The Truman Show Review
by John Carroll (flyers130 AT aol DOT com)October 14th, 1999
Who would have thought? Jim Carrey does drama. When I first saw the advertisement for The Truman Show, I thought, "What a hilarious idea for a movie!" However, it was an even better premise for a drama.
The Truman Show takes us into a world that revolves around one man. That man is Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey). Truman has no clue what is really going on in his world and frankly, Cristof wants to keep it that way. Christof is the "god" of this made-up world. He keeps everything running and gives the actors their roles. There were a few attempts to tell Truman about his world, but they failed and life went on as normal.
The opening parts of the film introduce to Truman’s world. We see what he is doing at his current age, then we get a flashback at his past. It may seem a tad boring, but it is so intriguing that you will fall in love with the film right from the start.
The film can be described in one word: weird. It seems like such a simple idea, yet it is something that a majority of us would never think of, but Andrew Niccol did. It seems like a warped idea, but it is Andrew’s idea and he did wonders with it.
Jim Carrey actually lived up to the hype. The hype, whether good or bad, always focused on Carrey’s ability to do drama. No one doubted how extraordinary this film could be, the only thing they doubted was Carrey. And he showed them all up. Jim Carrey was snubbed at the Oscars. I do not think he was the best actor, but he deserved the nomination. He plays Truman Burbank, the unsuspecting star of the most popular television show in the world. He has lived a normal life for almost thirty years, but then strange things start happening. He ventures into the wrong elevator. A light crashes in front of him. His father comes back and is then pulled away. We are constantly teased with all of this and we know it is a show, but Truman does not. And it is just a constant progression that never gets sluggish. Carrey is able to shed his comedy to play a major role in a major drama.
Laura Linney is magnificent as the camera hungry wife. She plays her role as advertiser and budding star to a point. Peter Weir does not make the cast perfect, and their flaws eventually lead to Truman’s escape. The story unfolds until the show becomes too big and everything crashes down.
Despite Carrey’s greatness, the best performance in The Truman Show undoubtedly is turned in by Ed Harris, who plays the "god" of Truman’s world. He displays the pressure he is under, the world he has created. He becomes so paranoid that he believes he is a god and that Truman has him to thank for his sham of a life.
The action moves at a good pace, and rarely gets sluggish. But, the main point of the film is how it looks like a television show. It really makes you think. Maybe your brother is an actor, maybe your best friend is in heated contract negotiations to stay on the show. Some of the best parts of the film are when Truman ventures into the wrong elevator and sees cast members drinking coffee and talking. Or when Truman tunes into the wrong station and hears orders being said for Truman’s arrival. And when Christof focuses in on Truman and cues the dramatic music as Marlon (Noah Emmerich) delivers his dramatic line. All of these ideas are just perfect for the film and extremely innovative. I was not only enjoying the film, I was overwhelmed by genius of it.
Overall, The Truman Show is one of the freshest and innovative films to come out of Hollywood. Jim Carrey shows that he is not just a man of a million faces, but a legitimate actor who could go down as one of the best. Andrew Niccol is responsible for the screenplay and Peter Weir pulled it off to perfection. The Truman Show is a must see for anyone who likes movies in general because they will be thoroughly impressed by this creative film.
Rating: 4 Stars out of 4 Stars
The Movie Page- http://jump.to/moviepage
Reviews, Previews, News and So Much More!
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
