Once In a Blue Moon (Man On The Moon (DVD))

Member Name: starry

Product:	Man On The Moon (DVD)
Date:	21/12/00 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: interesting tale of an original comedian's life

Disadvantages: the type of humour is not for everyone

I watched this film knowing nothing about the actor who played squeaky Latka in Taxi. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the movie, but thought I’d give it a watch, and I usually enjoy watching Jim Carrey.
Carrey plays Andy Kauffman (Latka) and does a good job on the whole. We follow his life in a sporadic way to begin with, with the main part of the film showing us his rise to fame and his out of the ordinary approach to comedy. Kauffman seems to have had a burning ambition to perform and make people laugh. He also had a need to offend and anger, in fact get any reaction out of people that he could.
Funny voices, funny characters, and Latka now seems like a fairly minor one of these by comparison. It certainly was not one of Kauffman’s favourites.

The film is easy to watch and entertaining, but there is little revelations about the psychology behind Kauffman’s behaviour, what drove him to act in the way he did. Even so, you do get a feeling - through Carrey’s performance and through Kauffman’s act – of what the guy was about.

Courtney Love plays a small role as Kauffman’s girlfriend, and there seems to be something missing in that part of the story.
With Danny de vito as Kauffman’s manager, who gives him his first break, a chance at success.

The film will occasionally make you laugh, and it has it’s sad moments too.

We see the end of this original comedian’s life, when he dies of lung cancer in his mid 30s. But before he goes he must show everyone the positive and “feel good guy” that he really was, despite all the controversy of his acts.
The ending of the movie is trying to be inconclusive, but everything comes to an end. We are left asking just who is behind the makeup now that Andy Kauffman is gone.
You’ll know what I mean when you see it, and it is worth watching.

Summary: