Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017) Review

Title: Jim & Andy
Year: 2017
Director: Chris Smith
Country: US
Language: English

For many years Memphis Wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler had claimed Jim Carrey was extremely difficult to work with on the set of Man on the Moon, a bio-pic about the controversial comedian Andy Kaufman. He claimed that Carrey was too far in-character, making the rest of the cast, including Amadeus director Milos Forman, refer to him as "Andy". This picture, Jim & Andy finally gives us a glimpse of what Lawler has been talking about.

The picture is behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon (1999).

The main reason we had not seen the footage before, as Carrey claims, is that Universal demanded that the footage be buried because they were worried the famed performer would look "like an asshole". Jim Carrey being the only interview subject in the film is a bit suspicious, as questions of a reliable narrator come to the forefront (why don't fellow actors also confirm the comedian's on-set behavior?), but he is forthcoming and seemingly transparent enough to make the picture more interesting. 

Director Chris Smith weaves footage comparing Andy & Carrey's emergence into comedy, suggesting that their careers had many parallels. Carrey philosophizes in front of the camera, pondering his pain and loss of emotional compass. 

Part of Carrey's "transformation into Kaufman" is confusing though, as if maybe he didn't entirely "know" Kaufman before he pretended to be him. Andy's feud with Lawler was fake, they were good friends in real life and orchestrated their most controversial moments, but on-set Carrey was really rude to the Memphis star. 

My criticism with Jim & Andy is that Jim Carrey only really "knows" Andy Kaufman through his public persona. The film is about his art & his artistry, but not really about Andy himself. It's as if 20 years from now somebody made a documentary about acting like Jim Carrey, but only had the crazy "alrighty then!" shtick down. Andy, off camera, was known to be quiet and shy. He was dedication to spiritual healing, he had real fears and doubts, he had a great love for weird television. 

Thus the film isn't really about Kaufman, but our perception of Kaufman. It's about how Kaufman's act influences generations of artists. Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond is a fairly entertaining movie that will give you an insight into Jim Carrey's mind, but it doesn't transcend what we already think we know about Kaufman's persona.