Man on the Moon (1999)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers (WGA):

Scott Alexander (written by) &
Larry Karaszewski (written by)

Release Date:

22 December 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

"Hello, my name is Andy and this is my poster."

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Life | Comedian | Wrestling | Manager | Girlfriend

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 23

8:45 AM

AMC

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Andy Kaufman (also 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	...	Himself
Tom Dreesen	...	Wiseass Comic
Thomas Armbruster	...	Improv Piano Player
Pamela Abdy	...	Diane Barnett
Wendy Polland	...	Little Wendy
Cash Oshman	...	Yogi
Matt Price	...	Meditation Student

Also Known As:

Andy Kaufman (USA) (working title)
Der Mondmann (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK | Germany | Japan | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:10 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Spain:7 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 Best Pictures of 2000 (at #3).

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end, the MPAA certificate number is listed as 369,916, which has one digit too many. At the time it should have been near 37,000.

Quotes:

George Shapiro: You're insane, but you might also be brilliant.

Movie Connections:

Features "Fridays" (1980)

Soundtrack:

I Will Survive

Man on The Moon, indeed.

"Man on The Moon", indeed. I remember seeing Andy Kaufman's act on TV as a teenager, and I admit, I wrote him off as another comedian, with an incredibly expressive face and a flair for silliness. Years later, I'm watching him on "Taxi" reruns. I admired the easiness where he could go from loving Latka to malicious Vic with ease, and I thought, "Wow, this guy really loves what he does". And then I watch "Man on The Moon". Reality check.

This picture, I believe, redeems Andy Kaufman. He endured five grueling years in "Taxi" just so he could get some laughs out of people. He did wrestling stints just for the heck of it. He came real close of hitting rock bottom just to save himself at the end. He died of cancer at the age of 35, ridiculously young, and even then his own family didn't buy it. He lived misunderstood, and died misunderstood. And years later, he gets a biopic. Just what he deserves. It is sad that many people will know Andy's talent and understand him only after watching this film. But still, let's face it, at the end he did get the last laugh.

The true cornerstone in this film is Jim Carrey. Yes, you've heard endless reviews about him immersing himself into Andy, not just playing him. But this is acting beyond your dreams, trust me. Especially when he plays Andy's foreign character, Carrey lived and breathed Kaufman air. This is the movie where his silly-putty face comes handy, as it seems to help Jim turn into Andy. (If only we could do something about those teeth...) NEWSFLASH FOR THE ACADEMY: Jim Carrey can act!!! I remember Tom Hanks beginning with the same kind of movies that Jim did: loud, colorful, goofy and silly (films like "Bachelor Party" come to mind). Then he did "Big", then came "Philadelphia". When is Carrey's "Philadelphia" coming along? I can't wait to see him at the Academy Awards this year.

Man on the moon, indeed.