Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Milos Forman
Written by: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Starring: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, George Shapiro, Paul Giamatti
Produced by: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

The Nutshell

Jim Carrey portrays late comedian Andy Kaufman in this bio-pic.

The Review

    Andy Kaufman was an unorthodox, inventive comedian who prized his ability to surprise and fool the public. He wanted to be a star, but only if it meant doing things his way. He was, in the end, a man who refused to be mastered by anyone, not his agent, television studios, or even audiences. Andy was brilliant, but self-absorbed. This is how director Milos Forman sees the man, and how Jim Carrey portrays him.

    Many Hollywood stars, from both past and present, appear as  themselves in an attempt to re-create some of Andy's more memorable tricks, such as a feud involving Jerry Lawler, a Southern wrestler, and an alter ego named Tony Clifton who would insult and berate audiences. The problem is, apart from the amazing re-creation of Andy's exploits, none of the stars get to contribute anything. Most of the cast of Taxi appears for a few brief scenes, yet say nothing. Andy's friend Bob Zmuda and his agent George Shapiro are both in the film, but as other people. The problem is director Milos Forman's choice of film genre. The film lacks a real story; while finding out what Andy did to first catch the eye of agent George Shapiro is interesting (follow a pathetic imitation of President Carter with a hilarious Elvis imitation, waking the audience up in the process), it doesn't get the audience involved. In Forman's classic Amadeus, he also re-created the life of a public figure, but coupled it to a tale of jealousy and hatred from a lesser known composer. This gave the film a true tale, while simultaneously giving us an outrageous take on the great composer. Carrey's Kaufman, in contrast, lacks a suitable foil. There is nothing in his way except for mild protestations from his agent as he tries to ruin his own sitcom, and this keeps us from truly getting into the film.

    Another problem is that Kaufman's gift was not really humour (he did not even consider himself to be a comedian, but rather a song and dance man); it was surprise. Kaufman shocked his fans when he refused to perform his sitcom character Latka at live shows, he shocked them when he started wrestling women, and he shocked them when he took a Carnegie Hall audience out for milk & cookies. But none of this is particularly hilarious. So the audience finds themselves intrigued, but not really amused. We get the point about Kaufman about a third of the way through; he was an outsider trying to do everything by himself, for himself. But this does not translate well to a film; it would have been better suited as a documentary, with actual clips of his hi-jinx and reactions from those who knew him.

    Jim Carrey will likely get an Academy Award nomination for this film, and he deserves it. His capturing of Andy Kaufman's essence is magical and impressive. Danny DeVito, who knew Kaufman from the TV show Taxi appears in the film, but as agent George Shapiro, and Courtney Love has a role as Andy's girlfriend. They are given little to do but react to Andy and their talents are mostly wasted.

    Milos Forman is a great director, adding many small touches to scenes to give them a fuller feel. He seems to understand Andy Kaufman's offbeat style, giving his film quirks like an opening which features the ending credits. The film's major strength comes from a phenomenal, subtle soundtrack by R.E.M., music which carries each scene perfectly into the next. These elements save the film from being a total waste of time, but don't pull it up out of the boring tale that is Andy Kaufman's life. Hopefully, Jim Carrey will get a nomination this year at the Oscars, as he is more than deserving. Add to that a nomination for R.E.M.'s musical work and this film will have every it has earned.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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