vincent Schiavelli as a much put-upon ABC exec. Courtney Love was only so-so as the love interest. Appearances by Jeff Conaway, Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch, and others round out the cast. Two scenes in this movie stand out. The first is Kaufman's explosive behavior on the set of "Fridays." I saw the actual show on which this incident took place and was very impressed with its recreation on film. The other is Kaufman's visit to a cancer treatment center in the Phillippines where he discovers that the treatment is a sham, much to his amusement. The scene dissolves from Kaufman's laughing visage to a haunting scene of him in his casket lying in repose at his funeral. A film of Andy leading the mourners in song is playing behind the open casket. This is truly a moving and emotional scene. Although "Man on the Moon" really provides nothing more than a fleeting, fast-forward glimpse through the life of Andy Kaufman, it is nevertheless a good motion picture, much better than the negative reviews would have you believe. If you liked Kaufman or were even intrigued about what made him tick, this movie is definitely worth your time.
Rating: Summary: Milos Forman creates a Kaufmanesque Film Review: Most commentary on this film has focused on Carey's portrayal of Kaufman. Such total immerson is always fascinating as is the public reaction. If you do it in a dramatic film (As in "Raging Bull" or "Shine") you can win an Oscar. But you do not need the Academy to tell you this is not a dramatic film. However, I really believe the best way of considering this film is to focus on the director more than the star. The best parts of this film are at the beginning and the end. The opening sequence is simple Kaufmanesque, which, in retrospect, is a brilliant ploy. It sets the mood perfectly. At the end, with Kaufman's trip to the Philippines, is the final punchline to his life. Of course I do not want to give it away, but if you consider it from the perspective of Kaufman as the comedian who always cried "wolf," you have to appreciate the supreme irony of the moment which sums up Kaufman's life, both symbolically and literally. Note. Even though the cast credits are not at the end of the film, please make a point of staying around until the end of the credits. It is not a big joke, it is simply a pleasant surprise. I watched this film with my kids who know nothing about Andy Kaufman. They knew who Carol Kane was from "The Princess Bride" and whathizface from all those "Back to the Future Movies." What was interesting to me was that they bit on the entire movie. No matter how many times Andy cried wolf, they fell for it. At the end they were convinced he was not really dead. Regarding the deleted scenes, I remember seeing Zmuda tear apart Kaufman's act on cable. I wish it had been kept in the film, because its one of his better triple twists. This is not a great film, but it is a very good film, especially given its subject matter. If you do not like Kaufman, or are not willing to at least give him a shot, you probably will not like the movie. Nobody thinks Kaufman walked a fine line. He was over it. If that bothers you, then you will not like this movie. You have to take him at face value (and, yes, I appreciate the irony of that comment).
Rating: Summary: Man on the what? Review: As I write this, I regret all those sleepless nights spent trying to monitor the DVD release of this movie. After countless e-retailer alert subscriptions, alas, it turned out to be a big spoof, a hoax. This film is best qualified as a silly little movie. Blame it on the director, Jim Carey, or even on the rain. It still doesn't change a thing. I wonder if the word "Comedy" has a new dictionary meaning. Don't be deceived by epics like "The Mask", "The Truman show", "Liar, Liar", "Dumb and Dumber", etc. I'm sure they meant to call this one dumb, dumber and dumbest. Not even all the King's horses and the likes of Danny DeVito could save this one!
Rating: Summary: Not sure why I wanted to see this movie Review: I never was a fan of Andy Kaufman. As a matter of fact, at times during his career I actively disliked him. In retrospect I think that may have been his goal. I have never been a fan of Jim Carrey. As a matter of fact, at times during his career I have actively disliked him also. I don't know if he intends that or not. It doesn't matter, because this is a fantastic movie. I saw all the things I remembered about Andy Kaufman, and I did see him before his days on Taxi. I saw the things that I liked--he was probably one of the best Elvis impersonators I ever saw. I also saw all the things I hated like the wrestling fiasco. I lived near Memphis at the time and was extremely happy when Jerry Lawlor dropped Andy Kaufman on his head and put him in the hospital for 3 days. As for Jim Carrey's performance--he should have received an Oscar nomination. I do believe that Andy Kaufman and Jim Carrey have one very important thing in common--you either love or hate them, but you'll never be indifferent. And this movie is the same way. And if Andy Kaufman is still alive--let's just leave him alone. I think it's what he would have wanted.
Rating: Summary: Brilliant Movie surrounded by some stunning DVD features Review: One of the few films where a comedian proves he really can act. Carrey shines as controversial genius Andy Kaufman, and De Vito and rocker Courtney Love (used by Forman in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and The People VS Larry Flynt respectively) are also well-cast. As well as two music videos and the usual trailer, production notes and cast and crew information, there is a spotlight on location (20 mins) and 15 mins of fabulous archival footage of the real Kaufman in Andy: This Is HIS Story. A great one to add to the collection.
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