Man On The Moon

Starring: Danny De Vito, Jim Carrey Director: Milos Forman Original UK Premiere: 1999 Dvd Release: 4th April, 2005 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Man on the Moon is the name of the 1999 film, based on the unusual life & career of comedian Andy Kaufman. The movie, starring Jim Carrey & directed by Milos Forman, begins at Kaufmans childhood, where you see him performing imaginary television programs for stuffed animals. The story traces Kaufmans steps through the numerous comedy clubs & television appearances that made him famous, including his memorable appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, Fridays & his role as the loveable Latka Gravis on the television sitcom, Taxi. This film is a look behind the scenes of all of the inside jokes, scams & put-ons that Kaufman was famous for. The film also stars Danny DeVito as Kaufmans manager, Courtney Love & Paul Giamatti as Bob Zmuda. Many of Kaufmans real life friends & costars also appear in the film including DeVito, Zmuda, David Letterman, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, Budd Friedman, Jeff Conaway, Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch, Christopher Lloyd & Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. The movie featured music by rock band REM.

Man On The Moon is just like watching Andy Kaufman - funny at times but with long stretches finding yourself feeling slightly confused & uncomfortable.

Careys performance is undoubtedly good; hes obviously put in a lot of hard work for the role. His Foreign Man & Tony Clifton are very good, & hes unexpectedly believable as Kaufman. However I found the film clumsy at times. There is no real sense of timescale as Kaufmans career progresses, & the introduction of Courtney Love as a love interest is neither here nor there. The movie toys with the idea of exploring the multiple facets of the comic, including the real Kaufman, but never really achieves any depth & ultimately fails in this respect. Paul Giamatti & Danny Devito dont have the meatiest of roles & you get the feeling Courtney Love was left largely on the editing room floor.

If Man On The Moon wasnt based on a true story I might not recommend it. But the story of Andy Kaufman is absolutely enthralling and, along with Careys enthusiastic performance, carries the film. Worth seeing.

Danny DeVito is an American actor, director & producer. Born Daniel Michael DeVito in Neptune, New Jersey, DeVito became famous in the USA for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the popular NBC TV series, Taxi. This sitcom did not have major international appeal & in most other countries he is known primarily for his movie work. He married actress Rhea Perlman. The couple met while both were working on Taxi. They have three children, Lucy Chet DeVito, Grace Fan DeVito & Jake Daniel DeVito. Although he came to be thought of as a predictable light-comedy actor, DeVito fought against this, bringing highly respected performances in such movies as L,A. Confidential, The Big Kahuna & Heist. In 1999, Devito produced & co-starred in Man On The Moon, a movie about the unusual life of his former Taxi co-star, Andy Kaufman. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Martini. Throw Momma from the Train. Owen Lift. Posters Of Hoffa

Editors Choice: Death To Smoochy, Man On The Moon, Matilda, Throw Momma From The Train, Hoffa, War Of The Roses, Madeline, View DVDology

James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian / American film actor, comedian, writer & producer who was born & grew up in the Toronto suburb of Newmarket, Ontario. Pet Detective, Liar Liar & Bruce Almighty. A native of Canada, Carrey became a US citizen on October 7, 2004. A comedian from an early age, Carrey mailed his resumé to The Carol Burnett Show when he was 10 years old. The teachers in Carreys high school gave him a few minutes at the end of each school day to do a stand-up routine for his classmates. The Carrey family fell on hard times & were forced to move to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, where they took security & janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory. Carrey began working eight-hour shifts each day after school. Eventually, the Carrey family adjusted by living on a relatives lawn out of the family Volkswagen van until they could move back into town. Carrey dropped out of high school & began to work in comedy clubs & to develop his act, which included impersonations of celebrities such as Michael Landon & James Stewart. Posters Of Jim Carrey

Editors Choice: Fun With Dick And Jane, Bruce Almighty, Lemony Snickets A Series Of Unfortunate Events, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Liar Liar, The Grinch, The Majestic, The Truman Show, View DVDology

Jan Tomáš Forman, better known as Miloš Forman, is a film director, actor & script writer. Forman was born in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia. He was orphaned at a very young age when his parents died at the concentration camp in Auschwitz for their membership in a Czech Resistance group. After the war, Miloš attended King George College public school inthe spa town Podebrady, where his fellow students were Václav Havel & the Mašín brothers. Later on he studied film direction at the School of Cinema in Prague. He directed several Czechoslovakian comedies before leaving for the United States in 1968, after the Warsaw Pact invasion of his country. In spite of initial difficulties he started directing in his new home country, achieving his first success with the adaptation of Ken Kesey s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in 1975, which won five Academy Awards including one for direction. Another notable success was Amadeus. Posters Of Hair

Editors Choice: Man On The Moon, The People Vs Larry Flynt, Amadeus, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Ragtime, Hair, Loves Of A Blonde, Valmont, View DVDology

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