Throughout the 1990s, Jim Carrey rose to stardom quicker than anyone else that decade. In 1994 alone, Carrey starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, three films that all opened #1 and cumulatively grossed more than $300 million at the domestic box office in less than a year. He would follow those up with not only the Ace Ventura sequel but also The Cable Guy, Liar, Liar, Batman Forever, and The Truman Show. It was a giant decade for him as a performer, and one that gave way to a surprising ending ahead of the new millennium.
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Today, 26 years ago, the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon was released in theaters, starring Carrey as one of his comedy idols and just one of two times he’s played a real person in a film (the other is Steven Jay Russell Carrey in 2009’s I Love You Phillip Morris). Not only did this film reveal a different side of Carrey as a performer, showing off his dramatic chops in a bigger way than his brief appearance in Simon Birch offered, but it also revealed another side of him on set that continues to follow Carrey’s career, the on-set antics that made the making of the movie very difficult.
Man on the Moon Showed off Jim Carrey’s Full Range
Man on the Moon tracked Kaufman’s rise from a misunderstood comedian working clubs to his time on Saturday Night Live and Late Night With David Letterman, to becoming a household name on Taxi that couldn’t fully reckon with his fame and success. The film was a portrait of Kaufman as a talent whose ambition was always bigger than whatever was in front of him, digging into how his act would test the limits of comedy by never letting anyone else in on the joke, nor ever acknowledging when he was deliberately being funny.
In playing Andy Kaufman, Carrey was not only able to channel one of his idols on the big screen but also use that as a means to show off his abilities as a performer. Though he would show off some of his dramatic chops in The Truman Show, that film still depended on his comedic timing to a certain degree. Carrey’s role in Man on the Moon offered him a real showcase for not only the limits of his comedic abilities but also his prowess for the personal stakes of intimate moments. Obviously, the film depends on Carrey to be funny, replicating the mannerisms and voice of Kaufman in some of his most famous routines, but Man on the Moon is really about the time in between these performances and the man who refused to compromise his sense of humor, naturally leading to personal strife that further affected him. Carrey did well across all those moments.
Though Man on the Moon wasn’t exactly a critical hit at the time of its release nor a commercial success, that said, Carrey’s performance still made headlines. Critics made sure to note how much they fell in love with Carrey as Kaufman, leading to the actor being nominated for his second Golden Globe (which he won).
Making Man on the Moon Wasn’t Easy (Because of Carrey)
Outside of the film itself, the shadow of Man on the Moon has followed Carrey in ways that can’t be forgotten. It was long reported that Carrey employed method acting in the film, staying in character as Kaufman and the Tony Clifton alter ego between shots and after filming had wrapped for the day. Not only is this true, but footage of it can be seen in the 2017 documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, which also includes interviews with Carrey himself reminiscing about the making of the movie.
As wild as it is to see the archival footage of Carrey on set, the most interesting thing about the Jim & Andy documentary is how he speaks about it, noting that he believed the spirit of Andy Kaufman possessed him in some way, even saying, “what happened afterwards was out of my control.” This paints a bizarre picture of Carrey, who acts as if his on and off-set behavior was something he could do literally nothing to change.
Footage is shown in Jim & Andy with many of the cast members who knew the actual Andy Kaufman, which paints a great picture of how close Carrey got in his performance to acting like the real guy. Danny DeVito, who produced Man on the Moon and worked with Kaufman on Taxi, reacts to Carry’s portrayal at first calling it “so bizarre,” but adding, “It’s really great, he’s exactly the way Andy was.” Judd Hirsch, another Taxi co-star who played himself in the film, calls it “Creepy.” On the flipside, Kaufman’s siblings are seen visiting the set, and all seem enamored with Carrey’s portrayal, wth Kaufman’s older brother telling him he’s proud of him.
Suffice to say, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond really changes how one watches Man on the Moon, but the film remains one of the most distinct movies in Jim Carrey’s long career. Watching both of these movies back-to-back offers a unique look at the creative process for one of our most popular performers of the 1990s, but also might make you look at the original product in a totally different way from usual behind-the-scenes footage.
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