Man on the Moon

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Man on the Moon

R

1999

1h 58m

Biography

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

121 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Jim Carrey stars as the late Andy Kaufman, who was considered one of the most innovative, eccentric and enigmatic performers of his time. A master at manipulating audiences, Kaufman could generate belly laughs, stony silence, tears or brawls. Whether inviting the audience out for milk and cookies or challenging women to intergender wrestling matches, he specialized in creating performances so real that even his close friends were never sure where the truth lay.

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Critics Consensus

Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman, which helps to elevate Man on the Moon above the script's formulaic biopic cliches.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

06/24/2006

We're constantly kept guessing as to what's real or false. Intriguing.

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Leslie Felperin

Sight & Sound

12/02/2002

The problem is that while Kaufman's life story has its required quota of bizarre-yet-true events, it's doomed to failure as mainstream entertainment because Kaufman wasn't terribly likeable as a person.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

06/18/2002

2/4

As drama, it's a near miss. Yet as an introduction -- or a reminder -- of a singular talent, it has its appeal.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

12/23/2024

3.5/5

Jim Carrey, who went method in his portrayal of Kaufman, delivers one of the best performances of his career in Man on the Moon.

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Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

03/02/2022

B+

Besides a clever script, deft direction, and Carrey literally carrying the film to incredible heights, Forman was able to assemble a host of actors playing themselves, including most of the original "Taxi" cast members...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

02/27/2022

3.5/4

A socko motion picture.

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Jessica B

@JessicaSantos Apr 20

Man on the Moon traz uma das atuações mais impressionantes de Jim Carrey. Ele não interpreta só o comediante Andy Kaufman — ele literalmente incorpora o personagem dentro e fora das câmeras, com uma entrega quase obsessiva. Em poucas palavras: intensa, arriscada e brilhante — uma atuação em que ele some dentro do papel.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 1

Funny in 1 hour and 58 minutes. The worldwide gross is $47,000,000.00, less than the budget of $52,000,000.00-$82,000,000.00. Rated R.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Aug 27

Not familiar with Andy Kaufman - but I can tell he annoys me. No shade to Jim Carrey - I'm sure he played him perfectly.

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Andrew B

@RT90169458 Jul 15

This is a classic homage to Kaufman and only Carrey could have pulled it off.

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Adam Y

@Adyacht Jul 9

Will appeal to Kaufman fans and Carrey fans alike, and even if you're not a fan of either, you can't deny the intriguing quality of this strange story and the skill with which it's told.

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Ava S

@avawatches 06/10/2025

Though a bit saccharine for its edgy and controversial subject, Forman accurately captures Kaufman's humour and heart, powered by a career-best central performance.

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Milos Forman

Director

Jim Carrey

Andy Kaufman

J. Alan Thomas

Self

Bob Zmuda

Jack Burns

Max Alexander

Harrah's Booker

Peter Bonerz

Ed. Weinberger - Taxi Producer

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Synopsis

Jim Carrey stars as the late Andy Kaufman, who was considered one of the most innovative, eccentric and enigmatic performers of his time. A master at manipulating audiences, Kaufman could generate belly laughs, stony silence, tears or brawls. Whether inviting the audience out for milk and cookies or challenging women to intergender wrestling matches, he specialized in creating performances so real that even his close friends were never sure where the truth lay.

Director: Milos Forman
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Screenwriter: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Mutual Film Company, Cinehaus, Universal Pictures, Jersey Films
Rating: R (Brief Sexuality|Brief Nudity|Language)
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.6M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)