Review: Man On The Moon 237
From Larry Flint to Andy Kaufman, director Milos Forman has become a chronicler of one of America's most distinct cultural species - the sometimes brilliant, offensive, self-destructive celebrity eccentric. What makes people like Flynt and Kaufman so American is that few societies would tolerate them at all, let alone elevate them to star status.
"Man In The Moon" may turn out to be the best movie of the holiday season. Jim Carrey's portrayal of the tormented Kaufman is the best performance by an actor in months.
Carrey's performance also highlights the one glaring flaw in any Kaufman story. The movie is bigger than its subject. Carrey looms much larger than Kaufman did. Kaufman, who performed on Saturday Night Live, then more successfully as the goofball "Latke" on the ABC sitcom "Taxi," was one of the most self-destructive figures in modern entertainment. And his fame was fleeting.
Although he could be brilliantly funny, he became obsessed with pushing the boundaries of what the public would accept, between parody and reality. He taunted women, working-class whites, and Southerners in particular, constantly challenging his audience to figure out what was a joke and what wasn't. Eventually, they stopped caring.
The producers of Saturday Night Live asked the audience to call in and vote on whether or not the increasingly controversial Kaufman should remain on the show. They overwhelmingly voted to kick him out, a stinging rebuke for viewers on a program that at the time reveled in pushing boundaries.
Carrey is wonderful at playing Kaufman, even as he perhaps inadvertently shows how much more grounded and talented he is as an actor and comedian. Danny DeVito is also first-rate as Kaufman's long suffering manager/agent George Shapiro.
Questions of free speech and public offense have always swirled around media and entertainment. This is the birthplace not only of the First Amendment but of the most elaborate ratings and blocking systems in the free world. Americans can never quite seem to figure out whether they really want freedom, or just love invoking the idea of it. Provocateurs like Hustler Magazine's Flynt and entertainers like the late Lenny Bruce and Kaufman are constantly forcing the issue.
Kaufman was a mess, even by contemporary celebrity standards. He bitterly resented his label as a comedian, viewing himself as a more sophisticated performance artist. Although he was wildly popular on "Taxi" as the odd-sounding "Latke," he despised commercial television and especially that particular role, even though it was making him rich and famous. Sometimes, he even walked offstage during live performances if audiences pressured him to play his TV character. This struggle of a performer to practice his art on his own terms is beautifully rendered by Carrey.
Kaufman flirted with various meditative and holistic groups and practices, none of which did him any good when he was diagnosed as having a fatal form of lung cancer.
What makes Carrey's acting so impressive is that Kaufman was not especially likeable, and so erratic and unpredictable as to be nearly incomprehensible. His crusade to make audiences think was in some ways admirable, but also arrogant, especially after it became increasingly clear that what his audiences wanted was just to laugh. One of the most effective things about this movie is that it makes you root for the audience as well as the performer. Comedy after all, is about escaping reality, not creating additional work.
Even though Carrey towers over Kaufman, in the movie and in life, "Man In The Moon" is a powerful, haunting look into America's celebrity culture.
If you want to jump in, please feel free:
Re:Comparing Andy to Larry? (Score:1)
Re:Pushing the limits (Score:1)
Re:Kinda disappointed in you guys... (Score:1)
Regarding the SNL vote... (Score:1)
The vote on Kaufman's banning from SNL was modeled after a viewer vote held several weeks earlier on whether to kill or save "Larry the Lobster."
The vote was brought on by SNL producer Dick Ebersol, who had been having a good deal of trouble with Kaufman's material for his scheduled appearances. It degenerated into a screaming match, with Kaufman walking out and never appearing.
The vote was held several weeks after that, and was actually quite close. The final tally was 195,544 in favor of banning him, and 169,186 in support of him.
For a more in-depth (and infinitely better written) description of the event, pick up "Andy Kaufman Revealed" by Bob Zmuda. It was a great read.
jon katz is an idiot (Score:2)
first, throw out the free speech bit. that has little if anything to do with the story.
second, however big the subject was isn't really important. the story was touching, unique, and hilarious. who cares how popular or unpopular andy was? it really doesn't matter.
now then, i don't think it's fair to say kaufman was a mess. why does jon think this? because he didn't care so much about the money when he did "Taxi?" because he despised sitcoms? i don't quite see jon's point
it was a good movie. as i stated before, andy's story was quite unique, very touching, and altogether hilarious, so it was quite enjoyable to watch jim carrey (who played the part very well, i thought) recreate it. i will agree to an extent with a previous poster who said he'd rather have watched more real footage of andy, and in fact there is an andy kaufman special that airs every now and then on comedy central which is really a documentary of much of his life. i don't think carrey brought any of his traditional "stupid humor" to the movie though--after having watched the cc special i think he did a really good job of portraying kaufman. most of the time it really felt like i was watching andy and i didn't even think about the fact that it was jim carrey. all things considered, it was a good movie. go see it.
