EDtv Review
by Bob Bloom (cbloom AT iquest DOT net)March 25th, 1999
EDtv (1999) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Ellen DeGeneres, Martin Landau, Sally Kirkland and Elizabeth Hurley.
Inevitably, someone is going to liken EDtv to The Truman Show.
But comparisons, in this case, are invalid.
The only thing these two movies have in common is that both concern individuals whose life is continually put before the public.
But while Truman Burbank was the unwitting and unknowing star of his own life, Ed Pekurny allows his life to be taped and presented uncensored to a curious and, later, demanding public.
Ron Howard's EDtv is a comedy about our obsession with fame and celebrity. Along the way, it skewers our notion of what constitutes these qualities and how people acquire them.
Ed (Matthew McConaughey) is a loser. He's a 31-year-old transplanted Texan working in a San Francisco video store when he is plucked from obscurity by Cynthia (Ellen DeGeneres), the programming director for True TV, a new network looking for an audience hook.
Her idea is to follow around one person for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, capturing every facet of his life on television.
Cynthia chooses Ed because he is such a schnook, a good old boy with no pretenses.
At first, Ed likes the idea, but when he realizes the price that fame costs him, his girlfriend and his family, he becomes disillusioned.
The charm of Howard's film, written by his usual collaborators, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is in the wonderful performances Howard elicits from his all-star cast, which also includes Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman, Martin Landau, the great Sally Kirkland, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley and Rob Reiner.
The essence of screen acting is to perform as if the camera is not there. To be successful, an actor cannot be self-conscious. A performer must forget about the camera.
But in EDtv, the cast has to continually switch emotions, going from ignoring the camera to the realization that their lives are being shown live nationwide. In other words, the actors must act self-consciously during those scenes in which they realize they're being broadcast on video.
It is not a simple task, yet Howard's cast is most successful at differentiating between being on-camera and "on camera."
McConaughey displays a goofy kind of innocence as Ed, even though his part could have been an unsympathetic one. By not caring or realizing the havoc his decision would rain on his family and friends, McConaughey's Ed comes across as a bit of a self-absorbed geek.
Yet his Ed is so likable, so down to earth, that we forgive his trespass and root for him.
Elfman, as Shari, the woman whom 71 percent of the people in a USA Today poll say is no good for Ed, is wonderful and photogenic.
Elfman is one of those actresses the camera loves. When she is on the screen, she grabs a scene and holds it. She has charisma, warmth and sex appeal.
Harrelson is funny as Ed's braggart older brother who uses Ed's 15 minutes of fame to promote his gym concept.
DeGeneres is sly and witty as the TV programmer who continually manipulates Ed. Landau almost steals the film as Ed's wise-cracking stepfather, while Kirkland as his publicity-hungry mom is given little to do.
Hurley contributes some nice physical comedy as the model who uses Ed as a publicity ploy.
The script continually cuts to various groups watching Ed's life unfold. They are our Greek chorus, commenting on the action. It's a slick device that keeps the movie moving.
EDtv is not as vicious a satire as I would have liked. Its swipes at the media are more jabs and love taps than uppercuts, and its finale seems contrived.
Still, it is an enjoyable two hours filled with solid performances and some genuine laughs.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at
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