On first glance this film seems a little self serving, an interesting but ultimately conceit of hindsight.
But as the film progresses it messes with your mind, what's real? What's not? Is Jim Carrey really that committed to his performance, is he really the delicate introspective on his way to being lost?
It's on the whole delightfully chaotic, continuously blurring reality with character and legend. The professional life of Kaufman seems to have been dripping with deliberate misdirection and the manic ability to say the wrong thing at the right time in order to create mischief and crafted mayhem. After all, anarchy is order...
Carrey is engaging in his interview, drops of real Jim and drips of insight blend into what feels like dead pan method acting, reflecting on the mirror of nearly 20 year old method acting that reflected the managed chaos of Kaufman.
Or is it all real? It's impossible to tell, the lie is in the truth. Several times art reflects life and Carrey uses lies and truth to very interesting effect. Every time you think you've got a grip of what's real there's a subtle, or not at all subtle, reminder that what you're watching could well be an extension of a very elaborate hoax... Joke... Homage... Dammit it's something.
But as the film progresses it messes with your mind, what's real? What's not? Is Jim Carrey really that committed to his performance, is he really the delicate introspective on his way to being lost?
It's on the whole delightfully chaotic, continuously blurring reality with character and legend. The professional life of Kaufman seems to have been dripping with deliberate misdirection and the manic ability to say the wrong thing at the right time in order to create mischief and crafted mayhem. After all, anarchy is order...
Carrey is engaging in his interview, drops of real Jim and drips of insight blend into what feels like dead pan method acting, reflecting on the mirror of nearly 20 year old method acting that reflected the managed chaos of Kaufman.
Or is it all real? It's impossible to tell, the lie is in the truth. Several times art reflects life and Carrey uses lies and truth to very interesting effect. Every time you think you've got a grip of what's real there's a subtle, or not at all subtle, reminder that what you're watching could well be an extension of a very elaborate hoax... Joke... Homage... Dammit it's something.