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The Truman Show

Rating

Director

Peter Weir

Screenplay

Andrew Niccol

Length

1h 43m

Starring

Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Brian Delate, Peter Krause, Ed Harris, Paul Giamatti, Adam Tomei, Harry Shearer, Una Damon, Philip Baker Hall

MPAA Rating

PG

Basic Plot

Truman Burbank is living life as he knows it. Only he doesn’t know that it’s all fake and those he loves most are actors and that he is being watched by millions of people on television.

Review

Life on television. An American dream? Or an unimaginable nightmare?

Peter Weir takes us on a strange journey. One where we think we know the ending, but we’re not sure how it will get there.

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) was legally adopted by a corporation who, for thirty years, has been watching is every move and so have people around the world.

Truman’s life is his own, but everyone around him is an actor and they are all directed by his “adoptive father” Christof (Ed Harris).

It’s hard to describe the film without giving away many of its magnificent messages or scenes. Truman doesn’t know what is going on, but people have tried to tell him what is, only Christof won’t let that happen. His true love tried to explain it to him, but was dragged away. His father, who had been killed when he was a child tries to return to the show.

Truman has been sanctioned off on a little island called Seahaven. He has been poked and prodded with a fear of drowning and other ways to scare him into not leaving the island, but as an adult his own curiosity finally gets to him.

Carrey is absolutely phenomenal as Truman. Never before has he been in such a dramatic role that didn’t try to capitalize on solely his comedic talents. Carrey is Oscar nomination bound and could very well get the award. It will be rather odd to hear him referred to as “Oscar winner Jim Carrey,” but we might have to get used to it. Hopefully this performance will lead to more dramatic comedy roles that will give him a chance to get away from his “Dumb and Dumber”-type roles.

Harris is appealing and leads the rest of a marvelous cast. Not a single person falls out of step and Weir should take credit for that. His use of different camera angles and unique visual style make the film his own.

The screenplay is fantastic and a sure-fire nominee for Original Screenplay at the Oscars. Andrew Niccol is witty and takes plenty of good jabs at society and television.

Overall, “The Truman Show” is one of the finest-crafted, best-acted, best-written films to come along in a long while. The film is assuredly one of the most defining and best films of the 1990s and ranks high up there in film history.

Review Written

June 6, 1998