VeganMoFo: Man On the Moon

Unlike Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Christopher Lloyd isn’t what makes me cry in Man On the Moon.  In fact, he doesn’t even speak in his role as himself on Taxi!  But he’s in it, it counts, we’re going for it.

Raise your hand if you immediately started singing ‘Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match, say yeah yeah yeah…”

Man On the Moon is the biography of Andy Kaufman.  Growing up, I had the vaguest idea of who Andy was.  I knew he was on Taxi and I knew he was dead and that a lot of people thought he was really funny and that was really it, my knowledge of comedy was limited to whatever stand-up was on Comedy Central.  And Kids In The Hall.  And MST3K.  But I digress.

I think everyone knows by now that Jim Carrey is a great dramatic actor, like most good comedians because comedy is infinitely harder than any kind of acting.  You can teach people how to act but you can teach people things like comedic timing.  I remember before this came out everyone was like, “Ace Ventura in a serious movie?  Why I never!”  These are possibly the same people who won’t shut up about Batfleck.  (Seriously, get over it.)

Man On the Moon is possibly one of the sweetest movies i’ve ever seen that doesn’t involve dogs trying to find their way home, and y’all know I don’t get down with sappy crappy movies.  Events were dramatized/fudged and shuffled around for the sake of a good movie, but if you don’t go out of this thinking that Andy is one of the best people who ever graced the planet I don’t think you have a soul.  I don’t cry for many things but like Buffy’s The Body, I will weep at the funeral scene every time.  But that doesn’t mean that the movie isn’t also funny and full of cussing and some boobs, just be prepared that you’re gonna be kind of sad at the end.  But only near the end.

The best part is learning that Andy Kaufman didn’t consider himself a comedian, he just really liked to fuck with people, sometimes by morphing into an obnoxious, loud, drunken, untalented lounge singer.  Even if it meant losing fans, he would rather make himself laugh than perform like a typical showbiz monkey.  He was a loner, Dottie.  A rebel.

Starring Jim Carrey (uh, you know), Danny DeVito (Always Sunny, 80’s), Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt, some band about Holes), Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Saving Private Ryan), the entire cast of Taxi and several other people portraying themselves.

entrée:  one thing that we quickly learn is that Andy Kaufman was a crunchy yoga hippie.  He takes his new manager to an unidentified restaurant, and from looking at the plate in front of him it looks like he’s eating pretty much this.  Anything macrobiotic will work, if you can’t get lotus root where you live.

Side:  Andy was famous for doing a dead-on Elvis impression, and we have to think about what Tony Clifton would want to eat, so chow down on some Elvis sandwiches.  It’s a direct contrast of the entrée, just like the contrast between Andy and Tony.

Dessert:  I really wish I could go to a show that involved the Rockettes and ends with milk and cookies for everyone.

posted: 13 September 4
under: veganmofo