Directed by: Chris Smith
Starring: Jim Carrey
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Jim Carrey earned a Golden Globe for portraying Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999). In this documentary Carrey looks at behind the scenes footage captured by Kaufman's former girlfriend Lynne Margulies and former writing partner Bob Zmuda during production of the movie. Carrey and Kaufman share similar background stories and Carrey discusses channeling Kaufman and Kaufman's alter ego Tony Clifton while broadly discussing his own career.
Verdict
This is a look at how crazy things can go behind the scenes of a movie. It's hard to tell if Carrey is genuine or making a joke at times as he talks about communicating telepathically and truly channeling Kaufman. Carrey stayed in character at all times during filming for Man on the Moon, creating a nightmare for cast and crew. It's an intriguing look at how Carrey worked and how he lost himself in the performance. While it helps to know Kaufman, it's a fascinating look at how actors can lose themselves in a part. This documentary is almost as surreal as what happened on set.
Watch it.
Review
The full title is Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Special Featuring, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton. It was reported on September 11 that Netflix bought this at the Toronto Film Festival for $3 million.
I remember Jim Carrey from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. To see him in this with a bushy graying beard and some age on him, it makes me feel incredibly old.
Carrey's recollection of getting the part is bizarre as he talks about twenty five dolphins jumping out of the ocean and how he decided to speak telepathically to people after he got the part. He let Andy Kaufman enter his body and take over. Is this Carrey putting us on in the same vein that he or Kaufman would, never really letting the show stop or is he really this bizarre?
The behind the scenes footage from Man on the Moon has been at Paramount studios. They were going to use it as a press packet, but quickly hid the video as they were afraid people would think Carrey was an egotistical jerk. Carrey never broke character, not even off set. It had to be a nightmare for Milos Forman who directed the movie. At one point he asks to speak to Jim. Jim Carrey, channeling Andy, tells him he'll relay the message. The cast comment on how uncanny Carrey has captured Andy, but you frequently see their frustration as Carrey seems to have no interest in shooting a movie, he'd rather play pranks.
You can call it non-stop method acting for the role, but it also crosses a line when he mistreats cast and crew. The only reason he got away with it is because he was a huge money making star at that point. The average, or less influential actor would never get away with that. Everyone indulged Carrey, even Kaufman's family who embrace this actor pretending to be their relative.
Carrey talks about Tony Clifton, Kaufman's alter ego, as a completely different person. Carrey really seems to regard both characters as living entities. Carrey said playing Clifton gave him a certain amount of freedom. He also speaks generally about a few of his movie roles and how they conincided with where he was in life.
This was a dream part for Carrey, getting to play his hero. As zany as Carrey's performances have been, he seems sad in this. He's quite stoic and he says after playing Andy Kaufman he didn't know who he was anymore. He describes his intense desire to entertain as a Hyde, a nice Hyde, but not who he truly is. Whenever anyone is present, he describes his desire to entertain as "losing control." Maybe that's what this role was for him, a way to dive into his hero while exploring what it is to entertain and embracing a loss of control. You look at this archive footage, and he never seems to be in control. It also provides a really compact excuse for what happened on set.
Jerry Lawler played himself in the movie. He and Kaufman acted liked enemies in public, but were really close friends. On the set Carrey never stopped pushing Lawler, eventually starting a fight. Carrey went to the hospital and nobody knew whether he was truly injured or if it was just another gag. This had to be a nightmare to film. It's no surprise the studio wanted to bury the footage. Carrey does look like a jerk, and he makes no apologies for it.
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