h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Jim Carrey is to star as Andy Kaufman in a new movie. I've only ever heard about the guy in an REM song, and REM lyrics are not exactly renowned for their simplicity. Who is / was Andy Kaufman? What did he do? Should I care? Is the movie any good? Enlighten me please

I recently saw the movie with my friends. Unfortunatly my ex boyfriend came along with us and ruined it for us. We were having a great time till he.....um never mind. Okay so about Andy Kaufman and the movie itself. I enjoyed the movie, despite the fact that Courtney Love is in it. I think girl bands suck and her acting is blah. Jim Carrey was really funny at points and if you want to see a movie about a real jerk then this is your movie. Andy was a comedian who wanted his way. It turns into a drama at the end though but i still liked it very much.REMs song was good though not the man on the moon one the other one with the music video with the moving television or whatever. Or maybe its same one I cant recall really. Basically the movie is about a funny jerk named andy. But I'm just a wittle wat so what do i know?

Andy Kaufman was a revolutionary comic who became well known in the 70's and died in 84 (i believe). He wasn't like any comic that had preceded him and sometimes made jokes so elaborate that only he knew what was funny about it. Most people knew him though as Latka from the popular Tv show Taxi which was made by the same people who made cheers. He had another personality known as Tony Clifton who insulted audience members to the point where they would throw things at the stage. As for whether or not you want to see the movie that depends on you. It is very dramatized and does not portray history perfectly but it could be a good way to learn some of the basics about Andy. Just to spice up your interest though, you should keep in mind that he was so strange that for years after his death people weren't sure whether or not it was just the biggest trick yet.

A bit more helpful than what I wrote, I suppose. Hmmph.

The most important thing to remember about Kaufman is that most of his humor was set up to make HIM laugh...not the audience. That's how he managed to alienate, well, America.

That said, the movie is an excellent biography, because all the people who knew him well were involved in its making. His agent produced it, all the people he ever acted with are in the movie, and his family was consulted for their parts. The movie is probably also the first time most people finally understood most of his pranks.

I've just been on the Andy Kaufman trail following the release of the latest REM single here in the UK ('REM celebrates Andy Kaufman' is printed on the sleeve, which piqued my interest). For an external link, try:

http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/

This homepage gives you a few clues as to the comedian's background, and makes for interesting reading. Perhaps someone round here should do an Andy Kaufman guide article...

Azimuth