Man on the Moon
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Short description
Man on the Moon recounts the life and career of Andy Kaufman, the American comedian whose deliberately unsettling performances divided audiences. Beginning with the variety shows he staged as a boy, the film follows his rise through clubs and television, his role on the sitcom Taxi, and the creation of the alter ego Tony Clifton alongside his collaborator Bob Zmuda. It also covers the wrestling matches and other confrontations he used to blur the line between performance and reality, and the lung cancer that ended his life in 1984.
Miloš Forman directed, working from a screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It was Forman's ninth feature, arriving between The People vs. Larry Flynt and Goya's Ghosts, and was produced by Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. Jim Carrey leads as Kaufman, with DeVito as the talent manager George Shapiro, Courtney Love as Lynne Margulies and Paul Giamatti as Zmuda. The large credited cast and crew reflect the scale of the production, which cost about 82 million dollars and took roughly 47 million dollars worldwide.
Ratings are consistent across audiences and press: on IMDb it holds 7.4 out of 10 from about 143,000 votes, on TMDB 7.2 from roughly 2,000, while critics averaged 7.1 from 121 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- When Miloš Forman decided to film "Man on the Moon" (1999), many Hollywood stars – Sean Penn, Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey, and even Nicolas Cage – were contenders for the lead role. But when Forman watched Jim Carrey's audition, he immediately decided that no one but Carrey could play Andy Kaufman – the strangest American comedic genius.
- Kaufman himself couldn't appear in the film, but the real George Shapiro – Kaufman’s agent and friend – did. He played the owner of a small bar, kicking Andy out of his establishment at the very beginning of Andy’s acting career. And George Shapiro himself was played by Danny DeVito, who worked with Kaufman on the series “Taxi” (1978-1983).
- Jim Carrey was born on the same day as Andy Kaufman – January 17th, but 13 years later.
- For many months, Carrey interviewed everyone who knew Kaufman personally, studied recordings of the late comedian, and, gradually transforming into his character, by the start of filming seemed to actually become Kaufman. On set, Carrey asked to be called Andy, not Jim; even Forman himself was obliged to follow this rule throughout the 87 days of filming.
- When Andy Kaufman’s legendary congas (African drums) were sold at auction, they were bought by Jim Carrey.
- When it became known that Carrey would play the main role, most of Kaufman's fans were vehemently opposed. Michael Stipe, the vocalist of R.E.M. and one of Kaufman's most ardent fans, even called Forman and tried to convince him that Carrey would never be able to transform into Kaufman and shed his "Carreyness." But Americans who saw the performances of the real Andy Kaufman claim that Carrey accomplished the impossible and practically completely transformed into Andy in the film.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
