Andy Kaufman was loved and loathed by many. An eccentric comic who rose to fame on the very first Saturday Night Live with a conceptual performance seeing him stand and mouthing the words to the chorus of the Mighty Mouse theme. He was an artist who found great frustration in the fact that people just didn't 'get' him or his obsessive need to always confuse his audiences between reality and illusion. His various alter ego's included the loud and obnoxious Tony Clifton, the anti-feminist Inter-Gender Wrestling Champ, and the loveable Latka, who he played on the sitcom Taxi.
This film, directed by Milos Forman, sees Jim Carrey taking one of his more dramatic, though still amusing, roles. His performance is remarkable and the likenesses of Andy and all of his characters is uncanny, and a treat for all. This film also dares to uncover the life behind the man, revealing the close workings with best friend Bob (Paul Giamatti) and his home life with wife Lynne (Love). His hatred of being referred to as a 'comedian' and constant requests to 'do Latka' while performing live show the side the public didn't see, which was often the reason people turned against him.
The later scenes, showing Andy's struggle with cancer and eventual death really do show just how good an actor Jim Carrey is. The questioning end leaves many wondering just whether Andy died or not - a question that has been on many lips since 1982 given his wild, unpredictable nature and the fact that he often said he would leave showbusiness dying of lung cancer.
The excellent soundtrack, composed by REM, and the strong supporting cast, including Danny De Vito as Andy's manager (he was actually a co-star on Taxi with Kaufman) as well as several brief appearances by many of the original cast, make this film really worth seeing. |
