Review of Man on the Moon

I gave this film a rather high rating if for no other reason except that it's an excellent story about someone who was apparently totally psychotic and self absorbed. Andy Kaufmann was someone who should have been pitied and institutionalized in order to seek a cure. It's almost like the story of the Elephant Man who was put on exhibit in sideshows so people could gawk at his gross deformity. Same is the case with Kaufmann. His legacy is that of being a mildly humorous "one joke" comic with a very obvious dead end in show business. He's not the first though. There have been many who thought what they did was hysterically funny and clever but eventually it was proved to be nothing at all. Joe Penner in the 1930's-40's with his "Wanna buy a duck?" played itself out very fast and he ended in total oblivion. Or another was Parkyakarkus with his "How DO you do!" These people and Kaufmann have proved continually that they are of limited intellect and creativity when it comes to attempting to being funny. Lionel Barrymore was rumored to have said on his death bed, "There's only one thing harder to do than die, and that's comedy." As for this mish mash of a story about a mish mash of a "comdeian", it's only entertaining to the morbid curious and clinical minded. Otherwise it's a definite "pass".