Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton

Smith weaves footage of Kaufman's emergence onto the comedy scene with Carrey's, and suggests that both performers drew from a similar (if not the exact same) well of pain.

... thanks to "Jim & Andy," viewers will come away not just with greater insight about them, but also the pitfalls that potentially face those who beat the odds by turning an open-mic night into a thriving career.

Jim & Andy works best as a reminder of the skill level and commitment of its two title performers.

Kaufman was a button-pusher, he sought to get a rise out of people and questioned where performance ended and real life began. "Jim & Andy" carries on that spirit. Kaufman would be proud.

It's not quite good, and in some ways the film's point is rather loathsome, but it's also an enthralling look at the artistic process - and, maybe accidentally, a bleak vision of the power and privilege of celebrity.

Jim & Andy makes the persuasive argument that Carrey's commitment to the role allowed everyone else in the production to understand and appreciate Kaufman better than they might have otherwise.

It's a testament to Carrey's still-polarizing stardom that this film gains its manic mileage.

It could easily turn into a self-aggrandizing fest with Carrey explaining how brillant he is (and he IS); instead, it offers illuminating and humble insights about him and his performance. [Full review in Portuguese.]

Smart, appalling and illuminating.

Hidden away for twenty years to protect Carrey, the footage is a fascinating master class in performance, the kind of thing that might not fly today in light of revelations of harassment.

It's here to burnish one performer's legend while laying the foundations of another's. But there's still lots of fun to be had in its twisting, telescoping hall of mirrors.

Whether you think you're watching a genius discuss his greatest performance or an obnoxious actor indulging in and subsequently justifying his most pretentious, selfish instincts...either way, it's fascinating.