The documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond was released in 2017 and chronicles Carrey's performance as Kaufman in the film, a performance he maintained during much of the film's production. Man on the Moon was shot in Los Angeles in the winter of 1998. [11] The film's production is notable for Carrey's rigid method acting, staying in-character as Kaufman both on and off the set for the duration of production. Carrey's adherence to the role reached the extent where he would develop unscripted tics and habits that were previously characteristic of Kaufman himself. Among other examples, Courtney Love noted how Carrey would stuff his clothing with Limburger cheese on the set when playing Kaufman's Tony Clifton character in the film, something Kaufman had done in his own performances of the character. [11] Reading the book and talking about the story and pictures in detail meant that my son was really willing to do some writing himself. He wrote a book about Bob’s day and was able to sequence the story himself because he was so familiar with the story. Making a zig zag book was a fantastic recommendation because it meant he was so proud to have written a book himself." The film makes a few changes to Kaufman's life story. As Kaufman (played by Carrey) explains in the film's prologue, "All the most important things in my life are changed around and mixed up for dramatic purposes."

A documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, was released in November 2017. Using behind-the-scenes footage, the documentary covers the production of Man on the Moon with a particular focus on Carrey's overwrought method-acting as Kaufman. I really enjoyed this book. As the title suggests, it is about a day in the life of Bob, a man who lives on Earth but works on the Moon. The illustrations are interesting and there are lots of things that could be discussed with the children. In particular, aliens are hidden in every picture but the story says Bob knows “there’s no such thing as aliens.” I think children would find this amusing and would enjoy looking for the aliens in each picture. The film implies that Carol Kane was a member of the Taxi cast during the show's first season, which in real life was 1978–79. In actuality, Kane did not make her first appearance on the series until the episode "Guess Who's Coming for Brefnish", which first aired on ABC in January 1980 during the show's second season. [14] The film implies that Taxi was canceled only once. However, the show went on for one more season on NBC. The Blue Peter book of the year 2004 is well written and illustrated by Simon Bartram. Bold and colourful pictures in the story add well to the simple yet humorous tale that Bob journeys on day by day.a b Love, Courtney (December 9, 1999). "Courtney Love and Samantha Maloney". The Howard Stern Show (Interview). Interviewed by Howard Stern.

Creating your own alien, what colour, how many arms, legs and eyes, are they wearing clothes, what do those look like- are they human clothes or something different? SPaG- there is some interesting vocabulary used in this book that might possibly be new to pupils in KS1, such as somersaults, souvenir, stilts, craters, astronauts. It also acts as a good lead on to talking about the difference between writing about yourself and writing from a different perspective. Pupils could write their own day in the life, either of themselves, or maybe someone else like is done in the book.The story traces Kaufman's steps from childhood through the comedy clubs and television appearances that made him famous, including his memorable appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, Fridays, and his role as Latka Gravas on the sitcom Taxi, which was popular among viewers but disruptive for Kaufman's co-stars. 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. The story starts by introducing Bob in his home and explaining his morning routine and his journey to work. Following on from this it also shows the process of Bob getting ready for work at the launch pad, specifically the time he has to arrive, be ready and leave by, which is a recurring theme throughout the book. The book then goes into detail of what Bob does at work on the moon such as keeping it clean and tidy, and giving guided tours. Another recurring theme within the book is the phrase “there’s no such thing as aliens” which may encourage speculation among the children reading and provoke discussion. The story then explains the process of the end of Bob’s day and his journey home. The story finishes with Bob’s evening routine and a question about whether aliens really do exist. After its release, the film attracted some criticism over various events in Kaufman's life that were left out. Max Allan Collins maintained that the filmmakers did not understand Kaufman, and that the film "does not give Kaufman the credit for his genius, that he had a complete intellectual grasp of what he was up to and a showman's instincts for how to play an audience." [17] Significantly, these critics included Kaufman's own father Stanley, who was displeased that little of Andy's early life (before show business) and early career were portrayed. [18] I think the most likable thing, for me, about this book is definitely the illustrations, they are bright and exciting to look at; especially the aliens as there appear to be lots of different kinds that are different colours, shapes and sizes. The fact that Bob does not believe in aliens, but they are ever present in the illustrations really creates an exciting opportunity for the reader to spot all the aliens that Bob seems to be oblivious to. Especially in scenes such as the rush hour, where aliens can be seen walking through the streets, on public transport and in local homes. This could be an interesting talking point with students, why do we think Bob does not think aliens are real? Why do we think he does not notice the aliens? This is the big puzzle of the book.

Also, can use the ‘day in the life’ style of the book to talk about telling the time- the book does refer to the time, such as Bob having lunch at twelve-thirty. The fact that the story is ‘a day in the life’ style means it is written in the 3rd person, I think this really adds to the narrative as the reader is able to notice things that Bob does not- such as the aliens. One year later, in 1985, Tony Clifton appears at Kaufman's tribute at The Comedy Store's main stage, performing " I Will Survive", while Zmuda (who would often perform as Clifton in routines where Kaufman appeared as himself) watches in the audience. MAN ON THE MOON (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 17, 2000 . Retrieved February 26, 2016. Episode 389 - Sam Simon — WTF with Marc Maron Podcast". Wtfpod.com. May 16, 2013 . Retrieved January 22, 2017.

Man on the Moon is a 1999 biographical comedy-drama film about the late American entertainer Andy Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey as Kaufman. The film was directed by Miloš Forman and also features Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti. Jacobs, Matthew (November 9, 2020). "Carol Kane Never Meant To Become Hollywood's Go-To Eccentric". Huffington Post . Retrieved April 17, 2022. Using the idea of the gift shop on the moon, as is shown, to help with addition and subtraction, use of money etc. Children love clueless Bob and the aliens who ‘aren’t really there’. Bob is as silly as he looks and it is fun to play with the idea of a grown up with such an important job (keeping the moon clean and tidy and performing for space tourists) can be so oblivious to what we can see (as the adult, it’s fun to pretend you can’t see them too). This worked really well as a class text with year 1 children, lots of opportunities to explore inference and dramatic irony and both the story and the beautiful oil painting illustrations capture their imagination enough to provide a term’s worth of activities alongside topic exploration: Non-fiction links- could be good for talking about the difference between fiction and non-fiction- although this is about space, how do we know it is not based on facts?