Re:Needed Clarification (Score:1)
Re:What is this? (Score:1)
Re:That's something JonKatz would say! :-P (Score:1)
Re:Pushing the limits (Score:2)
Unlike the movie's 20some% voting for him, it was closer, 53% to 47%. And when the tally came in, Ebersol turned on the "deal" and told Andy he (or Clifton, or any persona) would never be on the show. Naturally, he was hurt. And this was just another hit in his downward spiral. It's amazing how many things went bad in those few months, his mother having a stroke, finding he had three months to live, getting betrayed by his favorite TV show, Taxi was cancelled, pro wrestling was over, and the TM powers that be told him he could no longer come to the retreats.
Pick up the "Andy Kaufman Revealed" book by Bob Zmuda, it's worth the read.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:2)
Besides, from the trailers I've seen, Carrey has Andy Kaufman down *perfectly*, right down to that demonic gleam he always had in his eye. I somehow seriously doubt that the script involves Carrey talking via his ass. Anyhow, he was pretty good in the Truman Show (which was, at least, an original movie).
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Re:Carrey is a Comedic(sp?) Genius (Score:1)
". . . he deserves more respect than he gets."
I'm sorry. I have to disagree. I think Jim Carrey is perhaps one of the most over hyped "actors" of the nineties. Not only is he a BAD actor, but he is not very funny. Maybe I'm being hard on the guy, but come on... The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and The Cable Guy (to name a few) were simply horrible movies that aren't even worth $1.25 from the "JACKED UP, WATCHED 427 TIMES, LEFT ON THE DASH OF MY CAR IN THE HOT DESERT SUN (that little dot's not white anymore)" section of Billy Bob's Bar, Gas, and Video Rental Shack.
Remember Veara deMilo? That was funny!!
Actually, you can teach a donkey how to sing, but he will still sound like an ass...
--
Kir
Re:Carrey is a Comedic(sp?) Genius (Score:1)
I guess that is really what I meant by "bad actor." He is, to me, like the Denzel Washington of comedy. Whenever I see Denzel play a role, it's always DENZEL I see... not his character (unlike Billy Bob Thorton, which amazes me EVERYTIME).
Maybe this movie will change my mind, but I doubt it will.
Actually, you can teach a donkey how to sing, but he will still sound like an ass...
--
Kir
Re:'Overwhelming' SNL Vote? (Score:1)
Mark
Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Re:Kinda disappointed in you guys... (Score:1)
Not open minded... (Score:1)
Look at how many bash BeOS just because it's not Open Source. Look at how many bash FreeBSD because it's not Linux. Look how many bash space exploration because abstract knowledge is "useless".
They may use a non-MS OS, but luddites is luddites.
I just gotta say (Score:1)
Re:Carey more of a legend than the man he portrays (Score:1)
I wish I had a nickel for every time someone said "Information wants to be free".
Re:That's funny (Score:1)
Re:Carrey More of a Legend???? (Score:1)
Andy Kaufman was something no one had seen before his time. He LIVED comedy and every part of his life was part of the act. His willingness to stretch all the boundaries of performance art and never leave the stage (since the stage was his life) is what the comedians around him admired.
Who the heck is Andy Kaufman? (Score:1)
I didn't see The Truman Show until I watched it for free. It was well worth the cost and time though.
Short, sweet, and simple review. (Score:2)
Re:A review of a review! (Score:1)
Much could have been said. Much wasn't. *shrugs* It matters not. :-)
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Kaufman, Katz, and other ramblings. (Score:4)
I liked the movie. It was well done, and Carrey did a good job. The soundtrack was also excellant (REM always is. :^})
I found that Katz' review meandered towards his usual tact -- about half way through the ''movie review'' he goes off on this tirade about Americans and their view of freedom. (Or at least his idea of what they think of it. )
He attempts to get back on track with the review, but he never seems to. Instead he veers off into the related area of Kaufman's (and Carrey's as well) acting career.
When looking for a movie review, I want to see soemthing that reviews the movie, not the background of the actors. But that's my opinion, YMMV. :-)
Overall, I score this review a 7. Not horrible, but not great either.
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Re:defending Kaufman, sort of (Score:1)
Rather, they're able to take the queues from Kaufman regarding what _was actually funny_ and move on.
-Dean
Kaufman the meta-comedian (Score:2)
That gets back to what i said in my review... Andy Kaufman didn't so much make you laugh as make you squirm.
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My own review... (Score:5)
Man on the Moon
starring Jim Carrey, Danny Devito, Courtney Love, et al
directed by Milos Forman
produced by Danny Devito
"Man on the Moon" is the story of the rise, fall, and death of legendary
comic Andy Kaufman. Some of you may know Kaufman from his role as the
zany eastern European mechanic on the sitcom "Taxi". Others may know
him for his occasional work on Saturday Night Live, and the story of how
the audience voted to not have him on the show anymore. Or maybe you've
never heard of him at all. Those who have watched his work generally
either love him or hate him. He didn't like neutral reactions, and
didn't get them.
Author bias here: i think Andy Kaufman was one of the greatest geniuses
in comic history. And yes, he fell on his face a lot, and went over the
top A LOT. But when he was on, he was golden. Lots of comedians make
you laugh. Some make you think. Andy Kaufman made you squirm. Of
course, most people don't want to squirm, don't want to find humor in
their own embarassment and shame, so a lot of people hated him.
