The Truman Show Review
by Martin Thomas (drmartin32 AT earthlink DOT net)June 7th, 1998
If you were to peruse my collection of nearly 300 CDs you'd find several titles by The Specials, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Costello,
Marvin Gaye , U2 and I imagine the biggest question on your mind would be: "Do you own EVERYTHING by Prince?"- (nearly)
If you looked a little further, you'd see that right in between those were also the greatest hits of The Carpenters, The BeeGees,
Michael Jackson, and Burt Bacharach. I absolutely adore this music, and not out of a sense of irony, kitsch or trendiness. Before there
was "retro" this was the music that permeated the airwave when I was a kid and I've never stopped loving it. There is no shame in my
game.
Now at this point I probably wouldn't let you look too much closer because you would no doubt stumble upon the CDs I don't beat
my chest over. Discs featuring the song stylings of such luminaries as Kenny G, Yanni, Celine Dion and...(ugh) Michael Bolton. All I
can say in my defense is: "They belong to my wife."
I know, I know, the smart thing would've been to keep our collections separate but...well, she had this Tony!Toni!Tone! CD I really wanted to absorb- Oh well.
I imagine your big question now is: "How could you marry a woman with such awful taste in music?"
I guess I just...waitaminnit! Is that REALLY you're next question? Man, you guys are shallow!
For your information, ‘Oh cynical one', a marriage is based on mutual trust and having much more in common than something so trivial as musical tastes. For instance, my wife and I feel the exact same way about... ...uuuhh...um...uh...Jim Carrey!!
Yeah, Jim Carrey, hah!
I was a big fan of Jim Carrey's back before he was on tv in THE DUCK FACTORY. He was doing stand up comedy which featured
some decent jokes but what was amazing were his impressions- one in particular. He'd start by tapping his foot and without using his voice he'd perfectly imitate the cast of MY THREE SONS. Ernie, Chip, Uncle Charlie and even Fred MacMurray all by unhinging his
jaw and contorting the muscles of his face.
Nobody was more excited than me when turned up in the cast of IN LIVING COLOR. Finally, he was given a large enough venue
to show the world how talented he was. And week after week he did. It eventually led to a hugely successful movie...Ah yes, the
movies.
When Jim Carrey's film career began he and I had to "part ways". Though his movies made truckloads of money I found them to
be too broad for my taste- and by ‘broad' I mean: Pretty damn stupid! (with sugar on it).
THE MASK was originally a bitingly witty comic book series with a completely different tone than the flaccid movie adaption. I was unable to watch anymore than 20 minutes of DUMB & DUMBER. In an interview Carrey admitted , as I suspected, that ACE
VENTURA 2 had no script. Everyday he'd arrive on the set and say to himself, "They're paying me$20 million. The cameras are
rolling. Think of something funny! Think of something funny!"
The only one I was able get any enjoyment out of was BATMAN FOREVER (in which he stole the show) and that couldn't really be
considered ‘HIS' movie.
Enter THE CABLE GUY.
THE CABLE GUY featured a plot with twists, a good script, a message (despite itself) and some good gags that didn't solely rely on
his unfilled Ridlin prescription. Best of all, Carrey's chaotic energy was focused into playing a demented character with enough
dimension to remind me of several people I knew in high school. Just as I'd declared the art of making good comedies dead, THE
CABLE GUY served me up a hot crow sandwich (followed by dessert ala THE NUTTY PROFESSOR). Me and the missus liked it
even better the second time. It also managed to bring lovers of dark comedies everywhere over to the Jim Carrey bandwagon. In
short, THE CABLE GUY was successful in every way...except one,
financially.
Carrey's salary was $20 million while the movie only made $12 million. I'm not strong in math but I think that means it was a flop. According to entertainment reporters and media analysts, "The fans thought the movie was too dark! Carrey should forget drama and return to his old comedy!" Huh, imagine that. A ‘mandate' that a performer stick to schtick rather than expand himself as an artist. Go figger.
I researched why this turn of events happened and was able to reach only one logical conclusion. As it turns out there are two
phylum of Jim Carrey fan: 1) Those who liked THE CABLE GUY and (2) Morons ... Sorry. Let's say ‘mentally challenged'- and the
ratio was nearly 6 to 1. Fortunately, Jim Carrey's next movie was LIAR!LAIAR!. That movie was both ‘stupid' and ‘smart' in the best possible way. It won back all of his old fans and held on to his new ones. His career was ‘saved'.
