How would I start this review? Where does Jim Carrey start and where does Jim Carrey end? Before watching this film, I had known and was a mild fan of Andy Kaufman and I could really appreciate his proto-absurdist comedy style that would inspire countless comedians of today who would continue to push the boundaries, but Tim & Eric, John C. Reilly as Dr. Steve Brule, Alan Resnick, and just in general the Adult Swim oddballs who came on in the early hours of the morning appealed and captured my interest more. Also before watching this film, I was a huge fan of Jim Carrey for his comedic movies and his more introspective movies, but I had not seen, or had even heard of Man on the Moon. Afterwards, as a good documentary should do, it really changed my perspective on the pair and exposed connections between both of them that had so obviously been lying just beneath the subconscious. Firstly, Andy Kaufman is a much bigger nut job than I had realized, and a quick browse through YouTube comments proves that his performances were still very much ahead of their time decades after the fact as still many people are perplexed. Secondly, I feel a much greater sympathy for Kaufman, particularly in the fact of getting "caught up in his character" as Carrey describes in one of his astounding meditative ramblings. Postmodern philosophical thought of the time believed that no one was actually living their truest self and the roles we played were similar to roles that actors play as society pushes on us "correct" modes of living. I got to thinking that Kaufman portrayed this absurdist belief to an extreme in his character and through that mode, lived how he wanted to, and that strikes upon the big theme of the movie: being yourself. Clichéd, yes, but told in a unique and thought-provoking way. Thirdly, I think Jim Carrey perfectly encapsulated Kaufman's spirit in the shooting for this movie and I have grown to appreciate him even more because of it, and the family and people who knew Kaufman personally seemed to agree. It's a good thing Carrey is not an identity thief because I'd call him the Elmyr de Hory of acting. God, the shot by shot comparisons were uncanny in how similar they were. I loved the thoughts, ideas, and people behind this movie, but I feel the execution was very bland, and quite frankly boring at points, for one of the most eccentric men in the industry. The movie is essentially Carrey rambling on for an hour and a half, and while there are some incredibly touching or thoughtful moments, it feels perhaps a little too windy and by the books. I mentioned Elmyr de Hory earlier because this movie reminded me of F for Fake, Orson Welles' final film, a documentary on the life of the most famous art forager in history. Elmyr seems to me to almost be one in the same with Kaufman's enigmatic character and absurdist tendencies and Welles creates an experimental and enthralling documentary to reflect his life. It includes interviews and musings from Elmyr himself, but Welles takes the themes of the movie and the way he tells them, and the extra scenes and stories he adds in, not only parallel what Elmyr speaks about, but also characterizes his eccentric and wacky lifestyle with eccentric and wacky editing and unconventional storytelling. Chris Smith took this film a little too cut and dry and when recalling a classic like Kaufman, there's no reason to play it safe when you can take a unique approach to the storyboard as well. It's a great story of a legend, retold by a new legend, and the spirit of Kaufman was in Carrey, but it was not in the actual film.