L'Homme sur la lune

My rating is a bit reserved because I am rating it from a distance: I saw Man on the Moon many years ago, as an immature observer. I'll probably try it again, just to see if I'll rate it higher. Something tells me that Jim Carrey's life role of the perfect madman deserves it. (2006-02-01)

The immense weirdness and strangeness of the film bothered me a lot, instead of making everything more interesting and profound. In terms of filmmaking, there's really nothing much to criticize, Miloš Forman is still a great director and he managed to create a film that will definitely make you think hard, which I certainly appreciate a lot. Moreover, Jim Carrey was perfectly cast for the role and the fact that his character could have been played by Kevin Spacey doesn't bother me at all – this was a role for Carrey and no one else, and he played it in an exceptional way. But that’s where all the good stuff ends, because with its hard-to-understand blending of fiction and reality, the film gradually lost my sympathy, Andy's TV appearances seemed terribly weird and absurd, and the 118 minutes were filled with polite and subdued applause rather than enthusiastic and never-ending cheers. I certainly expected more, but I can't say that I was disappointed by Man on the Moon. 65% (2012-10-23)

To start off with, I found this so confusing that I doubted that it could have been made by a director of Miloš Forman’s caliber. But then all the parts begin to fall into place and I realized that the entire storytelling format and structure beautifully reflects Kaufman’s beguiling humor. The screenplay is highly polished in all respects. Watched a second time, you realize that Man on the Moon is a movie that is thought-out to the very last detail where everything serves toward forming the illusion. All in all perfect. Jim Carrey excels on all fronts in the main role and the others skillfully support him. And as for the directing, this is certainly one of Forman’s most ingenious pictures, while not being his very best. (2007-01-29)

One of the best biopics ever made. The filmmakers truly grasped Andy Kaufman's essence, creating a brilliant tribute to his life and legacy. I appreciate how the film presents his story with enough distance for viewers to form their own opinions about who Andy Kaufman was. It doesn't force-feed us what to think; instead, it allows each person to take away something unique and view Andy in their own light. Not everyone may fully appreciate his work, but there's no denying he was a groundbreaking innovator in entertainment who always did things his way. Jim Carrey delivers, in my opinion, the best performance of his career here. It's unbelievable he didn't get an Oscar nomination for it — he absolutely deserved it. Man on the Moon is an extraordinary film about an extraordinary man, directed by an extraordinary filmmaker, and featuring an extraordinary actor in the lead role. Andy Kaufman was one of a kind... and so is Jim Carrey. (2018-04-21)

Miloš Forman's filmography has two peaks: In terms of content and the significance of the theme, his best film is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but in terms of film language, editing, and film structure, the most interesting is definitely Man on the Moon. From a commercial perspective, it is Forman's most daring film, as such a demanding work could not find a place in the American market. Jim Carrey's performance is literally fascinating, and undoubtedly, it is his triumph, through which he definitively broke free from the box of a mocking comedian in undemanding comedies. Thanks to the complex personality of Andy Kaufman, the myth surrounding his character, and a series of mystifications accompanying his life (which the screenplay skillfully utilizes), I think it is the most interesting biographical film I have had the opportunity to see so far. Overall impression: 100%. (2006-06-14)