Rating: PG
Length: 1hr 43
Release: 9.10.1998
Dir: Peter Weir
About: An insurance salesman is oblivious of the fact that his entire life is a TV show and his family members are mere actors. As he starts noticing things and uncovers the truth, he decides to escape.
The Good
- Jim Carrey gives one of his best, most levelled and charming performances as Truman Burbank, the focus of this film. While there’s still the flourish of crazy, its not too brash.
- The plot has aged so well in the time since it was first released. The satire element is only more prominent today and it leads to some very deep questions about the society we live in and the entertainment we accept on TV.
- The effects used on the cameras to distinguish between certain views is a nice touch. It also stands as a reminder that Truman is on a show.
The Bad
- Laura Linney. I can’t quite tell if its just her character, or the actress herself that bugs me. I don’t understand the method of engineering a love interest in the way the director did and I also don’t understand why they would pick such a BAD ACTRESS (Linney’s character, not Linney herself) with no ability to improvise. At the height of Truman’s mania, she makes the situation so much worse.
- The extreme gaslighting of everyone on set does make it a little bit of an uncomfortable watch. The lengths taken are a commentary about the tv studio, but it gives me a feeling akin to a horror movie and I’m not sure that’s the film’s intent.
The Ugly
- Ed Harris’ Christof and the ‘creator’ as God metaphor. I mean the guy was a dick anyway, did it really have to go that far?!
Final Thoughts
Charming and thoughtful look into the world of reality TV, long before it was a format that became a reality to us.
The Queens of Geekdom 