Man on the Moon (1999)

A film about the life and career of the eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Gerry Becker, Greyson Erik Pendry

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	Andy Kaufman (as Tony Clifton)
Gerry Becker	...	Stanley Kaufman - Andy's Father
Greyson Erik Pendry	...	Little Michael Kaufman (as Greyson Pendry)
Brittany Colonna	...	Baby Carol Kaufman
Leslie Lyles	...	Janice Kaufman - Andy's Mother
Bobby Boriello	...	Little Andy Kaufman
George Shapiro	...	Mr. Besserman
Danny DeVito	...	George Shapiro
Budd Friedman	...	Budd Friedman
Tom Dreesen	...	Wiseass Comic
Thomas Armbruster	...	Improv Piano Player
Pamela Abdy	...	Diane Barnett
Wendy Polland	...	Little Wendy
Cash Oshman	...	Yogi
Matt Price	...	Meditation Student

Storyline

Man on the Moon is a biographical movie on the late comedian Andy Kaufman. Kaufman, along with his role on Taxi, was famous for being the self-declared Intergender Wrestling Champion of the world. After beating women time and time again, Jerry Lawler (who plays himself in the movie), a professional wrestler, got tired of seeing all of this and decided to challenge Kaufman to a match. In most of the matches the two had, Lawler prevailed with the piledriver, which is a move by spiking an opponent head-first into the mat. One of the most famous moments in this feud was in the early 80s when Kaufman threw coffee on Lawler on Late Night with David Letterman, got into fisticuffs with Lawler, and proceeded to sue NBC.

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Plot Keywords:

comedian | andy kaufman | wrestling | eccentric | wrestler | 

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Taglines:

"Hello, my name is Andy and people are talking about me!"

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

UK Germany Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andy Kaufman

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£264,226 (UK) (5 May 2000)

Gross:

£501,786 (UK) (12 May 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Mutual Film Company, Jersey Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fredd Wayne's final film.

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Goofs

Numerous anachronisms can be chalked up to artistic decisions; the film intentionally plays fast and loose with the timeline. For example, the Carnegie Hall performance was years before Andy Kaufman's cancer diagnosis; the title song wasn't written until after Andy's death; Andy didn't meet Lynne Margulies at a wrestling match; Stacy Carter hadn't met Jerry Lawler before Andy died (and certainly hadn't married him). Andy performs his imitation of President Jimmy Carter (elected 1976) before Saturday Night Live begins.

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Quotes

Jerry "The King" Lawler: Kaufman, did you come here to wrestle or act like an ass?

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Crazy Credits

At one point in the movie, Kaufman clucks his way through the Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor. In the music credits at the end, it's listed as performed by "Clara Cluck".

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Connections

Features Taxi (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Man on the Moon"
(1992)
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe
Performed by R.E.M.
Produced by Scott Litt and R.E.M.
Mixed by Scott Litt and Clif Norrell
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Man on the Moon is a strong film with an excellent performance by Jim Carrey

Man on the Moon is one of the most heart-felt endeavors I've ever seen on film. With each frame, you can feel how much the project means personally to all involved, especially to star Jim Carrey and producer Bob Zmuda. Although personal adoration for the subject of one's movie does not always translate into a film that audience members will identify with, Man on the Moon succeeds brilliantly. Between Milos Forman's unique directing style, the actors' performances, and Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski's writing, the film is able to simultaneously make you a member in one of Andy Kaufman's audiences, experiencing both joy and frustration at his antics, and a close friend who sees, or thinks they see, the Andy Kaufman behind the masks. Just as Karaszewski and Alexander did with the Ed Wood or Larry Flint biopicks, they challenge our concept of what it means to be successful by giving dignity to to the seeming misfits of our society. However, a biopick like Man on the Moon succeeds or fails mainly on the grounds of the lead performance. Jim Carrey proved his dramatic talent last year with a performance in The Truman Show that should have translated into an Oscar, and this year he again gives what will likely be the best performance of the year. Carrey approaches the role of Kaufman with a level of professionalism and enthusiasm far greater than that displayed by many of today's acclaimed actors. Carrey adopts Kaufman's mannerisms flawlessly and becomes Kaufman so convincingly that you forget Carrey is acting. The film's other stars, in particular Paul Giamatti, Courtney Love, and Danny DeVito, all turn in excellent performances as well.

Man on the Moon is both inspiring and thought provoking - a must see.