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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Man On The Moon


I watched the film Man On The Moon today. That is the 1999 film bio of Andy Kaufman, starring Jim Carey as Andy.

I really liked it. I did not think I would like it. In fact, I was dead set on not liking it, just having some idiot white noise in the background. But I liked it.
It was not only well done - the director, the cameras, the whole technical process was very good - but the script compelled my attention. And to tell the truth, I had never been a fan of Andy Kaufman. But I was compelled to watch, as if buttonholed by some Ancient Mariner. The blurbs said it is maniacally funny. It is not so much funny as it it mesmeric: I could not stop watching it.

I thought Jim Carey was extraordinary. I have never seen him do anything remotely like this. I'll have to pay more attention to him, also.

2 comments:

Ruth said...

I've never seen this, and I forgot about it after wanting to see it. I think Carey is an incredible talent, but I realize he annoys a lot of people (me too sometimes).

Montag said...

So did I. But I was pleasantly surprised.
I read some reviews that had some negative things, such as there was not enough background to explain how Andy became Andy...

A book or biography may nee that, but not a film.As long as the film enchants the viewer, anything goes. If you jolt us or you start boring the audience, there's trouble. I recall "Avatar" was that kind of experience, but they kept coming up with great effects to recapture my interest... until the end, that is.

Film is enchantment, not logic. And surprisingly, Man On The Moon enchanted me.