The Truman Show Review
by "Yen, Homer" (YenHo AT cof DOT org)June 14th, 1998
"The Truman Show" - Must See TV
One criticism that many have made about today's television shows is that it contains too little realism. What we view are gross exaggerations, lurid sensationalism running wild. Witness the trashy talk shows, the nutty soap operas, pay-per-view fiascoes, prime-time wrestling, and "oh no...they killed Kenny!" Is that why a show such as Seinfeld was so popular? Because they covered topics that seemed so ordinary that they were downright insightful? The public clamors for something real to watch, and they get it in "The Truman Show."
Now in his 30th year, Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) has been the unknowing star of his own show since he was born. As he goes about his daily life and interacts with the city's denizens, thousands of hidden cameras follow him around, revealing to the audience every little detail of his life. Truman has no idea that his life has been carefully planned and that all the world is a stage. We're there when he suffers tragedy, when he takes his first steps, and when he experiments with his first kiss. Truman eventually finds his life too comfortable. An uneasiness begins to gnaw at him. The only thing that ever gave him spark was a brief encounter with a girl whom he met in college who mysteriously disappeared. "I'm getting out of here," he exclaims. But to actually leave the community would mean the end of the show, and the producer (Ed Harris) does what he can to keep Truman trapped in his storybook land.
"The Truman Show" is an elegantly constructed movie that explores two things. The first is Truman's growing realization that his whole life has been some sort of masquerade. He picks up clues here and there such as the wife that talks like a television commercial, radio channels whose announcer tells where Truman is heading, and a lifestyle that's unrealistically harmonious. He knows that finding his own truth requires risks. He is willing to shed his affable nature in search of adventure. The more interesting aspect, however, is the debate that ensues between the producer of the show and a former cast member who severely questions his ethics and accuses him of deceit and using technology and media to satiate some kind of twisted appetite of the public. Ratings override his sense of humanitarianism, and thus the direction of the movie soon becomes clear. Who will win out? Those that seek the truth for personal betterment or those that manipulate the facts in order to stave off change?
Carrey turns in a surprisingly good performance, and shows that he has the ability to be both a manic comic and a person that can project a sense of wonderment and awe. It's easy for us to sympathize with Carrey and as the movie progresses, we struggle with him and become a part of his life. The storytelling quickly draws us in, and we become as interested as the viewing audience depicted in the movie. "The Truman Show" is a unique movie, his journey is immensely satisfying, and Carrey is engrossing as a man who learns that there's nothing more important than taking that first step.
Grade: B+
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