What was so amazing about Andy Kaufman? That is one of the questions that this biopic attempts to explore in examining the life of this genius that was cut short by a rare form of Cancer.

Jim Carrey, in the finest performance of his career thus far, portrays Kaufman. But he doesn't just portray him. He brings him to life right there on the screen, from the brilliant device that director Milos Forman chose to open the film with, right through the obligatory funeral scene at the end. It was a performance worth of Oscar notice.

The movie is also one of the best of the year. Funny, poignant, moving. Forman uses a well-written script, and wonderful supporting performances around Carrey's brilliant portrayal of Kaufman to tell us his story.

Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti headline an excellent supporting cast. Of special note is the terrific job that Jerry "The King" Lawler does portraying himself, during the era that Andy Kaufman decided to become a wrestling bad-guy.

Man on the Moon points out something that Andy wanted to be made clear. He didn't consider himself a comedian. He was a performer. He wanted to do more than just push the edge of the envelope. He wanted to sail right on past it. To design and create an experience to share with an audience. His creation of the alter-ego known as Tony Clifton was just one example of his willingness to push beyond traditional limits. We are shown much of this in Man on the Moon at the expense of not seeing more of the private side of the man. We are shown bits and pieces of the private life of the man unrelated to his never-ending search for entertainment, but it might have been nice to have seen more of the private life of the man.

In the end, what we learned about Kaufman, what made him so amazing, was that he wasn't willing to settle for the cheap laugh. The sight gag. He wanted to go above and beyond. Ultimately, he did.