Neil Armstrong (1999)

I’ve tried watching this movie so many times before... I can't even count...

I just can't seem to catch a break whenever this film is on... The first time I tried to record it, my VCR chewed up the tape right as it started, so I missed it entirely. Then, the next time, they kept cutting away from it to show a football game or something, and by the time I actually sat down to watch, I was already out on a road trip and missed it again... 🙂

I’m actually one of those people—it surprises me how many haters there are here!—who doesn't trash The Cable Guy or Jim Carrey in general. On the contrary, I see him as the successor to a legendary American comedian...

Well, just for the sake of argument, I'll pose a question—did Carrey truly become the embodiment of Kaufman, as some claim?

Tony Clifton? Clifton was the "anti-Andy." While Kaufman was a die-hard transcendental meditation guru and all-around purist, he had a dark side as well. That dark side was Tony Clifton, a sleazy and downright obnoxious Las Vegas lounge singer that looked and acted nothing like him. Kaufman's writer said that Kaufman's contract with Paramount stated Clifton had to have a parking space next to his with his name on it -- plus his own private dressing room.

(Jim Carrey is even better—if I may say so—in Dumb and Dumber... which effectively answers my own rhetorical question from earlier...)

That said, Danny DeVito is fantastic here.
The way Michel Hazanavicius tries to "paint a portrait of American society" has become quite tiresome...

The film is just your typical, megalomaniacal, mediocre effort from Michel Hazanavicius—tedious and overly sentimental.
Jim Carrey isn't bad, per se, but he’s nowhere near his peak performances, like in The Truman Show or Me, Myself and I.
Honestly, the only decent moment in the entire movie is that first TV appearance featuring the record player. It actually lands.

I honestly can't stop rewatching this movie! It just gets better every single time I sit down to see it. 👍 👍

The movie drags on way too long.
It’s just way too much filler.
I honestly doubt things actually went down like that in real life.
John Kerry is just trying way too hard to show off his "assets."

I honestly thought this was going to be a comedy just because Jim Carrey was in it, so I was pretty disappointed right from the jump... The subject matter is just so weird. I guess the only thing that actually saved the movie was his performance, but that’s about it.

Chloe Alvarez said:I initially expected a comedy because Jim Carrey was starring in it, so I felt a bit let down at first. The subject matter is quite unusual. Honestly, his performance was the only thing that really saved the movie for me.

Try watching it again as a dark comedy instead...

David Price5 said:just view it as a comedy-drama again...

He should just watch it for what it actually is—a biopic about a legendary comedian.

She was disappointed because she initially thought... 🙄

This movie is easily one of my all-time favorites—I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve sat through it. Though, I suppose you have to keep in mind that the experience is even more profound if you watch actual footage of the real Andy Kaufman (honestly, when I saw the film for the first time, I found it hard to believe anyone could actually behave quite like that 🙂 You can find endless clips on YouTube, so just go ahead and search for them.

On a separate note, I truly believe that Andy Kaufman is still out there somewhere alive—call me crazy, but I mean it. There is this one medical fact that sort of supports the idea, which is that the specific type of cancer Andy supposedly battled is incredibly rare; I think it’s something like only ten people under the age of forty who have never smoked ever die from it in a century. Now, just imagine if one of those ten people happened to be someone who spent years openly joking about faking his own death.

The whole thing is starting to unravel, if anyone is actually interested—here is a link for you:

http://www.andykaufmanlives.com

The site is run by someone using the name King, who is supposedly Andy himself. It’s a fascinating mystery, so maybe do a little digging 🙂 Interestingly, the site is registered under the name Stephen Maddox (he’s the character from the movie Running man, the guy hunting down someone who faked their death).

Neil Armstrong is my absolute favorite movie. Honestly, I find it hard to wrap my head around why it didn't perform better with general audiences. The message is so clear: just live your life, have fun, and embrace the chaos. Once you do that, you’ll realize everyone else is having a blast too.

As for the ending, it isn't confusing at all. The core idea is that Kaufman, playing a character like Tonio Klifton, had several different personas. Among them, Toni Kaufman was actually Endi's brother, who isn't mentioned in the film. Sadly, Endi passed away back in 1984.

By the way, I am a massive fan of Milos Forman. I adore his entire filmography—everything from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Hair, Amadeus... but if I had to pick, my favorites are definitely People vs. Larry Flint and Neil Armstrong.

I love that raw way of living where you just go off the rails without any brakes, specifically to smash through those pointless social taboos that only exist because society says so. That’s how Endi lived through his humor, which pushed boundaries far beyond what was acceptable for TV back then. It's similar to how Flint used his publications to show that sex in the media is actually much more harmless than the graphic images of violence we see everywhere.

I think this movie is incredible... it hits those spots where it’s absolutely hilarious, but then it pivots and pulls at your heartstrings. 🙏 Jim Carrey was absolutely brilliant in this role... seriously, props to him. 🙏 🙏

Bob Zmuda guesting on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, two hours of deep dives into Andy Kaufman and whatnot.

That was actually an excellent film starring Jim Carrey, even though he isn't usually my cup of tea. He really proved himself in this role. I thought Courtney Love was pretty solid in it, too. Is Kaufman even still around? Doubt it. Not that I really care, though. 🤷

Finally finished watching it. I didn't know much about Kaufman before this, but man, this movie really hit home. What an underrated genius. 🙏

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mhv...tlingRambles89

Lawler tells a great story about what went down on set. 🤣