Comedian
Andy Kaufman was probably best known as Latka on TV's Taxi. Outside of that he
was mostly known as an eccentric jokester, infamous for keeping audiences guessing
what was real and what was an act. In this new bio-pic from Milos Foreman (One
Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Amadeus, and People Vs. Larry Flynt), Jim Carrey gives
the performance of his career as Kaufman. Carrey seems to undergo a complete transformation
as not only the sweet and unpredictable Kaufman but as Kaufman's crazy alter egos
as well.
Foreman
and screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karazewski do a good job keeping the
pace brisk and keeping the audience testing the bounds of reality. Is this a joke
or is this real? That is the constant question the film-makers ask. At the same
time, this film manages to humanize Kaufman and show that maybe he wasn't always
crazy--there really was a human being behind all that crazy energy. Carrey perfectly
embodies Kaufman's personae and you will, no doubt, forget you are watching the
same man that played Ace Ventura (thankfully).
Danny
DeVito plays Kaufman's manager although many remember that he also played Louie
on Taxi. He does a very good job, as does Paul Giamatti as Kaufman's partner Bob
Zmuda.
In his
time, Kaufman was not really regarded as a master of his craft. However, through
the years and with Man on the Moon, many will see Kaufman for what he really was--a
comic genius. Man on the Moon is a zany farce about a true visionary. It's a film
that perfectly captures his wild spirit. In fact, if Andy were still alive today,
he probably would have made this movie the same way.
