Man On The Moon (DVD)

...the confusion which surrounded the man and his actions. Kaufman was infamous for his charades and practical jokes, many of which were in dubious taste and are highlighted in this film. Even when he died of lung cancer at a very young age (35), many were disbelieving; thinking that it was just another ruse to satisfy his need to amuse or shock and push the boundaries of taste. In fact here was reported to have been a 'Welcome Home Andy Party' on the ...
...feel some empathy for the man to take an interest in what is unfolding. It seems appropriate that Carrey should play the lead here as he himself seems to elicit the whole spectrum of reactions to his performances and on screen persona. That aside, Carrey has an aura where you just wonder what is going through that mind of his. In playing Kaufman, that seems ideal aisde from the fact that he also does a perfect Latka Gravas accent.

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This is a FILM ONLY review.

Directed by Milos Forman, 'Man On The Moon' is the 1999 biopic of maverick comedic artist, Andy Kaufman. He is perhaps best known for his role as the strange, high-pitched Latka Gravas in the hit American sitcom Taxi, between 1978 and 1983. This is a film which leans toward Kaufman's other work however.

Like him or loathe him, Carrey puts in a fine performance as Kaufman, conveying a very peculiar figure who seemingly drove his friends and fellow professionals to distraction on many an occasion. There is apparently little doubt, based on what I have read and on watching 'Man On The Moon', that Kaufman was 'way out there' in most aspects of his life. It is easy to imagine that this was someone who was both adored and despised but what strikes you, above all, is that he was generally misunderstood. Some of the blame for this lies at his own door and Carrey's portrayal, along with a good script from Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, leaves the viewer never quite getting to grips with the real Kaufman. This could be seen as a flaw but actually its quite the opposite for it appears to epitomize the confusion which surrounded the man and his actions. Kaufman was infamous for his charades and practical jokes, many of which were in dubious taste and are highlighted in this film. Even when he died of lung cancer at a very young age (35), many were disbelieving; thinking that it was just another ruse to satisfy his need to amuse or shock and push the boundaries of taste. In fact here was reported to have been a 'Welcome Home Andy Party' on the twentieth anniversary of his death. (He predicted that he would return twenty years after he died). This demonstrates the affection in which he was held by those closest to him, despite his unpredictability, and it is something which is conveyed in a very subtle way on screen. In fact, if anything, this film seemed to put the accent on Kaufman's sense of alienation from the majority which is a useful device as you definitely need to feel some empathy for the man to take an interest in what is unfolding. It seems appropriate that Carrey should play the lead here as he himself seems to elicit the whole spectrum of reactions to his performances and on screen persona. That aside, Carrey has an aura where you just wonder what is going through that mind of his. In playing Kaufman, that seems ideal aisde from the fact that he also does a perfect Latka Gravas accent.

Judging by the way the biopic unfolded, Kaufman was often at odds with his audience, seeming to take pleasure in stirring up genuine antagonism if necessary just so long as he got a reaction. If he found the skit funny, then that seemed to be as important as entertaining those who were paying to watch. Perhaps even more so. This takes a physical form in his creation, Tony Clifton, a vile yet (at times) highly amusing cariacature of a sleazy lounge singer. It has to be assumed that Kaufman's own act was as striking, because Carrey is in his element when he dons the loathesome disguise and launches in to character. That said, this is not a particularly funny film even when you are watching the re-enactments of Kaufman's most outrageous antics on and off-stage. This is entirely fitting as such was the obscurity of Kaufman's humour that on numerous occasions the audience never really 'got the joke' until a long embarassing silence had passed. It seems ironic, therefore, that the very part that he despised was the one which raised the his public profile, that being of course, Latka Gravas in 'Taxi' (Kaufman felt that situation comedies in general were unworthy formats). The stage performances, into which he put all his passion, seem to have been for the most part unappreciated. It would appear that theatre audiences had paid to see Gravas the character, not Kaufman the performer. The film uses this well to shed some light on Kaufman's motivations and fustrations. Maybe it was just such resentment that tempted him to begin his circuit as the 'Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World', an extended gag which set out to antagonize and which duly gained him widespread disdain, particularly amongst women. It does not seem to be pure malevolance on his part though for he got the joke and you sense that he couldn't understand why the audience didn't. It would seem that for much of his life both as man and performer, Kaufman was enjoying a private chuckle, relishing the opportunity to surprise and fool though not understanding the reactions of others when he was genuine. This is something that the film conveys very well and there is one point in the story where the king of masquerade is fooled himself in the most sadly ironic way - and this is genuinely touching.