So, what does any of this have to do with THE TRUMAN SHOW? I'll explain that in a minute.
There's no need for me to tell you that THE TRUMAN SHOW is good, you've already heard that at least twenty times or more.
You've probably also heard it compared to FORREST GUMP and that Jim Carrey does some Oscar-caliber dramatic acting.
Hmmn...I would definitely say it's a GREAT movie but the other two?...I don't know. Rather than FORREST GUMP, the movies I
would shelve it next to would be ROBOCOP, MAN BITES DOG and BRAZIL- three of the best written, well constructed, disturbing
and nauseatingly cynical movies I've ever seen.
THE TRUMAN SHOW is the story of Truman Burbank, who at age 30 has not realized that his entire life has been broadcasted as a
tv show. His entire environment is a city-sized, dome- shaped tv studio and all of his friends and loved ones are actors- who stop ever
so often to hawk the sponsors products.
While this all handled light-heartedly at first, as the story continues you find out more things that don't sit so well; Like the fact that
Truman was actually adopted by a corporation from an unwed mother. They used intense trauma and manipulation to keep him from
wanting to leave his ‘hometown'. Truman doesn't catch on that his world is artificial because, frankly, he's never had anything to
compare it to. The worst thing about all of this is that the citizenry approve of it, not because it's a tv show...but because IT'S THE MOST POPULAR TV SHOW IN AMERICA!!
Like the three movies I mentioned earlier, I couldn't help but respect THE TRUMAN SHOW, despite feeling ill from the cynical distopia it presented. After the denial wore off I had to accept that it WAS our world, and closer than you think. I would refer you to the new trend in websites: A camera continously broadcasts the actions, no matter how mundane, of the site's host. Better still, look to Fox's POLICE SCARIEST CAR CHASES or the highly rated JERRY SPRINGER, especially before it became faux-fight night. Our
voyeurism is out of the closet and is successfully integrating itself to our desire to be entertained.
Exiting the movie I was reminded of how I felt the first time I saw Chuck Heston come upon the half buried Statue of Liberty in
PLANET OF THE APES or discover that SOYLENT GREEN was made of people.
Just as lightning struck and knocked a rack of chemicals onto police scientist Barry Allen and transformed him into the fastest man alive, The Flash!, in a similar phenomenon, DEAD POETS SOCIETY director Peter Weir turned hyperactive, gonzo comedian
Robin Williams into an Oscar nominated (eventually winning) dramatic actor.
I'm sure you also know that a few months later, an identical accident turned Barry's nephew Wally into Kid Flash, with the same powers. THE TRUMAN SHOW is also directed by Peter Weir and it's star, hyperactive, gonzo comedian is...well, not quite Kid Flash.
Carrey's acting is definitely good, but he plays Truman as something of a 1950's goofball. It fits the story well and is very effective at keeping you off balance but it doesn't define his dramatic range at all. For that the best barometer still is DOING TIME ON MAPLE
DRIVE.
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If you've been paying attention you should have several questions on your mind right now: "What's gonna happen when the old fans
and parents take their kids to see this movie?" "Dramatic and dark? Didn't they learn from THE CABLE GUY?" "How can this
movie succeed?"....Thank you. Now, these are good questions.
Consider this: The movies I review I usually see 3 days to 2 weeks before their release date. THE TRUMAN SHOW I saw 2
MONTHS AGO and I'd been reading reviews a whole month before...alot of reviews!
This studio isn't stupid. They've learned from the past and are insuring that there's enough good word of mouth to make the populace ‘like' the picture before they even see it. Maybe the method isn't as crass or over-inflated as those used to hype GODZILLA,
but it's still pure marketing and manipulation and I, for one, refuse to be a part of it...
....Well, okay, maybe this once...
....I honestly do think it's a Must-See movie...
....It's possibly the best movie you'll see this summer...and I realize that ain't saying much, but THE TRUMAN SHOW does...
...It speaks volumes
I'm sure my wife'll love it.
-MARTIN
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