Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond is special because it isn’t just a behind-the-scenes supplement to Man on the Moon—it’s a front-row seat to the thrilling, unnerving moment when an actor’s craft starts to swallow the actor whole. Chris Smith shapes the footage into an entertaining, often funny, sometimes startlingly intimate look at Jim Carrey’s all-in transformation into Andy Kaufman, where every interaction becomes a performance and every performance raises questions about identity. The vibe is part comedy, part psychological backstage drama, and the film’s real hook is how insightfully it explores the blurry border between devotion to a role and the need to be seen as yourself. If you’re fascinated by acting, celebrity, or the strange alchemy of art and ego, it’s a uniquely compelling watch—though if you prefer neat answers and tidy boundaries, this one deliberately lives in the mess.

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond is clearly trying to be an unfiltered look at method acting gone feral, using Jim Carrey’s Andy Kaufman immersion as a window into identity, ego, and performance. The problem is it can start to feel like the same point being made over and over, and what’s meant to be “commitment” may read to you as self-indulgent or even mean-spirited, depending on your tolerance for Carrey’s behavior. It’s also longer than the material really earns, so if you’re not already fascinated by Carrey, Kaufman, or behind-the-scenes acting lore, it can become tiring fast. Still, there are genuinely intriguing moments and a few uncomfortable truths about celebrity and art, but this is best for viewers who enjoy messy, polarizing personality studies rather than a tight, balanced documentary.