That being said, i loved this movie. It may not be one of the greatest
films ever made, but it really works well, and tells a fascinating
story. I think it's worth seeing even if you didn't like Andy Kaufman.
What i liked most about it, i think, wasn't so much the story, but
rather getting to see all the great Andy Kaufman standup shows and
routines that were never captured on film. His work on Taxi and
Saturday Night Live barely scratched the surface. In the film, you get
the full story of his pro wrestling career, his famous Carnegie Hall
show when he took the entire audience out for milk and cookies, the
story of Tony Clifton, etc. This is hardcore genius work. And, like
much genius work, it is often difficult to understand (at one point, his
manager (Danny Devito) chides him and his writer Bob Zmuda (Paul
Giamatti) for dragging out the Tony Clifton joke to where it was only
funny to two people in the entire world... but of course, those two
thought it was hilarious).
The acting is generally superb. For me, Jim Carrey never completely
became Kaufman, but that's probably because i had seen the real Kaufman
so much. But i have to credit Carrey with getting his timing and
mannerisms down as well as any actor is capable of doing them... and for
Kaufman, comedy was as much a matter of timing as anything. The
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi once told him the secret of being funny was
"Silence", and he used silence more effectively than any comedian since
Buster Keaton (personally, i say the essence of comedy is timing, but i
suspect the Maharishi and i mean the same thing). So, despite the fact
that i couldn't overcome the cognitive dissonance of Carrey playing
Kaufman, it worked as well as such things ever do for me.
Danny Devito plays Kaufman's manager George Shapiro (the film was his
baby... he worked with Kaufman on Taxi, and then produced it as an ode
to his friend). As George Shapiro, Devito provides the primary lens
through which the audience sees Andy Kaufman. Fans of Milos Forman's
previous work (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) will recognize
the technique of humanizing a genius character for the audience by
watching him through more ordinary eyes. As usual, Devito completely
absorbs his role, becoming the most believable character in the film.
Paul Giamatti as Kaufman's writer/partner Bob Zmuda, and Courtney Love
as Kaufman's girlfriend, both deliver superbly given their somewhat
limited roles. Courtney Love in particular doesn't get enough meat in
her part to be much more than a mirror, but what she does she does very
well. For someone like her who specializes in being over the top, she
is very subdued and sensitive in the role.
Perhaps the best thing i can say about this film is that i intend to buy
a copy when it is available on video - for my children. Not for
today... although there isn't anything in it that i don't think they
should see (brief nudity? so?), it's very much adult humor, in that it
is humor about how adults see the world. Andy Kaufman's humor, while
childlike and evoking childhood memories, is not something children can
even understand as humor. What's funny to adults is just normal for
them. But, when they're old enough to understand, i want them to see
this film. It's a matter of cultural education, getting a chance to see
one of the greatest comedians ever in action. It's the same reason i'd
get them a Buster Keaton movie, really.
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Re:CAN WE GET RID OF KATZ??? (Score:1)
Come on, Katz, get a life - and psychiatric help, too, until you figure out "the Hellmouth" is a fiction created by morons who feel so sorry for themselves that they spend all their time either engaged in infantile escapism, or chirping about it, instead of living their lives.
Re:My own review... (Score:1)
But that's what plagued the movie. It went from him being a young boy to being a comic. Nothing in between. And when they tried to recreate Taxi, I almost walked out. Few attempts were made to make it look like Taxi, side the construction of the set. The few cast members they managed to squeeze into the movie are OLD. Then again, they've aged 20 some years since then. I'm not surprised that Judd Hirsch wasn't in it.
I have never been a Jim Carrey fan. I personally find him unamusing. The only part he played well, and what most people still go apeshit over is one line:
"Tank you vedy much"
After the movie I promptly got out my Kaufman tapes and pretty much completed the movie. There was one key difference with watching Kaufman rather than Carrey.
I laughed.
Re:Idiot Review (Score:1)
Woody Harrelson's representation of Larry Flynt was excellent. It was also a very intriguing movie, although it lacked a few important details.
Now, in relation to Man on the Moon, no movie 'biography' of any person is going to be 100% complete. Yet MotM lacked very important developments of Kaufman which made the movie sub par.
Escaping reality. (Score:1)
Comedy after all, is about escaping reality, not creating additional work.
I really can't disagree with this more. On the simplest level, what would satire be?
Regardless, Jim Carey has been milking toilet humour too long -- he's been typecast. I haven't seen this movie yet, but I look forward to seeing him in a serious role... it's a shame it has to be as a comedian though.
I think I'll catch it on video.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Funny is obviously in the eye of the beholder, but the kind of humour that is in those movies is the obvious predictable kind. If you want to make a 'stupid' humourous movie, at least make the jokes subtle or non-predictable. Having said that, I thought that some of Jim Carrey's other movies were pretty good - especially The Trueman Show which I thought was excellent.
