August 2000

Man on the Moon
Reviewed by Roger Kanno
DVD Format

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Starring Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Paul Giamatti, Courtney Love

Directed by Milos Forman

Theatrical Release: 1999
DVD Release: 2000
Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS 5.1
Widescreen (Anamorphic)

While Jim Carrey may have won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in Man On the Moon, unbelievably he was not even nominated for an Oscar. As far as I am concerned, his was the best performance of the year by an actor in a leading role. Carrey absolutely nails Kaufman’s character. In fact, there are moments in the film when it’s possible to forget that you are watching Jim Carrey and not Andy Kaufman himself; he is that good. Since Man On the Moon was a box office disappointment and it did not last long in theaters, this DVD is an excellent opportunity to see this overlooked film.

Man On the Moon is not a great film, but it is still a very good film. Milos Forman effectively tells Kaufman’s life story, albeit in a very straightforward and linear fashion. Some critics have commented that the film provides little insight into Kaufman’s life and does not shed light on the motivations behind his many pranks and bizarre stunts. Perhaps this supposed oversight may be accounted for by the suspicion that no one really knows why he did what he did, including Kaufman’s best friend and partner, Bob Zmuda. Zmuda is credited as a co-executive producer of the film, but perhaps even he does not know the motivation behind Kaufman’s actions, or if he did he did not want to reveal them and destroy the Kaufman mystique. At any rate, there are many people who only know of Kaufman as Latka from the television show, Taxi. Few remember his eccentric guest appearances on Saturday Night Live where he lip-synched the Mighty Mouse theme or wrestled women. Even fewer remember his wrestling match with Jerry Lawler and their subsequent appearance on the David Letterman show, or his appearances as Tony Clifton, his obnoxious alter ego.

Man On the Moon may not unravel the perplexing behavior of Andy Kaufman, but it does manage to shed some light on his very complex character. I was never a fan of Andy Kaufman; in fact, I was often shocked and embarrassed by his offensive antics. Nevertheless, I came away from this film with what I believe to be a better understanding of him and with something that could loosely be described as respect for the man.

This film is not so much a comedy as it is a drama with Jim Carrey’s incredible performance elevating it to another level. In addition to Carrey’s, there are also excellent performances by Paul Giamatti as Bob Zmuda, Danny Devito as George Shapiro, Kaufman’s agent, and even Courtney Love as Kaufman’s girlfriend. Adding to the realism of Carrey’s performance are cameos by David Letterman, Paul Shaffer, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Conaway, Carol Kane, Lorne Michaels, and Jerry Lawler to name a few. All of these performances contribute to the authenticity of Man On the Moon and are a fitting tribute to Kaufman from those who knew and loved him and even from those who were sometimes less than complimentary towards him.

This DVD is another Universal release to feature both a DTS and Dolby Digital soundtrack. I could not detect any significant difference between the Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks because Man On the Moon is mostly dialogue driven and makes little use of the surround channels or even the front stereo soundstage, but it was still nice to have a choice of surround formats. The video transfer of this disc is excellent. The many smoky, dimly lit scenes shot in comedy clubs are dark and atmospheric yet display excellent shadow detail and good color fidelity. Outdoor shots are also very bright and crisp. There are some interesting extras that include a making of feature, which contains interviews with cast and crew members as well as those who were close to Kaufman. There are also cast and crew biographies, a synopsis of Kaufman’s career that includes video clips, deleted scenes, music videos, and a theatrical trailer.

So was Andy Kaufman a comic genius or just a total jerk? I still do not think that he was particularly funny, but many comedians revere him as a trailblazer who paved the way for the acceptance of performance comedy. While this film may not change your mind about Kaufman or his comedy, it is still a film that can be appreciated by just about everyone whether they are a fan of Kaufman or not.

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