Danny DeVito – This Had Oscar Buzz

In 1999, director Milos Forman reunited with his People Vs. Larry Flynt screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski for another biopic of an iconoclast, Man on the Moon. Rebounding from the Oscar snub for The Truman Show, Jim Carrey took on the role of Andy Kaufman and according to history, took it a bit too seriously. The film received some strong reviews and plenty of precursor action for Carrey (including another Golden Globe win), but the film proved an Oscar misfire for the twice Oscar awarded director and the still unnominated Carrey.

This episode, we talk about the industry’s (perhaps snobby) perceptions of Carrey and the faux method acting by Carrey that would later be documented by Jim and Andy. We also talk about the Alexander/Karaszewski biopic mold, Carrey’s biker chic MTV Movie Award acceptance speech, and the film’s reverence for Kaufman’s legacy.

Topics also include 1999 Best Actor, R.E.M., and “Courtney Love is in dire need of attention right now.”

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Francis Ford Coppola is a legendary director among Oscar lore thanks to the Corleone family, and this week’s episode pairs him with a name that resulted in much ‘90s cinematic prestige: John Grisham. After a string of hit adaptations that danced with major Oscar consideration, Coppola took his shot at Grisham’s The Rainmaker. But despite good reviews (and a Globe nomination for supporting actor Jon Voight), the film earned mild box office that halted the Grisham hot streak. Led by an emerging Matt Damon, the film was also overshadowed just one month later by the release of Good Will Hunting.

This episode, we revisit the box office success and Oscar near-success of films adapted by the mega-popular works of the legal thriller / airport staple John Grisham. We also discuss Coppola’s late career phase of largely unseen and unheralded films, the stacked 1997 Best Actor field, and The Rainmaker’s bursting cast list of glorified cameos and supporting players.

And this episode brings the return of two of our favorite topics: Claire Danes and the Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview.

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Tag: Danny DeVito

310 – Man on the Moon

089 – The Rainmaker