You never quite knew where you stood with Andy Kaufman. The infamous comedian made a name for himself playing tricks not only on audiences but his friends and colleagues too, to the point that many are still convinced he didn't really die of cancer 1984 - that it is instead his greatest, most elaborate (and cruellest) prank yet. Although the punchline has still yet to land... In that vein, the biopic Man On The Moon is somewhat liberal with the truth when recounting Kaufman's extraordinary life story. It did things like reunite the cast of classic sitcom Taxi for the scenes where Jim Carrey's Kaufman played the supporting role of Latka. Jerry Lawler starred as himself, too, recreating his faked wrestling rivalry for Kaufman throughout the seventies. All pretty accurate so far. However, as Carrey-as-Kaufman says at the start of the film, all the most important things in my life are changed around and mixed up for dramatic purposes. Embellishments include Lorne Michaels asking the audience whether Kaufman should remain on Saturday Night Live, being a disruptive influence on the Taxi set, and the death hoax.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
