I would have to agree that this is Jim Carrey's
best serious performance to date. The movie is more of a biography
than a comedy, and as such, Carrey keeps his own antics to a relative
minimum. On the other hand, the role requires enough comic zeal
that it's hard to imagine anyone but Carey taking it on. Milos
Foreman (director of "Amadeus" and "One Flew Over
the Cucoo's Nest") was also in great form on this project.
He needed to be.
Milos gets a lot of help from those who knew and worked with Andy. It seems as though virtually all of his old showbiz associates participated in the making of the film. Christopher Lloyd, Lorne Miachels and David Letterman appeared as themselves. Fellow "Taxi" cast member Danny DeVito played Hollywood agent David Shapiro, and the real Shapiro made a cameo appearance. Both of them co-produced. Without their participation, it's hard to imagine a project having any chance of being true to Andy.
As it is, the movie, succeeds in capturing Mr. Kauffman's spirit almost too well. Sometimes he's very funny, but often he seems confusing, tedious and masochistic. But that was Andy! All he ever tried to do was defy prediction and stay one step ahead of his audience. Those who were not ready for a profound surprise were doomed to be disappointed.
Eventually, I started to appreciate, and even enjoy what Kauffman was trying to do. His real life's work was an endless string of practical jokes, so much so that when he died, many of those close to him actually wondered if it wasn't just one more gag.
We may never completely assimilate Andy Kauffman's humor, but thanks to this film, a new generation gets to glimpse at, and puzzle over it. Kudos to Foreman and crew for successfully tackling the Mt. Everest of biographies and reproducing a very interesting and thought-provoking body of work.