I absolutely love this film. Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond touches on the themes we talk about here at Documenting Legacy. This documentary balances the behind the scenes of a film and the reflection of the lead actor. Digging in to how Jim Carrey created his persona for Andy details a lot about how we build legacy stories.
Where did this character come from? What is the dirt that the pearl is built around? And the pearl is the personality that you build around yourself as a protection against that thought: “If they ever find out that I’m worthless, if they ever find out that I’m not enough, I’ll be destroyed”. – Jim Carrey
The Great Beyond
Jim & Andy is a documentary 10 years in the making. Shot over 4 month during the making of Man in the Moon, a film that highlights the life of comedian Andy Kaufman. Jim Carrey shot the behind the scenes of the film and his process of becoming Andy. There are moments when he Jim meets with Andy’s family, as Andy. It’s heartwarming and some what cathartic.
The film has a tremendous impact. One it could not have had if it had been released years ago. It’s the reflection interview with Jim that takes the whole piece to the next level. The reflection of the journey gives weight to the footage shot years before. The filmmakers could have interviewed a lot of the cast shown in the behind the scene footage, by sticking with Jim we are drawn into a very personal view of the film. Even Man on the Moon takes on a new meaning for me. When I originally watched it, it was about Andy. After watching the documentary I can’t help but see how it really was all about Andy. Not just the legacy of who this man was, but the legacy he left, the legacy that endures.
This is exactly why we started this site. Everyone, famous or not, has a legacy. Who ever that person is, and maybe it’s you, we want to help you document the legacy.
In the meantime check out the trailer…
Blueskies,
Tami