"The Man on the Moon": I am scolded, you are happy

Man on the Moon

The recent public opinion has been swiped over and over by the entertainment industry. First, some domestic entertainment professionals, represented by actress Fan, were investigated for tax evasion, then some film and television entertainment companies withdrew from Horgos, and then The official announcement of the romance of the two young actors... For these headline-grabbing stars, there are voices of envy, but the curse is stronger. The cunning marketing account took the opportunity to build momentum, saying that people will only pay attention to stars, and have nothing to do with scientists, soldiers, workers and peasants; conservatives among movie fans screamed: "Why are these stars so much more popular than those old artists?" At the same time, I also want to ask: We who always resent actors, don't we owe actors? I know someone will reply: "Yo, it's really strange, and the audience owes the actor? Advise the author to read more, eat more pig brains, and don't talk nonsense!!!" Well, very good, there is such a thing Thinking people, I can only say, you are just someone who just happened to watch a movie, a TV series or a TV show, the only real understanding between you and the show business is how much money they make you, so the actor deserves the confidence to disrespect the audience, The Deserving Unscrupulous Film Chamber of Commerce introduces those foreign junk movies, like "Thai" and "Tan"...

Well, let's get down to business, believe it or not, there are indeed actors in the world who the audience owes. The 1999 film "Man on the Moon" tells the story of such an actor. The plot of "Man on the Moon" is adapted from the real experience of Andy Kaufman, the most talked about comedian in the United States in the 1970s, so before we talk about this movie, we need to know about Andy Kaufman. people.

Andy Kaufman was originally an American television comedian. He didn't play a leading role, but he played a supporting role - he played the unpretentious and charismatic foreigner Lagat Gravas in the TV series "Taxi" for which he won 1979 Nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards. In several issues of "Saturday Night Live" (that is, SNL that netizens often say), he also has a good performance. But this one, Andy, wasn't at all restless, and he took the comedy offscreen. In the show, he played a bisexual wrestler who always loved to declare war on women, and humiliated women from time to time; outside the show, he also challenged real wrestlers beyond his capacity, and also played pranks on others... Andy · This is how Kaufman created a style of comedy that has far-reaching influence on capitalist countries and regions (yes, we never do comedy), that is, the "mischievous" style of comedy. In addition to the later "Saturday Night Live", we will see the shadow of "prank" comedy in the common trick shows in North America, and in some online celebrities who are now famous for their amazing words. This kind of funny way is different from the well-known "spoof", which is still just imitating and teasing of known characters - this is Andy Kaufman's early performance routine - and "prank" Comedy is to directly and seriously tease the target of the joke, and all this is arranged in advance, but even if the audience knows it, they will be driven by the progress of the comedy. This kind of comedy is never born to make people feel relaxed and happy. What it wants to achieve is the stimulation of the senses and psychology. People with bad intentions laugh when they see people they hate being tossed. Serious people see this kind of whole thing. Gu behavior will beat the chest and feet, no matter which kind of reaction the audience brings, it has already brought attention and effect to this kind of comedy. But such a reaction is essentially a disguised catharsis of people's evil thoughts, that is to say, the popularity of "mischief" comedies is based on the dark side of human nature. So Andy Kaufman is famous for his "mischief" comedy, which can be said to be both his honor and his misfortune. Andy Kaufman's long-term practice of "prank" comedy has led to indiscriminate play. People thought he was really a bad guy or a light guy, until he got lung cancer, and many people thought he was acting, and even when he died, many people believed he was still alive. An actor who pioneered "mischief" comedy, only to suffer from the side effects of "mischief" comedy all his life. In fact, not to mention alternative stars like Andy Kaufman, many excellent comedians who can be accepted by the public actually have their own difficulties, laughing for the world and crying for themselves. So "On the Moon"

It is easy to tell a wonderful person or thing, but it is difficult to tell it well. The "Man on the Moon" screenwriter has written the equally classic "Ed Wood" before, and is good at writing biographical stories of alternative real people. If "The Man on the Moon" were also directed by Tim Burton, it's likely that the entire film would be filled with the studio style of American soap operas of the 1970s and 1980s. But unlike "Ed Wood"'s tribute to the golden age of Hollywood, "Man on the Moon" is a tribute to the comedian represented by Andy Kaufman. In fact, the film's audio-visual language somewhat reflects the tribute to Andy's performance works, such as the black and white picture of Andy's appearance in the opening, the gramophone, the music of old movies, the strange accent created by Andy, and the "early end" for the whole film. The tone of sadness contained in the joke. The separation of sound and picture on the editing, the hard cutting of the scene and the coordination of the plot can also be considered to reproduce the tricky effect of the "mischievous" comedy. However, the overall tone and mirroring of the film are very realistic, and the style of painting will not change due to the difference between Andy's predecessors. Under these lenses, Andy Kaufman is not a mere symbol of the times, but a living person.

Jim Carrey's performance is of course a major attraction of the film. I believe that if you know this movie before, it is largely because of Jim Carrey's reputation. But in fact, Jim Carrey was not the perfect choice for Andy Kaufman, and Edward Norton, who was more like Andy Kaufman, was also a hot contender. But Jim Carrey's adequate preparation and full investment not only impressed the crew, but also the audience in front of the screen. Saying that Jim Carrey is still in his true colors in this film, go to see "Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman: Beyond Greatness" launched by Netflix in 2017, you know that Jim Carrey is in order to make It took a lot of effort to become Andy Kaufman. But what moved me even more was Danny DeVito who played George (who played the Penguin in "Batman Returns"), who co-starred with Andy in "Taxi" and played the role in this film. When he got into the play, it seemed that he saw the young man who played the sitcom with him back then...

At the end of the film, one year after Andy Kaufman himself died, the image of the Las Vegas comedian he played magically appeared in the comedy theater where he just debuted, giving everyone a complete And wild comedy. So, is Andy Kaufman finally dead or alive in this movie? My opinion is that if people don't like him enough for an actor like Andy Kaufman, then even if he is alive, he is actually dead in people's hearts; but as long as people really love him, then Regardless of whether he is alive or not, in the hearts of those who love him, he will always be alive.

Finally, pay tribute to the film's director Milos Forman, the late film master who made "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Mozart".

View more about Man on the Moon reviews