Man on the Moon (1999)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 118
Fresh: 74 | Rotten: 44
Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman.
Average Rating: 5.4/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 15
Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 89,423
Movie Info
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,
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Cast
-
Jim Carrey
Andy Kaufman -
Danny DeVito
George Shapiro -
Courtney Love
Lynne Margulies -
Paul Giamatti
Bob Zmuda -
-
Vincent Schiavelli
Maynard Smith -
Peter Bonerz
Ed Weinberger -
Jerry Lawler
himself -
Gerry Becker
Stanley Kaufman -
Leslie Lyles
Janice Kaufman -
Marilu Henner
herself -
Judd Hirsch
himself -
Carol Kane
herself -
David Letterman
himself -
Christopher Lloyd
himself -
Fred Scialla
Stand-In (Danny DeVito) -
Jeff Conaway
himself -
Lorne Michaels
himself -
George Shapiro
Club Owner -
Norm Macdonald
Michael Richards -
Christina Cabot
Meditation Student -
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Friday's Mary -
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All Critics (121) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (44) | DVD (21)
We're constantly kept guessing as to what's real or false. Intriguing.
Top CriticAs drama, it's a near miss. Yet as an introduction -- or a reminder -- of a singular talent, it has its appeal.
Superficially clever yet profoundly shallow.
The filmmakers don't even attempt to give Kaufman an inner life.
This is a movie that testifies in blisteringly persuasive terms to the intense, particular genius of Jim Carrey.
Milos Forman's biopic Man on the Moon is volatile and active -- and, frankly, doesn't make too much sense.
The main problem with this film though is the running time -- it's too short.
A teeming, fast-paced spin through a particularly strange show-biz life.
Ends up asking more questions than it answers.
Carrey gets inside Kaufman's skin.
Whether you like the film will probably depend on whether you thought Kaufman was funny the first time.
Forman makes this a thematic sequel to Amadeus, focusing on a misunderstood genius whose commitment to artistic vision came before acceptance, popularity, and his loved ones.
Not everyone knows Andy Kaufman, but the world knows Jim Carrey. Soon it will know more about Kaufman's unique style of humor.
More of an illustrated résumé than a character study, entertaining but seldom insightful.
postulates that Kaufman was the consummate actor, someone who stayed 'on' even in his offstage life, to the point of losing whatever personality he had. It's an intriguing theory, but it doesn't always make for a smooth viewing experience...
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.
The problem is that while Kaufman's life story has its required quota of bizarre-yet-true events, it's doomed to failure as mainstream entertainment because Kaufman wasn't terribly likeable as a person.
Andy Kaufman biopic is hollow, even with Jim Carrey's chameleonlike performance.
An affectionate but unvarnished portrait through the eyes of people who loved Andy...
Carrey's portrayal is dead-on, with all the little mannerisms and voice inflections.
Presents the life of a madcap trickster who desperately wanted to be the biggest star in the world.
What the story lacks in depth, it at least partially makes up for in pop culture kitsch.
It never generates the emotional impact that a great biography needs.
Audience Reviews for Man on the Moon
Super Reviewer
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- Lynne Margulies: So you just pretend to be an asshole.
- Andy Kaufman: It's what I'm good at.
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Movie: ID: 13765 Title: Man on the Moon Release Date: 1999-12-22 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1
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Milos Forman orchestrates the film like a hurried timeline of vignettes. It doesn't take you anywhere special. There's not a good sense of what made Kaufman tick. But there's enough in "Man on the Moon" to keep you watching as Kaufman was a fascinatingly unique individual and Carrey brings him to life.
It's just that the life he's portraying doesn't reveal anything behind the genius.