40 years after conceptual comedian Andy Kaufman died from lung cancer at age 35, questions remain, as does his unique mystique. Who was he and where did he come from, and did the real Andy Kaufman ever really stand up? Furthermore, was he even in the business of stand up or comedy, as such, or was he more a pioneering performance artist in the public mass media square?
Director Alex Braverman's fascinating new documentary Thank You Very Much, which screened at the Metro 4 yesterday, goes a long way to answering some of those lingering questions, while accepting the fact that much about Kaufman is unanswerable. Leaving them laughing and also wondering was essential to his m.o. as an artist.
The film may well be the most definitive primer among Kaufman documentaries, blessed with fresh and archival interviews and illuminating layout of Kauffman's career. His oddball career went from buzz-worthy shows at the Improv to surreal SNL appearances to the mass appeal of TV's Taxi, but also controversial detours into his persona as Vegas a-hole Tony Clifton and his extended, fan-losing bout of wrestling with women. But the real power of the film has to do with its ample showcasing of Kaufman's actual work, beyond the talking heads and headlines of his life story.