DVD Movie Rating for: Man on the Moon

1 out of 5

Movie Plot of: Man on the Moon

A biopic based on the life of Andy Kaufman, an eccentric comedian who went onto enjoy a career as lovable foreign car mechanic Latka Gravas on TV's "Taxi" and later gained infamy as an inter-gender wrestling champ. The film studies some of Kaufman's comedy antics as well as his personal life and his relationship with his manager George Shapiro, his best friend/partner Bob Zmuda and his girlfriend Lynne Margulies.

DVD Production Details of: Man on the Moon

Starring: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito

Director: Milos Forman

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen

Studio: Universal/MCA

DVD Release Date: March 5, 2002

DVD Easter Eggs

Universal Home Video has hidden some interesting additional clips on their release of the Andy Kaufman biopic 'Man On The Moon' that are a treasure chest of authentic material for fans of the late comedian.

From the disc's main menu, go to Andy's biography in the 'Bonus Materials.' If you go through the pages of biographical information, on some of them you will notice a small image of Andy
Kaufman at the bottom of the screen. You can select these images with your remote control by pressing the 'arrow up' key, and if you press 'Enter' after selecting one such image, you will get to
see some original footage of some of Kaufman's most memorable feats.

You will find live performances of the Animal Song, the entire Jerry Lawler Match as well as a series of clips that built up to it, and some other funny Lawler stuff here, as well as a commercial for Bob Zmuda's 'Andy Kaufman Revealed' book. If you've seen the movie, you don't want to miss these original clips that show you just how close Jim Carrey and the film portrayed these events.

Cast of the movie: Man on the Moon

• Jim Carrey.... Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton (also as Tony Clifton)
• Danny DeVito .... George Shapiro
• Courtney Love .... Lynne Margulies
• Paul Giamatti .... Bob Zmuda/Tony Clifton (also as Tony Clifton)
• Vincent Schiavelli .... Maynard Smith
• Gerry Becker .... Stanley Kaufman
• Jerry Lawler .... Himself
• Leslie Lyles .... Janice Kaufman
• Peter Bonerz .... Ed. Weinberger
• George Shapiro .... Mr. Besserman
• Tom Dreesen .... Wiseass Comic
• Richard Belzer .... Himself
• Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld .... ABC Executive
• Gerry Robert Byrne .... 'Taxi' AD/Stage Manager
• Bob Zmuda .... Jack Burns
• Reese Witherspoon - uncredited

Photo Gallery of the movie: Man on the Moon

Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs

Reviews of the movie: Man on the Moon

"There is no real you," jokes Lynn Margulies (Courtney Love) to her boyfriend, Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey), as he grows more contemplative during a battle with cancer. "I forgot," he says, playing along, though the question of Kaufman's reality is always at issue in Milos Forman's underappreciated Man on the Moon.

The story of Kaufman's quick rise to fame through early appearances on Saturday Night Live and the conceptual stunts that made his club and concert appearances an instant legend in the irony-fueled 1970s and early '80s, Man on the Moon never makes the mistake of artificially delineating Comic Andy from Private Andy. True, we get to see something of his private interest in meditation and some of the flakier extremes of alternative medicine, but even these interludes suggest the presence of an ultimate con behind apparent miracles of transformation.

Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flynt) allege that transformation was Kaufman's purpose--more than a shtick but less than a destiny. As we see him constantly up the ante on the credibility of his performance personae (the obnoxious nightclub comic Tony Clifton; the insulting, misogynistic professional wrestler), Forman makes it harder and harder to detect Kaufman's sleight of hand. But it's there, always there, always the transcendent Andy watching the havoc he creates and the emotions he stirs.

Carrey is magnificent as Kaufman, re-creating uncannily detailed comedy pieces etched in the memory of anyone who remembers the real Andy. But while Carrey's mimicry of Kaufman is flawless and funny, the actor probes much deeper into an enigmatic character who, in life, was often a moving target even for those closest to him.

Hmmm...
Having liked the contrived Latka Gravas, but never really knowing much more about Andy Kaufman than the Headlines, Man on the Moon offered some incredible depictions of this one of a kind enigma.

I was never a big fan of his off-Taxi antics, but then again, Man on the Moon made it clear that I simply did not understand them. I'm not any more of a Kaufman fan than I've been, but Man on the Moon has left me with an incredible appreciation for his genius.

Jim Carrey's performance is chilling. His normal on-screen presence has often made it hard for me to see him as the characters he's played. This time, I forgot that I was watching an actor portraying Andy Kaufman. It was frighteningly good. The entire supporting cast was just as stellar.

Though interesting throughout, mostly because it explained so much that I never knew about events that were so highly publicized, Man on the Moon's amazing insight into the "why" behind the "what" of his antics completely left out the "why" behind the "what" of the person. I now know a lot about what he did, but I still know very little about who he was.

If the creators' intent was to let the world get to know Andy Kaufman the man, then I think the film missed its mark. However, that has nothing to do with the fact that it was an outstanding film in every way. It would be as unfair to detract from the film for this as it would be to call a hammer useless because it doesn't drill holes. A film isn't about what I expect, it's about what it is. In this case, it's astounding from beginning to end.