The Truman Show Review
by Joshua Birk (inkless AT inkless DOT com)June 15th, 1998
Truman Show, The [1998]
Directed by: Peter Weir
Featuring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris
Written by: Andrew Niccol
Movies are controlled by their premise, which is what makes The Truman Show such an amazing piece of celluloid.
Brief explanation. I recently wrote a bit on Godzilla which loved it for being bad, because it's a movie reprising really bad (although ultra-fun) movies. The old Godzilla movies were essentially just large pieces of latex shambling through bad plot intersected with dialog. Independence Day, by the same people and almost the same concept, wasn't a good movie because it didn't have that license to ill. If Godzilla had a wonderful plot and great acting, I probably would have hated it.
The Truman Show's premise gives it a huge task: create a show within a movie in which the producer/director
is essentially God. That places it essentially on the other end of the spectrum from Godzilla.
This Harrison Begeron meets The Real World is a difficult setup because the audience is supposed to be analyzing everything, watching Truman's microcosm from the same lens as the Truman's television audience. What's good for the microcosm, is good for the film. Because of this, the reverse is true as well, the viewer is analyzing the entire film in the same light.
Even with that scrutiny, The Truman Show is still excellent. My first concern was Jim Carrey. As someone who has made a career as an over actor, it's hard to see him carrying a dramatic role. Particularly one in movie where the entire plot and action is almost literally revolving around him with every hidden camera. For the most part, Carrey does a fine job. He occasionally drifts off into manic fits, about half of which seem to fit into the role and the rest just seem weird.
The chief problem isn't Carrey, but the slow rising of the curtain of his stageworld. The Truman Show has been airing nonstop for Truman's entire life, without his knowledge that it is indeed a show. Yet, in a matter of two days, enough clues get dropped and enough actors slip in their roles that he questions his existence. What the movie lack is history. Truman's denial of his stageworld should logically have spanned months, if not years, instead of weeks. Only a couple of episodes from his life really have an impact on the plot, which seems implausible for movie begging to have an epic history.
With that exception, though, the movie carries through with the premise with intelligence. Everything from the extras in television show to the audience watching it around the globe make an environment which draws the viewer in to ask the question "How will it end?"
Overall:
Carrey's acting is good, but not brilliant. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be, because the movie is brilliant. Hug your favorite Truman pillow and go see this one.
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Joshua Birk
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