Re:Jim Carrey (Score:2)
I think that I's only been since "Liar, Liar" that he's been able to show any more serious talent...
jf
Jesus everyone hates Katz (Score:1)
As for this movie... I won't go see it for a couple of reasons. And this is my OPINION.
1) Andy was funny because of his insanity but I don't want to see carrey as Andy. I just don't think I would enjoy that. I like carrey but I don't think this will be good.
2) BIG TIME OPINION: I will NEVER see a movie with Courtney Love in it because her entire career has been based on the death of her husband... a man she by most of the facts released, killed or had killed. She disgusts me and she has no talent.. only tits.
3) Well I don't need a 3 but I felt like making it look like I had alot to say.
Anyway. Its a movie. Let anyone review it. Katz words aren't law. If you disagree with his review read another few.
Re:That's funny (Score:2)
Re:Jesus everyone hates Katz (Score:1)
"Sid and Nancy" Great film/bio/story... powerful performances by Gary Oldman and Courtney Love.
Hey... Isn't this news for nerds? hmmm... Did you see "Pi"?
Happy New Year!
James F. Bickford
Sys Dev Assistant
Electronic Interface Support
News for Lamers. Stuff that is pointless. (Score:1)
If you are expecting to see a biography of Kaufman, this is not the film for you. If you want to see something like an MTV "Rock-u-mentary", then you will like what you see. It does not dive into the person of Kaufman, it tends to highlight his career.
Not that I may believe what was said in the review (I have yet to, and plan on seeing this film), but it is typical Hollywood to pump out crap. I cannot remember the last time I saw a film that had a "star" in it or a huge budget that impressed me any.
"Pi" was the best thing I have seen in a long time.
Happy New Year!
James F. Bickford
Sys Dev Assistant
Electronic Interface Support
Katz to the Moon (one way ticket, please) (Score:2)
Jon, please follow up on this... What do you base this on?
Money?
Hollywood Acting Rolls?
Did you see someone on the E! channel say this?
People Magazine?
First, it would seem that any popular dead icon will be elivated to "legend", but Kaufman was an innovator. Carrey has emulated a lot of Kaufman's and Jerry Lewis' comedic tactics. Carrey is great, but he is appealing to his audiance. Kaufman was challenging. As it is with all of the greatest artists, it is those that break barriers, challenge the status quo and piss people with their work that will be remembered for their art.
Happy New Year!
James F. Bickford
Sys Dev Assistant
Electronic Interface Support
Read the Zmuda book. (Score:3)
And it's hardly fair to say that Andy flirted with meditation; he was a dedicated TM'er for his entire adult life, meditating every day.
Of course, i'd be remiss not to mention Andy Lives [andylives.org].
mahlen
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.
--Robert Frost
Re:The Andy I remember voting OFF of SNL .... (Score:1)
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Time flies like an arrow;
Was Jerry Lawler in on it??? (Score:2)
After seeing the movie, I only have one question on my mind: Was Jerry Lawler really in on the wrestling thing?
Before the movie, I had never heard that he was in on the whole idea. However, we know that the movie as semi-biographical and that the producers may have had to accept a revised history to get Lawler on the show.
Lawler was in on itIf Lawler was in on it, why would he give the joke away in the movie? Wouldn't it be better to keep it a secret and keep it larger than life?
Lawler wasn't in on itIf Lawler wasn't in on it, then this was his chance to make it appear like he was. In hindsight, he would have realized that he simply became a prop for Andy. With Andy dead, Lawler can throw in the final "punch."
Does anyone out there know what really happened?
Is Jon Katz's slashdot password stolen??? (Score:1)
The real Jon Katz would have said that he could feel his pain, even if Kaufman would have taken an Uzi and had taken aim at his audience.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:2)
Before this movie came out, I'd heard stories about how after a filming session and then for a few weeks after the movie was completed, he actually had to regain his own personality back, because he'd absorbed the role of Kaufman to such a great degree. Indeed, he certainly did a great job.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:2)
In addition to seeing enough of his antics in various minor guest appearances on shows, TV commercials, etc....He was on "In Living Color" before he was ever in the movies...
Re:Escaping reality. (Score:1)
Rent "Cable Guy" if you haven't already: Apart from a few lines at the very end, his portrayal of the title character is IMHO excellent, the movie's letdown being the wooden acting from "Bore"derick.
Some thoughts (Score:1)
First off (I know it's been mentioned before, but), seem like Katz's articles are anything but thoughtless self-serving fluff if he could do something like review a movie and get the title right. Secondly, Jim Carey is a celebrity. He hasn't been around long enough to be a legend. Andy Kaufman is a legend. He may not have been exceptionally popular, he may have pissed off a lot of people, he may have made folks uncomfortable, but he made a lasting impression on our culture, and probably has shaped what our culture is now to a certain degree.
And okay, maybe he should've just made people happy and make them laugh, but some of us actually like being challenged.
Jon Katz, Voice of the Ordinary.
Re:Jesus everyone hates Katz (Score:1)
Bad Mojo
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
No. Just a grammatical error. In fact, pointing out his error as a non sequitur is more of a non sequitur than the alleged non sequitur itself.
