MovieChat Forums > Man on the Moon (1999) Discussion > Most people misunderstand the punchline.

Most people misunderstand the punchline.

posted 10 years ago by eyebrowmorroco
4 replies | jump to latest

Kaufman didn't fake his own death; he faked the faking of his own death. This is where he's brilliant; it’s all in the dedication to the gag. He convinced everyone that he was faking his own death, even though he was actually dying. Very few artists have ever had that kind of control over their audience. He still exerts it to this day, posthumously, with the help of friends and family.

[–] rica1710-769-762587 10 years ago

nicely said, this is really something to be amazed at

[–] rmontro 10 years ago

Kaufman didn't fake his own death; he faked the faking of his own death. This is where he's brilliant; it’s all in the dedication to the gag. He convinced everyone that he was faking his own death, even though he was actually dying

Maybe so. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say this exactly, but it makes a lot of sense. Of course, the faking of his death (or the faking of the faking of his death) went right along with his career.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Mr-mojo-risin 7 years ago

This would be such an Andy idea. The only problem is that he started to talk about faking his death four years before he knew he was dying.