The Truman Show Review
by Michael Redman (redman AT bvoice DOT com)June 14th, 1998
Truman lives so we don't have to
The Truman Show
A Film Review By Michael Redman
Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
***1/2 (out of ****)
At some point in nearly everyone's life, one begins to wonder exactly how
real his perception of the world is. Usually between the ages of 30 and 40,
most people realize that they have been looking at life through glasses made
of lenses ground first by their parents, then by teachers and continually by
the media.
Then there is the painful choice of accepting that view or attempting to get
out of the box that surrounds us and form our own vision. No wonder that time
of life is often referred to as a mid-life crisis.
Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is having one hell of a 30th year. Beginning with
a studio light that mysteriously falls out of the perfect blue sky and
followed by odd "coincidences", he begins to believe that the world is
revolving around him. In real life this would be called paranoia or delusions
of grandeur. Here it's because, unbeknownst to him, Burbank is the subject of
a 24 hour a day television series: the most popular show in the nation.
Adopted by a corporation at birth, his life has been broadcast to the world
since his day one. Now at day 10,909, he's discovered that something is amiss. Everyone -- his wife, his best friend, the bus driver -- in his flawless
hometown of Seahaven (filmed in the sanitized Florida community of Seaside) is
an actor.
Even the town is a movie set with 5,000 hidden cameras under a huge dome. The
sun and moon rise and set by command of series director Christof (Ed Harris
who stepped in after Dennis Hopper left), he of the godlike name. All of
Truman's experiences and emotions are manipulated by Christof's whispers to
the actors. Truman lives in the ultimate fascist state.
An actress extra is yanked from the set when she and Truman begin to form an attachment to each other because it wasn't in the script. While she is trying
to tell him that his life is a fake, she is hustled away by an actor playing
her father.
The movie owes much to "The Prisoner" television series, but the show within
the film reminds me of the slow-speed OJ Simpson car chase. Perhaps the best television ever, the extended chase was riveting because it was real and
because nothing was happening, yet all eyes were on the tube. In this film,
viewers watch Truman going about his mundane day. He leads an idyllic life
and, like the chase, nothing much takes place...until he opens his eyes.
The audience watches him working, eating and sleeping. They give up their
lives (in one scene a baby screams while its parents ignore him, glued to the
set) to watch Truman eat dinner. We have become a country of voyeurs enjoying
the bread and circuses.
Strangely enough with all of the overly-long films recently, this one feels
too short. I wanted to know more. It is frustrating that the movie ends on the brink of potentially the most interesting aspect of Truman's life. Like the television audience, I want to watch.
Although turning in a marvelous job, director Australian Peter Weir ("Picnic
At Hanging Rock", "Witness", "The Year Of Living Dangerously") is a bit heavy-handed with the metaphors. It's obvious that the film is about our media-manipulated lives and the struggle to escape the shell of control. A
more subtle approach would have worked better.
Weir has a history of casting actors (Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Mel
Gibson) in films that change their careers. Jim Carrey is no exception. Moving
from his hilarious television work in "The Duck Factory" and "In Living Color"
to the money-making but remarkably insipid "Ace Ventura" films, Carrey made
his living with broad comedy and a rubber face. Taking a chance in the daring
but flawed dark comedy "The Cable Guy", he signaled a change in direction. Now
with "The Truman Show", Carrey has completed his about-face. Reining himself
in, the actor is still hilarious at times, but there's a human here not just a goofball.
The supporting cast is up to the task. Each walks the fine line between
portraying a television character and portraying an actor playing a character.
The standout is Harris as the all-powerful megalomaniac on high.
The promotion of this film must have been a challenge. It was ready for
release last year, delayed for a few months and then delayed again. The studio
has decided to advertise it as a comedy. People who walk into the theater
expecting to see nonsensical Carrey antics are going to be surprised.
It's much easier to watch someone else than to have our own experiences. It's seductive to be concerned about others because then we don't have to worry
about looking at ourselves. And then when we are in a time of crisis, someone else's life can flash before our eyes.
(Michael Redman has written this column for over 23 years and has seen a
number of people's lives flash before his eyes. Email your experiences to [email protected].)
[This appeared in the 6/11/98 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana.
Michael Redman can be contacted at [email protected].]
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