Dear Jon, (Score:2)
Instead, you should have called your article "The Jon Katz Opinion of Andy Kaufman". And even as that, it wasn't a very good, or well thought out, one.
Jon, if you haven't got anything to say, don't say anything. If you must spew, at least give your rant a suitable headline. Some journalist you're turning out to be.
Re:Needed Clarification (Score:2)
I'm not sure that he ever actually finished the reading, but he read at least several chapters at some shows.
Something else in the same vein that he used to do was to sing the entire "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" song for the audience.
Cheers,
ZicoKnows@hotmail.com
Escaping reality? (Score:1)
Can't agree with this. Some is. But some of the funniest stuff I've heard has a bite to it.
Re:no more respect (Score:1)
What? What-what-what?
I think Jim Carrey's life would make a GREAT movie.
His family was so poor that for a while they worked (all of them) sweeping the floor at a factory late each night. For many years his entire family was homeless. He always wanted to become rich enough that his family would never have to go hungry again. ...and he has.
While his early movies were always sophomoric, he has always said (paraphrased), "I'd hate to be 70 years old and still making movies where I say, 'all-righty-then'." Beginning with The Truman Show he is certainly making the transformation he seeks.
Believe me... if you knew what you were talking about* you wouldn't have posted what you did.
--JerseyTom
Footnote:
* -- Don't worry, this is slashdot. Posting about something WHICH YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT is exactly what slashdot is about. You fit in perfectly... ASSHOLE.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Give the guy a break. He seems to be getting better with age
Bryan R.
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
As for Dead Poets Society, I enjoyed it so much, that I now own it. Fantastic movie!
Bryan R.
Re:That's funny (Score:1)
Bryan R.
Re:Jesus everyone hates Katz (Score:1)
facts released, killed or had killed. She disgusts me and she has no talent.. only tits. "
Courtney Love was involved in the music scene, playing in Babes in Toyland and Hole, before Nirvana ever got popular. And she has been acting since the mid/late 80's as well. She had roles in "Straight to Hell" and "Sid and Nancy" (both Alex Cox films I believe).
Get your facts straight before shooting your mouth off, fuckwad. She's also a very talented actress. Don't be so opinionated on something you obviously know nothing about and check out some of the movies she's been in.
Re:Jim Carrey Sucks, Kaufman ROCKS! (Score:1)
Re:The Andy I remember voting OFF of SNL .... (Score:1)
Some people must have thought it was an act, but pictures that were printed in tabloids towards the end of his illness clearly show a man succumbing to a terminal disease. Of course, there were some people who thought that his *death* was a joke. Unfortunately, it was not.
~~~~~~~~~
auntfloyd
Pushing the limits (Score:2)
All comics try to be funny. Some comics push the limits of what is acceptable. Some manage to do both. I know it's just my opinion (well not just mine, as lots of SNL viewers apparently felt the same way), but Kaufman did not do both. He was just not very funny.
Artists (Score:4)
With all due respect to Jim Carrey, he hasn't a fraction of Kaufman's talent. Katz makes the capital mistake of equating popularity with talent. This is rank hypocrisy from the man who defends the unpopular geek. Apparently that's easy when you're posting on a web site dedicated to the interests of nerds and geeks. It makes him popular here.
Milos Forman has, it seems to me, been exploring what it means to be a rebel. From Amadeus through The People vs. Larry Flynt he seems to be looking for the stories of people who are standing proudly and self-conciously outside the current of their times.
Andy Kaufman is held in awe by comics. This awe is not given him because of his success, but because of his daring. Not because he was always successful, but because he didn't merely make new material, he kept exploding the boundaries of what comedy is.
In a world where you can't tell one comic's airline jokes from another comic's rush hour traffic jokes from yet another comic's relationship jokes, Kaufman kept walking on to the stage and doing material that most comics wouldn't dare to imagine, let alone perform.
Practicing comics know that there is the safe way, which will keep you comfortably nestled in the audience's love, getting easy laughs from the amusing foibles of suburban middle-class life, and then there is the dangerous way where you cut through the assumptions, you pierce our neat ideas of order, you diassemble the human condition and make see ourselves anew. This is what great art in all its manifestations does for us. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable and afraid.
Most comics are hungry for the laugh, for the audience to like them and to think they are clever. I've dome some stand-up in my time and I must admit that I fall firmly in this category. What Andy Kaufman did may not have always succeeded, but it was done for some other reason. Some deeper reason than winning mere praise. He was driven to find some deeper knowledge of that place in us where laughter comes from.
Now, I would not claim to know Jim Carrey's inner heart, but from watching his work over the years, I would say that he, like many comics of greater or lesser talent, works for the laugh, works for the love. He also, like many others, knows that that is a rather shallow use of the attention given the stage. I think he leapt at the chance to play Kaufman because it was an opportunity to move beyond the self-gratification and to do it from the safety of playing someone else.
I have done both stand-up and stage acting (only semi-professionally, mind, I'm not "somebody.") and they are quite different. Being trapped in a written character actually liberates your behavior. Your free display of emotion is okay because it isn't you. It's the character; it's the writer.
