Rating: Summary: Great film Review: A fun and disturbing look at Andy Kaufman's obsession with wrestling making wrestling fans hate him,love him,then hate him even worse. There's also great clips of his early comedy sketches,which are not easy to find.I'd love to see more wrestling footage than is shown here. There's still plenty though,I crack up every time I watch this show. Eric
Rating: Summary: a great example of how to work an audience Review: A lot of Kaufman fans may not realize this, but Andy was a died-in-the-wool wrestling fan. Before Taxi brought him fame he would spend time at matches and hanging out with wrestlers (Roddy Piper relays an interesting story in in autobiography). But most of all, as a performance artist, Andy UNDERSTOOD wresting. He understood how to work an audience. Using the techniques he'd been honing in his stage shows, he finally got to be a bad guy wrestler in the feud documented on this mockumentary. In one interview shown on this film, Andy cleverly insults the entire southern U.S. population with comments specifically directed to Lawler. Why would he do this you may ask? Simple- To get all of Memphis to come down to the arena, BUY A TICKET, and see Andy get whats coming to him.
The interviews on this mockumentary are wonderful to watch. One has to wonder if his taxi co-stars were in on the gag, but Robin Williams does this wonderful interview segment where he talks about Andy's wrestling habits as a close friend would show concerns about ones substance abuse habit - pretty funny to watch.
This film is pretty entertaining. Even if you aren't a wrestling fan,its a good way to get introduced to Andy's antics. The film also has some clips of andy's other classic performance bits.
Wrestlers and promoters, If you wanna "put rear ends in seats", then study Andy and Jerry's work in this film. Its a shame Andy didn't live through the wrestling boom that happened shortly after his death. I can only imagine what he might have been able to cook up in the WWF.
Rating: Summary: The brilliance of Andy Kaufman Review: Andy at the top of his game...he was brilliant at making people laugh at their own discomfort caused by knowing that this was a put on, but not being sure enough to be the one to say it first. The world is poorer for his absence, but this is a great slice of his life to remember him by. It touches on that part of Andy that made him six steps beyond the comedy of his day, and he remains comfortably ahead to this day.
Rating: Summary: Compelling Documentary on Andy Kaufman's Wrestler Period Review: Andy Kaufman is someone you either love or hate. His brief career was sadly cut short by cancer, but he's best remembered for his outrageous wrestling persona. To this day people don't know how much was a comedy routine. Judge for yourself in this video showing Kaufman's mania for wrestling women. This documentary, which aired on Comedy Central, is so inflammatory that a small group of friends along with Kaufman's daughter created a follow-up documentary.
Rating: Summary: Pure Kaufman Genius Review: Andy Kaufman, the world's most dedicated, misunderstood, and honest comedic artist, is shown here at his best: wrestling, his favorite fetish and one of his best jokes on the audience. I would implore anyone interested in Kaufman or curious about his life and work to check out this chronicle of his bizarre bouts and skirmishes on the Letterman show with professional wrestler Jerry Lawler and to avoid the recent movie Man on the Moon, in which Jim Carrey and Milos Forman will doubtlessly insult the genius' memory by Hollywoodizing his story. This is the real Kaufman, and although Bob Zmuda only recently revealed the complete, complex joke (that Lawler was in on the gag), nothing is lost in this live parody on people and reality.
Rating: Summary: This guy sends comedy in a different direction Review: Andy Kaufmann was known as the comedian's comedian, and for good reason. He found humor in the strangest places, and many stand up comedians claim that he showed them a kind of comedy that they didn't know was possible.
Andy pushes the boundries of what is acceptable, in the name of humor, maybe more strongly here than anywhere ever seen. This is anti-Seinfeld stuff. Seinfeld describes commonplace things in an uncommon way to make familiar situations seem strange and funny, giving you a chuckle - standard standup. In this film, Andy taunts an audience of thousands in a Tennessee ampitheater, after telling them that they are stupid, and unclean. He plays a character - an arrogant "hollywood" guy, who has some need to prove his physical superiority by beating up women. In doing this, he makes himself into a kind of ridiculous villian, and the audience swells with hatred for him. Example of his extravances: he struts around the ring wearing a GIANT crown and velvet cape, claiming to be the "King of Tennessee". Right before getting pummled by the "hero", Jerry Lawler. Andy, wearing long underwear under his boxer shorts, spends most of the match trying to escape Jerry by running and hiding (in the ring).
This character would be easily dismissed if the insults were not so real, and painful, and I think this is what makes the comedy so biting... it comes very close to pain. The very satisfying thing about Andy is that, though you might have to wait a long time for the punchline, it always comes, and it is all the laugh is all the stronger for having to wait so long!
This is the kind of DVD that you have to get to hand off to friends.
Rating: Summary: Sincerity & the Superstar Review: Andy Kaufmann was my Elvis. A man who became a celebrity for the purpose of revealing the underbelly of our mythology. He didn't love Elvis, he mocked him. Or did simply embody Elvis and mock himself? It doesn't matter. What this video accomplishes is that it invites us to ask the question "what is real / what is sincere" performance. And they say comedy isn't art. "I'm the King, I'm the King, The King of Memphis Tennessee......". He sure is. Interested in reality blurring documentary? Write me.
Rating: Summary: Wrestling chicks is somethin' I can do better than this hack Review: Another damn Kaufman movie? You know this punk only got to where he is today by dropping my name everywhere he went. I tell you what, just give me the money you was gonna spend on this trash and go back to your little life someplace else.
Rating: Summary: ANDY FOREVER Review: Basically this is the best footage of AK there is. The documentary is jawdropping, comprehensive, inspiring, fascinating and hilarious. That's if ya wanna watch that jerk Kaufman.
Rating: Summary: Why the acapella? Review: Great wrestling footage and Kaufman's promotional commercials for the matches in Memphis. But what is with the acappella musical inserts between footage segments? This is the thing I hate about Hollywood, undermining the brilliance of a performer with shoddy post-production. I'm afraid Kaufman's "best friend" Bob Zmuda has a hand in this as the musical credit it given to a group called Bob and the Cliftones, or something in that arena. My advice is to dub it without the music (it's truly maddening!) or buy a different video. I mean, think about it! Would Bobby McFerrin be your first musical choice to accompany Andy Kaufman? Jeez...
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