I was fairly young when taxi was shown on British television but I remember it with fondness. There were some very good performances but after all these years, it is Devito and Christopher Lloyd that I remember most clearly. For me, the former has never really engaged at the same level on the big screen - apart from an early role as 'Martini' in Forman's admirable adaptation of the Ken Kesey novel, 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest'. (Coincidentally, this film also featured Christopher Lloyd). In 'Man On The Moon', Devito doesn't re-enact his 'Taxi' role of Louie de Palma but instead plays George Shapiro, Kaufman's agent. It has to be said that Devito is excellent and the perfect foil to Carrey's leading figure. Credit must also go to the writing here aswell. Shapiro is depicted as both a sharp businessman in a cut throat sphere whilst also being fundamentally a Kaufman fan and someone who genuinely cares for his client. This is all done in an understated and entirely convincing manner on the back of economical writing. Devito does a marvellous job of portraying the exasperation, bemusement, sadness and glee that obviously went hand in hand if you were Kaufman's representative, fan and also friend. Crucially, he also serves as a congenial figure of normality amongst the mayhem. Someone with with whom the viewer can actually identify. Whilst on the subject of the subordinate characters, mention should be made of Courtney Love and Paul Giamatti. Love has a very minor role as Kaufman's girlfriend but makes surprisingly effective use of her screen time, even though it is just as a device to demonstrate Kaufman's more likeable and personable side. As for Giamatti, the only recollection I have of him in a leading role was as Miles in Alexander Payne's excellent film 'Sideways' (2004). He could not be play a more different part here in 'Man On The Moon', breathing life in to Bob Zmuda, Kaufman's sidekick and one of the few people who really 'gets' what he was trying to do in terms of testing how far over the mark he could step, both on stage and screen. Devito, Love and Zmuda all provide excellent low key support to a terrific performance by Carrey.

Often depicting scenes of an awkward nature and on occasions a little depressing, I did not actually 'enjoy' the film as such but I was fascinated by much of what unfolded before me. Consequently, the running time of just under two hours did not seem overly expansive as the story moved at a reasonable pace, while never appearing to dwell on matters that were not integral to giving a rounded biography. The pacing is therefore appropriate, not even slowing significantly when exploring Kaufman's reaction to the imminently fatal lung cancer. That is all that could really be stated in terms of direction as this is, of course, not an epic relying on sets or action sequences. Nor, as stated, is it a comedy, though there are one or two moments that induced genuine laughter. For much of the time though I felt like a member of Kaufman's audience at one of his gigs in that as a performer he wasn't consistently funny. But, on account of Kaufman's irrepressible desire to force a reaction, there is incident aplenty in this film and a sense of 'what will he do next?' meant I wanted to see what unfolded. As such this leaves the biopic free of cheap contrivances to retain your attention.

So, in essence, 'Man On The Moon' is a character study in some respects, punctuated by the controversy engineered by Kaufman himself and a showcase for what he was trying to achieve as a performer. He definitely deserves to have had some recognition of his life because, funny or not, he certainly has to be praised for trying to innovate and provide something alternative in his comedy - long before 'alternative' became the mainstream. Maybe he is worth a look purely on the basis that amongst possibly millions of Elvis impersonators worldwide, Kaufman's version was the one that The King himself thought was the best - to such an extent that apparently he had Kaufman's stage act on videotape in Graceland. No, you do not get a deep, penetrative insight in to everything that made the man who he was but there is enough evidence in the telling of this tale for you to draw your own conclusions. That is both rewarding and entirely appropriate as Kaufman was obviously a figure who was so very hard to read, even for those close to him. To have tried to dissect everything Kaufman did would have left a film that would have bordered on the unwatchable. As it stands, 'Man On The Moon' is often uncomfortable viewing, but I was left with the impression of having watched a project that was thoughtful and interesting. However, despite it being a biopic which is both well executed and worthy of a look, I doubt it would reach many top ten lists. I therefore would not be in a rush to buy 'Man On The Moon' on dvd as this is not something to view over and over again. This is why I have said no to a recommendation regarding its purchase on dvd.

Credits

Director
MILOS FORMAN
(People vs Larry Flint, Amadeus, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest)

Writers
SCOTT ALEXANDER
LARRY KARASZEWSKI

Leading Cast

Andy Kaufman (Tony Clifton)
JIM CARREY

George Shapiro
DANNY DE VITO

Bob Zmuda
PAUL GIAMATTI

Lynn Margulies
COURTNEY LOVE

Details

This film runs at 118 minutes and is rated PG.
It idoes not play like a straight comedy despite the classification.

The dvd is available from all the usual sources quoted at £4.99 (Amazon) 

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