When you do stand-up, it is you, naked and alone before that hungry thing we call an audience. That's why most of us fall into the safe stuff. Andy Kaufman did something much riskier and much more dangerous. He didn't make laughs, he made art.
Love the outsider.
Re:no more respect (Score:1)
--
- Sean
Re:Stooping? (Score:1)
Chill!
--
- Sean
Re:What is this? (Score:1)
Not necessarily. The whole song was (is) really about alienation from society and a blurring of the distinction between the real and the imaginary.
Andy Kaufman (in the song) is held up as a prime example of this, and in reverse, the song is held up as an exploration into the man (in much the same way that the movie is ostensibly such an exploration).
In the song itself, the title comes from the phrase, "If you believed they put a man on the moon," which refers to disbelievers in the aftermath of the moon landing who thought the whole thing was a hoax.
What better reference for the movie's (a movie about someone who was in a sense never "real") title than a phrase that questions what many believe to be a fundemental fact?
That's where it comes from, and I think it's fitting.
Besides, the song kicks ass
--
- Sean
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
on or in? (Score:1)
The Damned Movie (Score:1)
Ya know, I generally like Katz's articles, but I think he's off the mark on this one
In short, I tried hard to like this movie but couldn't quite like it. I got out of the movie feeling like I'd seen a few minutes of a highlight reel and basically got ripped off. Sorry Katz, I think you're dead wrong on this one.
And, for the record, I think A.K.'s comedy is more interesting than J.C.'s, but J.C. still makes me "laugh like a drain" in Patrick Stewart's words. (He was talking about Beavis and Butthead, though.)
Jim Carrey (Score:1)
In The Truman show, he sometimes bordered on his slap-happy character, yet at the times it happened, I found it characterally perfectly acceptable; it was at times when the character should be snapping. Now, in Man on the Moon, he has proven beyond any doubt to me that he is a Damn Fine Actor. Being able to emulate another person's humor and personality so well that (this was on an interview on NPR, the agent was on the interviewee) Andy's agent (being one of his closest friends) says that he was taken aback by just how well Carrey does the roll, is one damn hard and fine accomplishment.
I just don't see, and am incredibly irritated by, people who refuse to acknowledge him as an actor, not just an obnoxious fool.
-Mog
Re:Kaufman the meta-comedian (Score:1)
Hey, its not a "Feature", cool! (Score:1)
You now have my respect. My attention is another matter ...
Re:You goober. (Score:1)
If McDonalds came out with a new McShitwich 70s Classic Burger that they did a really good job on, they would still be McDonalds and they would still suck. Jim Carrey is still Jim Carrey, ergo he still sucks. I am willing to forgive crimes against society way before crimes against culture. People go to prison for smoking a little pot because they're hurting society in some vague way, yet movies like The Cable Guy are OK? What! I don't think I'd want to issue jail time (but i might make an exception for everyone involved in Show Girls, shudder) but there should be excessive fines raised against all the stupid people involved in the making of crimes against culture, to discourage any further similar activity. The money raised could go to the NEA or something.
I'm not joking, i'm serious here! I think Whoopi Goldberg should be made to pay out of her own pocket for damages inflicted on global culture for those Sister Act movies. Seeing her on Hollywood Squares is a small step towards justice, but it just doesn't go far enough. The crimes of Jim Carrey are possibly even greater, I would be willing to forgive him if he donated his proceeds from Man on the Moon towards improving the arts in the US (sorry rest of the world, we need it the most!) and promised to never make another movie similar to Ace Ventura. But thats not too likely to happen, so I don't think its too likely that i'm going to be acknowledging the "greatness of Jim Carrey" any time soon.
Jim Carrey Sucks, Kaufman ROCKS! (Score:2)
"Man In The Moon" may be the best holiday movie of the year so far, even though Jim Carrey is already much more of a comedic legend than Andy Kaufman, the man he portrays.
Jim Carrey has made more movies and more $$ but he is by no *NO* means more of a comedic legend than Andy Kaufman. Andy was a genius that will be remembered for generations to come, like Charlie Chaplin. Jim Carrey will be quickly forgotten as an icon of a very stupid age in media, gone the way of the Tony Danza's of this world.
The Andy I remember voting OFF of SNL .... (Score:4)
At the time of Kaufman's heyday, sure, everyone had an agent, but there wasn't as much competition for the buck as we have today, 15-20 years later. We want to be entertained, and we want to laugh, and we want to see someone push the limits, as long as it's entertaining. Today we have cable TV, high-spaz network TV, the Internet, and Jon Katz.
Maybe this was true in Kaufman's day, too, but Carrey has successfully made Kaufman an entertainer, and in those moments where Kaufman is portrayed as the entertainer that went too far, Carey becomes a performance genius. This was true for Kaufman, too: this was why his "Taxi" character and lunge lizard characters were so popular: had these characters been the Real Andy, he would have been remembered as an idiot - and no man behind that idiot.
