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Man on the Moon (1999)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 117
Fresh: 73 | Rotten: 44

Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman.

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 15

Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman.

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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 89,423

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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,

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Drama, Comedy

Directed By: Milos Forman

Written By: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

In Theaters: Dec 22, 1999 Wide

On DVD: May 30, 2000

Universal

Man on the Moon Trailer & Photos

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
Tony Clifton
Richard Belzer

Critic Reviews for Man on the Moon

All Critics (119) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (45) | DVD (21)

As drama, it's a near miss. Yet as an introduction -- or a reminder -- of a singular talent, it has its appeal.

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Superficially clever yet profoundly shallow.

March 22, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

Ultimately disappoints because it doesn't share its subject's sense of the outrageous.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Kirk Honeycutt

Hollywood Reporter

Top Critic

Mesmerizing and entertaining.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News

| Comment

Philip Wuntch

Dallas Morning News

Top Critic

This is a movie that testifies in blisteringly persuasive terms to the intense, particular genius of Jim Carrey.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Detroit News

| Comment

Susan Stark

Detroit News

Top Critic

Carrey gives an otherworldly, possessed performance.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Jami Bernard

New York Daily News

Top Critic

The main problem with this film though is the running time -- it's too short.

January 15, 2008 Full Review Source: Dark Horizons

| Comments (2)

Garth Franklin

Dark Horizons

A teeming, fast-paced spin through a particularly strange show-biz life.

September 27, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

Ends up asking more questions than it answers.

July 14, 2007 Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound

| Comment

Joe Lozito

Big Picture Big Sound

We're constantly kept guessing as to what's real or false. Intriguing.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Derek Adams

Time Out

Carrey gets inside Kaufman's skin.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Whether you like the film will probably depend on whether you thought Kaufman was funny the first time.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Ron Wells

Film Threat

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.

January 15, 2005 Comment

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

Not everyone knows Andy Kaufman, but the world knows Jim Carrey. Soon it will know more about Kaufman's unique style of humor.

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

| Comment

Judith Egerton

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

More of an illustrated r�sum� than a character study, entertaining but seldom insightful.

July 15, 2003 Full Review | Comment

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

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...

July 15, 2003 Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

| Comment

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

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.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online

| Comment

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

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.

December 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Sight and Sound

| Comment

Leslie Felperin

Sight and Sound

Andy Kaufman biopic is hollow, even with Jim Carrey's chameleonlike performance.

November 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Netflix

| Comment

James Rocchi

Netflix

An affectionate but unvarnished portrait through the eyes of people who loved Andy...

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

| Comment

Margaret A. McGurk

Cincinnati Enquirer

Carrey's portrayal is dead-on, with all the little mannerisms and voice inflections.

September 10, 2002 Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal

| Comment

Kevin N. Laforest

Montreal Film Journal

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Man on the Moon

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A unique and humourous biopic that's got a hugely likable cast and remains consistently fun through out. One of Carrey's best. Man on the Moon is challenging and far much more interesting than I expected.

December 31, 2011

Michael Miller

Super Reviewer

Milos Forman director of the classic Amadeus directs this drama film about famed comedian Andy Kaufman. Man on the Moon is a well crafted drama with a good cast of actors. The film was very well done, and with director Milos Forman at the helm, you can expect something entertaining. A surprising performance is

December 22, 2011

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

Man on the Moon Quotes

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1. Lynne Margulies: So you just pretend to be an asshole.
2. Andy Kaufman: It's what I'm good at.
– Submitted by Juan C (8 months ago)

Character	Quote
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