Tag: andy kaufman

I’m great. That’s great. “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond” (2017)

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directed by Chris Smith
© 2017 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Actually, the full title of this films is “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton”, but I thought that WordPress may block my post if I decide to put such a long title, so I sticked to the shorter version. Since yesterday I recommended you “Man on the Moon” (1999), I think it would be logical to write about an important documentary about the production of that film. The whole story is told by Jim Carrey, who played the main role of Andy Kaufman. He tells us step by step how the preparation and the shooting went. But it’s not just an ordinary film about an actor sharing his memories. It’s an incredibly heart-breaking almost 100-minute story of a man who has lost himself in order to do his job right. Jim Carrey didn’t only search for videos and materials about Kaufman to copy his behaviour, moves and the way of speaking. Not at all. He actually became Andy for the time of the shooting (well… maybe even longer). You may think that he was just being very realistic when the camera was on. But when they shouted “cut”, nothing seemed to be different. There was no longer Jim Carrey standing in front of them. He absolutely erased his mind to exchange it with Kaufman’s. He would fight with other actors, make inappropriate jokes and hurt people’s feelings and at the same time they knew he’s not being himself and they shouldn’t be mad with the actor. What I saw in this documentary made me feel both concerned and full of respect towards Carrey. He got rid of his own personality, of himself in order to be a better actor. And when he did that, suddenly people got interested in him. They knew he’s on the edge, but he was a fantastic material to work on. He was even told “not to get well for the next year” because they needed him in such “shape” for another production. If you thought that Jim Carrey is just a funny guy on the screen, you’re wrong. He’s one of the most incredible actors still (hallelujah!) walking on this planet. We should really appreciate such people, because one day they may just “get too lost.”

My rating: 8/10
S.

Here I come to save the day! “Man on the Moon” (1999)

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directed by Miloš Forman
© 1999 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

If you know who Andy Kaufman was, perhaps you will hear his voice reading the post. Somehow I cannot get rid of it when I think of today’s film, so if you hear that annoying, childish and creepy voice right now, well, there’s two of us. However, if you aren’t familiar with Andy Kaufman, then you definitely should see “Man on the Moon.” It’s entirely about him, so you may learn how it happened that a not very funny boy became one of the most popular entertainers in the USA. Or as he liked calling himself a “song and dance man.” And no, this isn’t just my personal opinion that he’s not funny. His sense of humour was… very… special. Still, he never said he’s a comedian. He knew exactly that he had horrible jokes and didn’t try to prove anything different. And yet plenty of people were laughing at his performances. So who was Andy Kaufman? Well, hard to say. I guess even after watching today’s film based on his life you will still wonder. Obviously, what you will see isn’t 100% true. They had to make some changes so the story’s more acceptable and enjoyable for watching. Still, Kaufman was an incredibly fascinating person and his way of being was so original that all the modern hipsters could get a heart attack. I mean it. If you think that someone is a controversial comedian, you have no idea what you’re talking about. That man loved making the audience hate him in order to get their attention. Pranks were his second name. People hated and loved him at the same time. Incredible. And I think that Jim Carrey did his very best to become Andy for this film. Well, actually, he became Andy for a bit longer, but I will share more in a post about the documentary based on the actor’s perspective and his life during the shooting of “Man on the Moon.” For now you should know that Carrey shows his enormous talent in this film and really makes you feel uncomfortable. Because you feel as if Kaufman was still alive.

My rating: 7/10
S.