There is no better "proof" of this than the SNL phone-in, where viewers decided that they didn't like Andy's art form, and opted not to see it anymore on late-night television. I suppose I can credit Andy for staying true to his form and not sell out to what the masses wanted him to become; but truth of the matter is, we didn't like Andy - and yet, he's regarded today as a legend.
Someone please answer me this question: is it true that Andy didn't recover from his lung disease because everyone close to him thought he was just performing again (and by the time they realized he was serious, it was too late)?
Movie Review? (Score:1)
^.
Of Course Lawler was in on it (Score:1)
^.
Hmm.. (Score:1)
^.
Katz just stated exactly what Andy wanted him to (Score:1)
"Laughter puts to much pressure on the audience, I want to effect them from the gut without knowing why or what is happening to them."
It wasn't about comedy or song and dance. Andy didn't let the audience get away with just having fun. Laughing is just a reaction to stimuli, it's not a life changing experience. He wanted everyone to step back and look at themselves and realize it was all an illusion. The comedy comes from letting people think that it's real. The punchline is for the people who get it and are able to look at the animal in themselves, based on the reaction of those that don't understand.
Everything Andy did was purposeful and exact. He wanted people to not like him, or think he was mediocre. John Katz article was just the punchline of Andy's joke... a perfect example of mediocre, normal response to well defined and orchestrated stimuli.
no more respect (Score:3)
"...even though Jim Carrey is already much more of a comedic legend than Andy Kaufman, the man he portrays..."
How much do you want to bet that there will never be a movie about Jim Carrey's life?
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Re:no more respect (Score:1)
Re:Am I the only one that hates Jim Carrey (Score:1)
Re:no more respect (Score:1)
Wait (Score:1)
Did I miss something?
People just want to laugh^H^H^H^H^Hwork... (Score:1)
Hmm..no. RMS is right and so was Kaufman.
*laughing* (Score:1)
LouZiffer
Re:title. (Score:1)
Re:Carey more of a legend than the man he portrays (Score:2)
failed, and the movie blew chunks, but it was definitely a gutsy move on Carrey's part. "The Truman Show" had many problems, foremost the cop-out ending, but Carrey's performace was strong there. "The Mask," of course, played directly into his talents and he shone there (and it remains Cameron Diaz' best flick barring "My Best Friend's Wedding" -- the woman cannot pull off lead roles to save her life).
Kaufman gloried in deliberate obscurantism, and committed the one unpardonable sin: deliberately boring the audience. He's an interesting biographical study, if only because he was so fucked in the head, but really -- Carrey's more entertaining.
gomi
Re:The Andy I remember voting OFF of SNL .... (Score:2)
>and yet, he's regarded today as a legend.
That's not really as uncommon as you might think. It happens in varying degrees at various levels of any "Art"...and while I, by no means, attempt to compare myself to Andy, let me offer an example from my own life.
In my theatre, I was pretty much hated. Why? Because I knew what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, and by god, no one was going to stand in my way. During senior reviews, where my fellow classmates were allowed to give critique of my work (which had just gotten the first two standing ovations in my theatre's history, btw, one of my proudest "Screw you" moments to my theatre prof who failed me for the work in question, even after the two standing Os), one of those people who disliked me the strongest made the comment
"A brilliant piece of work. But a loose cannon who can not play by the rules, in the end, can not play at all." and gave me a very low rating. During the session where we discussed these comments, I looked right at the guy and told him, and I still mean it as strongly today. "No one ever built a statue to someone who played it safe."
Andy, if you liked it or not, liked HIM or not, was into his thing or simply couldn't bear to watch 20 seconds of it.....he was a man driven to follow his own road. If the people followed was not important, because in the end, if you are true to that desire and drive? The people will come.
The hardest part about art, is that it's a very lonely thing...It doesn't have to be. You can go be Patrick Swayze, or any other number of people who are pre-pressed and delivered to the masses by the entertainment gurus of the world, and have a nice safe existence......and the only compass you have is that inner fire that tells you "Don't sell out, keep believing, keep going...just one more step." and the chance, that maybe someday, even after you're dead...you could have made a difference. Your life, your work could have meant something beyond a tattered old forgotten 99 cent rental in some cheap video store bargain bin.
Like Andy or not, he did make a difference. And deserves... no, earned, his slot in history.
There's a reason good art is hated. It scares people because it's not the pre-pressed safe stuff they are used to. But like moths, people are drawn to it anyway because it's created with fire, and it can burn. Here's to ya, Andy.
Carrey over Kaufman? how dare you. (Score:2)
I know I'm rambling, but you have to see the fact that Kaufman's act was _so_ much more than what you see on the surface. He was constantly experimenting, and he was different. It was his difference, not his act, that people chose to hate, as many do when faced with something they do not know and are not willing to look into.
I had a point, but I have no idea if I hit it... sorry to have taken up your time.
Re:Carrey deserves more credit than he gets (Score:2)
Carey vs. Kaufman (Score:2)
I am not sure if I would have liked him so much back in the late 70's or early 80's... but I like to think I would have.
