MAN ON THE MOON
The supporting cast includes many actors and friends of Kaufman playing
themselves, and some playing each other. For example, Danny DeVito, who
worked with Andy on the TV show Taxi, does not play himself, although
virtually the entire cast of Taxi is present (Judd Hirsch, Marilu
Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Conaway, and Carol Kane). DeVito, however,
plays the part of agent/producer George Shapiro. Shapiro, meanwhile, is
also in the film as the owner of a club where Andy performed. Similarly,
Andy's writer, Bob Zmuda, is played by Paul Giamatti, while Zmuda himself
plays a stagehand at a taping of the live Fridays television show.
(Incidentally, DeVito, Shapiro, and Zmuda also are among the film's co-producers.)
Andy Kaufman was as bizarre a performer as they come. Most people who
know his work either praise him as a genius ahead of his time, or denounce
him as an arrogant jerk who made fools of his friends and colleagues. At
the core of Man On The Moon, written by Scott Alexander and Larry
Karaszewski, is the notion that Kaufman was most amused (and thought everyone
was most amused) by tension. He would intentionally fool people about who
he was, never letting on that it was all a joke, even starting fistfights
with other actors and club owners, for the purpose of "real theatre."
After his break on Taxi, which he apparently considered the lowest
form of entertainment he ever did, he introduced the character of slimy,
openly offensive night club singer Tony Clifton, for which he wore a wig,
a fat suit, and a pair of dark sunglasses. Then, when people started getting
the joke that it was Andy under there, he would have Zmuda play Tony, and
he, Andy, would come on stage at the same time, throwing the audience into
a stupor.
Just as Andy was confusing people all the way to the bank, he began his
infamous inter-gender wrestling career. Having grown up a fan of professional
wrestling, he wanted to create the kind of madhouse he had seen in the audiences
of matches, but since he couldn't possibly succeed against real wrestlers,
he began wrestling women from the audiences of talk shows. This led to a
bout with pro wrestler Jerry Lawler (who plays himself in the film), after
which Andy was in the hospital for three weeks. Was it real? Was it fake?
Was Lawler in on the whole thing? Who knows. But it made people crazy, and
that's what Andy wanted to do. And even his death from lung cancer was bizarre,
considering that he was a health food nut who never smoked. In fact, some
people think he even faked his own death, simply fooling us all again for
the sake of the show. Who knows.
Carrey really shines in this film, more so even than in The
Truman Show, for which some expected him to get an Oscar nomination.
His depth and range are evident as he is able to capture the many sides
and characters of Andy impeccably. Also notable is Courtney Love, who proves
that her intense performance in The People vs. Larry Flynt was no
accident.
Man On The Moon will appeal to Kaufman fans and Carrey fans alike, and even if you're not a fan of either, you can't deny the intriguing quality of this strange story and the skill with which it's told. ****½