The film pays particular attention to the various inside jokes, scams, put-ons, and happenings for which Kaufman was famous, most significantly his long-running "feud" with wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler and his portrayal of the character of bawdy lounge singer Tony Clifton.
Though Carrey received praise for his performance, Man on the Moon ended his starring role run of eight consecutive films that averaged around $240 million each in box office grosses — one of the most successful stretches in motion picture history.
[5] Andy Kaufman is a struggling performer whose act fails in nightclubs because, while the audience wants comedy, he sings the Mighty Mouse theme song and refuses to tell conventional jokes.
As the audience begins to believe that Kaufman may have no talent, his previously timid "foreign man" character puts on a rhinestone jacket and does a dead-on Elvis impersonation.
Because of the money, visibility, and a promise that he can do his own television special, Kaufman accepts the role, turning his foreign man into a mechanic named Latka Gravas.
Invited to catch a different act at a nightclub, Shapiro witnesses a performance by lounge singer Tony Clifton, whom Kaufman wants to guest-star on Taxi.
His professional issues are deepened when, during an appearance on ABC's live television comedy show Fridays, Kaufman refuses to speak his lines.
Lawler and an injured Kaufman (wearing a neck brace) appear on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman, ostensibly to call a truce, but instead, the feud escalates and they trade insults before getting into another fight.
After performing at a comedy club, Kaufman calls Lynne, Zmuda, and Shapiro to disclose that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer and may die soon.
As his health deteriorates, a desperate Kaufman heads to the Philippines to seek a medical miracle through psychic surgery, only to find it a hoax, laughing at the irony.
Several members of the cast of Taxi, including Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, and Jeff Conaway[6] make cameos, playing themselves.
[7][8] Many of Kaufman's other real-life friends and co-stars also appear in the film (although not all as themselves), including Zmuda, Shapiro, Margulies, David Letterman, Paul Shaffer, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, wrestling announcers Jim Ross and Lance Russell, The Improv founder Budd Friedman, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and actors Vincent Schiavelli and Chad Whitson.
Kevin Spacey, Edward Norton, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and Hank Azaria auditioned for the role of Andy Kaufman.
Other inaccuracies include scenes supposedly drawn from SNL, specifically the first episode's host, who is depicted as having been Richard Belzer but was George Carlin in real life.
The website's consensus reads: "Jim Carrey is eerily dead-on in his portrayal of Andy Kaufman, which helps to elevate Man on the Moon above the script's formulaic biopic cliches.
Oh, it brightens things up a little [...] But essentially it stays true to his persona: A guy who would test you, fool you, lie to you, deceive you and stage elaborate deceptions, put-ons and hoaxes.