I think Katz is off by even trying to compare Jim Carey to Andy Kaufman, saying that Carey is already bigger than Kaufman. Of course he is... Jim Carey is by all means a conventional comedian (I happen to love him though), he has in no ways pushed or challenged conventional methods or barriers or brought any new aspects to comedy or acting. Kaufman did. I tend to agree with Kaufman's view that he was more of a performing artist than a comedian. Just like any succesful artist (of any medium), he painted emotions... and I can scarce come up with anyone else who could so succesfully bring out such a wide range of emotions out of an audience.
We know how many comedians have been influenced by Andy Kaufman and consider him a genius... how many future ones will think the same thing of Jim Carey (and consider him a genius)? So by no means is Jim Carey bigger than Andy Kaufman... at least in my book.
A Humble Suggestion (Score:2)
defending Kaufman, sort of (Score:3)
What it boils down to is this: much as Barth writes meta-fiction (that is, fiction that is not just about the story's characters, but also about itself as a work of fiction, an artifical experience written on a page) Kaufman (sp?) was a meta-comedian. His act wasn't just about being funny, but examining how things are funny and how we find them to be funny. In this sense, yes, the man was certainly an artists. But, that by no means is to say that he was especially aesthetically appealing or all that much of a blast.
Again, just the opinion of one guy who isn't a comedian.
title. (Score:3)
Re:Carrey is a Comedic(sp?) Genius (Score:2)
> over hyped "actors" of the nineties. Not only is
> he a BAD actor, but he is not very funny.
Well I have to agree that he is WAY over-hyped.
However, I can't say that he is a bad actor.
So far it seems that in every movie I have seen
him in, he basically plays the same character.
All of them have basically been wild comedies
of one sort or another that feature his brand
of humor.
Basically, the roles he has been in so far have
been way too shallow to gauge any sort of acting
ability. Put Cary in a lead role in Hamlet and
see him act, then I will tell you if he is a bad
actor or not.
I have yet to see this Man On the Moon movie,
I have a feeling this role may be the first one
of his that is deep enough to truely get an idea
of his abilities. (deep enough in that Andy
Kaufman had a completely differnt personality than
Cary does) .
Re:Was Jerry Lawler in on it??? (Score:2)
You missed the point - AK wasn't a comedian (Score:3)
"Carrey towers over Kaufman??" (Score:3)
Allow me to explain. Judging from Katz's comments of Kaufman, it would seem that he has fallen into the same trap that Kaufman critics have been falling into for years...and would also lead me to believe that he didn't *really* pay that close attention to the film (Man *IN* the Moon???)
"...he became obsessed with pushing the boundaries..."
Became? It would appear to me (after having actually watched the film) that Andy was obsessed with pushing the boundaries of what people would accept way back when he was a child, performing to the wall.
"He taunted women, working-class whites, and Southerners in particular, constantly challenging his audience to figure out what was a joke and what wasn't."
Hmmm...doesn't really sound *any* different than what any of the scripted bad guys say and do on every episode of WWF RAW. Yet you don't hear Katz whining about any of those guys. In fact, I found Kaufman very reminiscent of the modern professional wrestlers...if not the predecessor.
Katz doesn't seem to be able to differentiate between one of Kaufman's characters (in this case his wrestling persona) and that of the "real andy kaufman."
"They overwhelmingly voted to kick him out..."
Poor Katz. Kaufman was only "overwhelmingly kicked out" in the movie. In real life, the vote was much closer. Andy lost 195,544 to 169,186.
"Although he was wildly popular on 'Taxi' as the odd-sounding 'Latke...'"
Uh...its LATKA!
"Kaufman flirted with various meditative and holistic groups and practices, none of which did him any good when he was diagnosed as having a fatal form of lung cancer. "
This sentence irritated me more than the rest of Katz's "review" did.
Flirted? Kaufman was incredibly serious about his transcendental practices...even the movie was clear in showing how hurt Kaufman was when he was asked to leave the group.
None of his practices did him any good? Maybe it was because by the time his cancer was detected it was incurable and, in fact, not even modern medicine was of any use to Andy.
Mr. Katz, its one thing to attack a movie or a character in a movie, its another thing entirely to attack the personal choices of Kaufman.
As I alluded to earlier, its almost as if Katz didn't even pay attention (or watch it at all...)
He could have told us specifically why the movie was one of the best of the year, but instead he merely tells us generic examples of how he believes Carrey to be better than Kaufman.
That said, I still don't see how watching a movie gives Katz poetic license (or any license whatsoever) to criticize the real Kaufman's religious/spiritual choices.
Very low ball...even for JK.
Comparing Andy to Larry? (Score:2)
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Jim or Andy (Score:4)
Also, when the movie was being made it was rumored that Jim Carrey had suffered an actual neck injury at the hand of Jerry Lawler, the wrestler who supposedly broke Kaufman's neck in real life. This rumor was the kind of thing that Kaufman lived for. He wanted people to wonder when he was telling the truth and when he was playing a role.
In conlusion, I think that even if you weren't a fan of Kaufman, but were aware of the kind of person he was, you would enjoy this movie. Jim Carrey did an excellent job in the role and I think that his performance alone merits seeing this movie.
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