Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Man on the Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 9, 2022

Merriam Webster defines meta this way:

informal: showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category : cleverly self-referential.

There has probably never been a more "meta" comedian than Andy Kaufman, and quite wisely screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski decided to take their own "meta" (or perhaps even "meta meta") approach with Man on the Moon, a presumed "biopic" of the late (? - more about that in a moment) performer. Kaufman's exploits are legendary and Man on the Moon does a great job in detailing quite a few of them, while also attempting, with arguably less consistent success, to peel back the layers of Kaufman's unbelievable persona to reveal the "real" man underneath. The problem with a performer of Kaufman's intensity and near manic proclivities is that one could never be sure what exactly was "real" and what was part of the "act", which in fact led to a lot of people not believing Kaufman when he announced he was mortally ill from cancer, leading to another legend that Kaufman had in fact faked his demise and would be returning, in a veritable second coming that would put another frequently disparaged Jewish boy to shame.

The "meta" aspects of Man on the Moon are evident from the get go, with a black and white Andy (Jim Carrey, Golden Globe winner for this performance) welcoming people to the movie about him, while also complaining about its lack of quality and its adherence to the actual story of its supposed focal character. He then informs the audience that, to paraphrase a certain T.S. Eliot, "in my end is my beginning," or perhaps more accurately vice versa, since Andy then magically makes the end credits roll to a 45 he puts on a turntable. That sets things off in an appropriately skewed way, though things segue quickly enough to something at least a bit more traditional, with a quick vignette documenting Andy as a little boy "performing" to an "audience" consisting of drawn characters on his bedroom wallpaper. When Andy's father Stanley (Gerry Becker) upbraids his son for not interacting with other humans, Andy gives a performance to his little sister Carol (played by the real Andy's granddaughter Brittany Bellu-Colonna).

Things then rapidly segue again to Andy as an adult, where his "comedy" stylings are met with disbelief and a decided lack of laughs by the audience. A club owner (the real life Andy's actual manager George Shapiro, who as a character is played by Danny DeVito in the film -- had enough "meta" yet?) tries to "help" Andy by telling him to concentrate on actual jokes rather than what would eventually become known as "Performance Art", and the next performance documented shows Andy's deconstruction of that approach (again met with a decided lack of laughs from the audience). Andy seems headed toward another disaster until he launches into his now famous impersonation of Elvis Presley, which brings down the house.

George Shapiro (Danny DeVito) is in the audience and falls in love with Kaufman, though Kaufman repeatedly pulls pranks on Shapiro, with their first supposed business meeting becoming ostensibly awkward since Kaufman adorns his face with a giant fake booger that Shapiro thinks is real. Over and over again Shapiro is more or less taken for a comedic ride by both Kaufman and a "secret" collaborator named Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti) who acts as both a stooge in some of Kaufman's appearances as loathsome lounge singer Tony Clifton, but who also appears himself as Tony Clifton so that Kaufman can show up at performances and insist that Clifton and Kaufman are two totally separate people.

The film kind of marauds through the Taxi years, though these sequences have a ring of authenticity since the original cast returns to reprise little vignettes (kind of hilariously, DeVito doesn't appear since he is already in the film as Shapiro). While there's some question as to just how dismissive Kaufman actually was of the series, there's absolutely no doubt how he was an outright anarchist in several other television appearances, some of which are documented hilariously in the film.

If the "real" Andy Kaufman remains tantalizingly elusive in this ostensible biographical film, Carrey is absolutely amazing in capturing the tics and mannerisms, both vocal and physical, of Kaufman in all his many guises. One of the real surprises of the film, though, may be Courtney Love as Lynne Margulies, Kaufman's girlfriend. Love is natural and rather sweet and goofy, and brings an emotional honesty to her scenes with Carrey. The supporting cast is filled to the brim with memorable performances, including a fun turn by Vincent Schiavelli as an executive at ABC who is never quite sure what's going on with Kaufman in various network appearances.

Man on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Man on the Moon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The back cover of this release touts a "brand new 2K master supervised by cinematographer Anastas N. Michos". This is a really appealing looking transfer that offers an often robust palette and some nice detail levels (look at the first screenshot I've uploaded to accompany this review to see some great fine detail on Carrey's facial features). Some stylistic quirks like the opening scene in black and white offer good contrast and general detail levels. Grain is occasionally a bit yellowish, especially in some more dimly lit material, as can perhaps be gleaned in some other screenshots accompanying this review. That said, there are no real resolution problems and the entire presentation has a nicely organic look to it.

Man on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Man on the Moon features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. The title of the film is taken from a song by R.E.M. which is included on the soundtrack, as is another tune by R.E.M. called The Great Beyond. There are a bunch of other source cues like Bob James' theme song for Taxi, the hilarious Mighty Mouse theme that Kaufman utilized in his standup routines, and of course Presley tunes, all of which are offered a substantially more spacious and robust midrange and low end on the surround track. The surround channels are frankly only intermittently engaged, though, as in some live audience scenes during supposed filming. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Man on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Screenwriters Scott Alexander and larry Karaszewski, Moderated by Film Historian Howard S. Berger gets off to a start with Berger announcing that the commentary was recorded from various home offices due to the pandemic, and that there may be background noises as a result, which actually doesn't really occur, though there are some noticeable fidelity differences between the three voices. That minor issue aside, this is a really fun and informative commentary, and Alexander and Karaszewski document a number of "meta" elements to the film that might escape casual observation.


• This Might Be a Story (HD; 21:32) is basically an audio supplement that captures a conversation between Scott Alexander, Larry Karazewski and Milos Forman. This plays to stills and scenes from the film.


• Spotlight on Location: The Making of Man on the Moon (SD; 19:02) is an archival featurette with interviews and scenes from the film.


• Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:38)


• R.E.M. Music Video: Man on the Moon (SD; 4:51)


• R.E.M. Music Video: The Great Beyond (SD; 4:25)


• Man on the Moon Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:35)

Additionally, packaging features a slipcover.

Man on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As someone who kinda shares the same surname as the focal character of this film (despite the fact that Andy misspelled it and, yes, that's a joke) and who regularly seems to engender confusion in people, it comes as no surprise to me that so many people were so regularly befuddled by Kaufman. Man on the Moon may frankly not unpack the totality of Kaufman's weirdnesses, but it's a bracing and hugely enjoyable film that is buoyed by a really remarkable performance by Jim Carrey. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.