Man on the Moon (1999) review

Forman's film on the life of "comedian" (or master of put-ons?) Andy Kaufman, who was most remembered for his stint on the television show Taxi playing a foreigner named Latka. Jim Carrey - a comedian turned serious actor (a la Robin Williams) - stars as the enigmatic Kaufman, and does a fine job impersonating not only Kaufman but his alter-ego Tony Clifton: he's convincing and fun to watch, and the main reason you'll want to bother with it at all. I feel as if it's basically a structure-less vignette movie; a complete recreation of Kaufman's famous antics and on-stage practical jokes. He's funny, don't get me wrong, but I never felt as if I understood why Kaufman did what he did, or why his friend Bob Zmuda helped him or why his girlfriend fell in love with him, or why his agent Shapiro (Danny DeVito) signed him on as a client or anyone else for that matter. The closest the film comes to 'depth' is the scene in which Kaufman and his girlfriend (played by a low-key Courtney Love) are laying in bed, and Andy tells her about getting to know the 'real' him. She replies that there is no real 'him' ... and maybe she's right.