Man on the Moon (1999)

Directed by

Miloš Forman

Genre

comedy film, biographical film, comedy drama, historical drama

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 54m

Rated

R

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 2,003 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film tells the story of Andy Kaufman, an eccentric performer who blurred the line between comedy and provocation. It follows his career from stand-up clubs to TV fame, highlighting his elaborate hoaxes and his abrasive character Tony Clifton.

biographicaltragicomicwhimsicalintrospectiveoffbeatunpredictablemelancholicplayful

What happens

Man on the Moon is a 1999 biographical tragicomedy film about American entertainer Andy Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey as Kaufman. The film was directed by Miloš Forman, and also features Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti. The story traces Kaufman's steps from childhood through the comedy club and television appearances that made him famous, including his memorable appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, and Fridays, and his role as Latka Gravas on the sitcom Taxi, which was popular among viewers, but disruptive for Kaufman's co-stars (DeVito, who also co-produced the film, co-starred with the real Kaufman on the series). The film pays particular attention to the various inside jokes, scams, put-ons, and happenings for which Kaufman was famous, most significantly his long-running "feud" with wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler and his portrayal of the character of bawdy lounge singer Tony Clifton. It was released on December 22, 1999, in the United States and May 5, 2000, in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures and by Warner Bros. Pictures in some markets. Although the film was commercially unsuccessful and received mixed reviews, Carrey received critical acclaim for his performance and won a Golden Globe, his second in a row after his award for The Truman Show, this time the win being in the Musical or Comedy category. The documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond was released in 2017 and chronicles Carrey's performance as Kaufman in the film, a performance he maintained during much of the film's production. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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