The Truman Show

I asked a friend to describe The Truman Show. He said, "No, it's not a comedy, well...not exactly." I didn't quite understand until I watched it myself. Truman takes on a tone quite different than any parody/comedies I've seen lately. The point (the media and its destructive powers) is subtlely relayed through dark humor, and you don't feel like the director is smashing you over the head with his morals. Peter Weir demonstrated his artistic genius in Dead Poets Society and here as well. The soundtrack is great, Ed Harris is stellar (what were they THINKING at the Academy?) and for once I actually liked Jim Carrey. His performance wasn't ribald for once. The final scene--I will not reveal it--is a majestic, long-awaited finish to an intellectual movie. Some people will insist that it was boring or pointless. Those are the same viewers who prefer slapstick, obvious humor to the subtle layers presented here. This is a thinking person's movie. If you can't see the underlying message here, of course you won't like it!

The film is an amazing combination of existentialism, surrealism, and symbolism. Truman turns into a Christ figure by the end and represents the desire of all people to find the truth of who they are and why they exist. > What is really amazing is that all of this is poured together into one film that is entertaining as well as thought provoking. How often do we get that from Hollywood? Other than CONTACT, I can't think of many other films recently.

One of the most creative films ever conceived, let alone made and executed- The Truman Show is on all fronts an absolutely perfect film- and will stand the test of time as an absolute classic. On every singular level this film works astoundly- jim Carrey provides a pitch perfect performance as our titular star Truman Burbank- in an incredible casting decision that I am sure turned a lot of heads at the time. Yes we see some of that classic Carrey throughout the film- but the man can act, and never before had it been brought to such attention as it had with this film- and he captures his role perfectly. The other actors do an excellent job as well, namely Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone- as well as Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich. The direction is fantastic, and much needed for the creative vision of the film at hand. The script is not only well done, but incredibly thought provoking, original, and brilliantly put into flm format. The music is fantastic, letting us feel so much emotion from such simple and classic pieces of work. The pacing is excellent, and the film leaves you with a smile and you wanting more- as I think any good film should. In the end, I have absolutely no complaints about The Truman Show. I've seen it more times than I can count, and it's easily one of my favorite films out there. Its a creative masterpiece that is unlike anything we would ever see today, or anything before it. It may be 20 years old, but The Truman Show may just be one of the most brilliant and influential films ever made.

My Rating: 10/10.

It's not often a Hollywood film arrives with such lofty ambitions as this. On one hand this is a high concept comedy in the vein of "Groundhog Day" about an unwitting man whose entire life has been a TV show. This is also a Jim Carrey vehicle designed to display his charms. On the other hand this a very satirical look at the way the media manipulates our reality. The film also wants to take a philosophical look at free will vs. a higher power and reality vs. fantasy. It doesn't always work as the satire often keeps you from thinking too deeply about the underlying themes and the philosophical stuff keeps the satire from biting as well as it could. Credit engaging performances and solid and thoughtful direction from Weir for keeping things afloat and entertaining. There are some great cinematic moments here. I loved the "stolen kiss on the beach at night" and "Cue the sun!"

In the end this film is closer in spirit to psychological dramas and sci-fi movies where a person suddenly realizes they are the pawn in some grand experiment or a prisoner in an alien world than it is to anything in our current "reality TV" obsessed culture. Eventually it touches on a very basic conflict all humans must face (most people do so in childhood, some I fear never do). The universe does not revolve around us. In the closing moments we are excited for Truman because he finally realizes there is a whole new world out there to explore, but also slightly saddened because we know all to well that he will never be able to return to that idyllic "childhood" existence. How's it going to end? Who knows...but things will never be the same.

As inventive and creative as Weir's staging is, The Truman Show wouldn't work without credible Truman. And Carrey carries off the tricky role with a chipperness that belies a deep-seeded longing for more in life than surface perfection in all this movie is one of my all time favorites.