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The Truman Show

The Truman Show

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Everyone is watching you.
Review: The Truman Show came out in a bad year. Because it was a year of many great films. Which kept it from getting a best picture nomination. Titanic won that year and I dislike that film. But films like Good Will Hunting and LA Confidential are both great. I still think the Truman show should have been nominated but oh well. Now on to the film. This movie is the scariest PG rated movie ever made. It really makes you wonder if your just someone elses entertainment. Ed Harris gives a great role playing in a way Trumans "God". The movie tells that it is better to be in the real world where there is pain and suffering than to be in heaven and have it fake. That's a concept that rises above most of the crap I've ever seen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good afternoon, good evening, good night - GREAT MOVIE!!
Review: This is one of my favorite movies in recent history. Jim Carrey here joins Robin Williams ("Dead Poets Society," etc.) and Michael Keaton ("Batman," "Pacific Heights," etc.), to be counted among the few comic actors who have managed a foray into the world of drama with spectacular success... The basic idea of this film, as in all likelihood whoever is reading this already knows, is that Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man whose entire life has been surreptitiously filmed, and made into a sort of global media cult... He is almost completely unaware of this, although now and then he has gotten an inkling that something's up. Everything about this movie is perfect -- even Truman's name is a perfect mix -- "True Man", which is what he is finally becoming, mixed with "Burbank", the home of the phoniest people alive, the Hollywood establishment.

I think one of the most important parts of this film is that Truman is turning 30 years old. There is something about that age that, in my experience, really does involve a reassessment of all kinds of things in one's life. There is a questioning that goes on, as well as a sort of heightened awareness of the social games around you that are really traps, if you think about them. Some of them are traps that are probably worth fighting to stay locked up in, but now I'm revealing my bourgeois bias. Be that as it may, given the general theme of becoming aware of perhaps living in some kind of fool's paradise -- if the main character of this movie were 16 years old, the movie would probably resemble "Pump Up the Volume." If the main character were 23, the movie might resemble "The Matrix." But the kind of awakening that happens in the early 30s is what's being captured here, and the director Peter Weir does everything perfectly.

A couple things I wanted to say -- Noah Emmerich is terrific as the buddy, Marlon, who shows up with a six pack at crisis moments, to keep Truman's brain anaesthetized. Noah seems to get typecast a little in the "buddy" role, he played a similar part in "Beautiful Girls." He does have a good look for that kind of role. Oh well, I guess it's a living... I also wanted to say that while it's easy to identify with Truman, breaking free of the lies that have bound his mind, I think anyone watching this should also ask themselves whether they've ever played the part of Cristoph, the director-overseer of the artificial world who keeps lying to Truman, to make Truman's "happiness" his (Cristoph's, not Truman's) responsibility. I have done this in my life. Looking at this movie, I identify at least as strongly with Cristoph as with Truman. Probably even more. This is the kind of mentality which could lead to someone becoming a mental abuser of a partner in any relationship -- romantic, familial, workplace, or what have you... The killer storm that Cristoph invokes at the end, especially, reminded me of the kind of tantrum any controlling person might throw, if they could, to keep another human being under their thumb... Cristoph made his decision to keep lying forever to the person who made his own "happiness" possible. If anyone reading this is involved in any symbolically similar behavior, take a cue from this movie and change your ways while there's still time, and set the Truman in your life, whoever it is, free. Just a thought.

Fox Mulder, on the "X-Files" once famously mentioned that "a choice given to many men is the choice between being a slave in heaven, or a master in hell." The ending of this movie opens up the prospect of an exciting third possibility -- to be oneself, neither master nor slave, but a free being. As long as you maintain a kind, gentle heart, which Truman clearly does, everyone should have that right. This movie rules. Absolutely worth owning.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: non's favorite movie
Review: I saw the Truman show because it stars Jim Carrey. He is my favorite actor. Until I saw the movie. I had thought him a comedy actor. But he is very impressive in this movie. So I found new aspects of him. I came to like him more seeing the movie. This moviefs story is as follows. Trumanfs life is broadcasted to nation wide. He has only imitation fiends and family. But he has not noticed those things. So he thinks he spends a normal life. But one day he has doubts about his circumference. He tries to discover the truth. In the end, he goes into the real world out of the imitation life. My favorite scene is the final scene. He goes out to the actual world from the world which gives absolute safety to him. He chooses the actual world. It is very exciting so I took an enormous liking to the scene. Another scene I like is the scene in which people are watching Trumanfs life on television. The description of the people is very real. So it is interesting to me. Besides, there are many nice scenes. So I like this movie very much.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Truman" seems based on Philip K. Dick's "Time Out Of Joint"
Review: I really enjoyed "The Truman Show", saw it twice, and wish Carrey had been recognized by the Academy for his acting. When I first watched "Truman", I thought the movie's premise seemed familiar, and indeed, if you read Philip K. Dick's SF novel "Time Out Of Joint", you'll see many similarities, even down to the button worn by a character who breaks into the movie set to tell Truman that he is in a TV show. Also, in both the book and movie, the main characters are in a grocery store and test the theory that everyone is watching them by surprising everyone in the store and noticing that they all react to surprise in a very organized manner, as a unit. In Dick's novel, the main character, Ragle Gumm, lives in a 50's suburban town and spends his days playing the local newspaper's daily puzzle, and slowly but surely, his reality unravels, and he thinks everyone is looking at him and talking about him...not to totally give away the story, but it turns out everyone IS looking at him and talking about him. The reasons for making Ragle and Truman the center of attention are different, but the stories are so similar. If you've never read Philip Dick's stories (the movies "Bladerunner", "Screamers", and "Total Recall" are all based upon his works) please give them a try - he is one of the greatest novelists to have ever tackled the question, "What is real?"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hey this would make an acutal Good Television show!
Review: After seeing the Truman Show on DVD, I thought this was one of the best movie I've have ever seen. I wondered why did I miss this on theaters. When Big Brother came on CBS, I thought it was a spin off of The Truman show with the exception of the people who are in the house knew that they were being watched.

The movie also makes me wonder if somebody brilliant enough would take on the same idea from the Truman Show and do the same thing.

This movie is outstanding and deserves a perfect 5 stars, great music, acting (Jim Carrey of course), best movie of the year.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clever, unique and touching
Review: Jim Carrey gives a very different performance to in his other hit films, here portraying the emotional and real uncertainties of a man whose life is all fake and set up. As the film draws on he begins to sense that his world is false, leading to a phenomenal finale in which he attempts to sail away from the island created for him, realises that he can't and everything si false, and then is spoken to by his world's creator. The character conveyed throughout is unique, the subject matter is very touching and thought-provoking, and Peter Weir has pulled it off here.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: THIS MOVIE
Review: i THINK THAT THIS WAS A GOOD MOVIE.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Unique idea, and brilliantly produced.
Review: Jim Carrey deserved every award in the book for this one. His performance bowled me over. And whenever I recommend it to people, they say "I don't think I like his stuff" and I always have to say "No, you don't understand. This is totally different. It's not just different from his other stuff; it's different from anything you've ever seen!" As many times as I've seen it, I always see something new in it. The premise is fascinating, but the way it was all put together is uncanny. I absolutely love the detail that went into the production. See this -- please. It will make you think.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I Spy A Man's Life (2.5 stars)
Review: Imagine a world of thousands of lenses, all aimed at you, following your every move, your every word, your every step. Imagine brushing your teeth, cooking a meal, watching TV, taking a shower, or just walking down the street without any solitude or discretion. Every smile, every tear, every embarrassing moment, every joyous hour - all caught on camera in an audience consisting of the entire world. Imagine finding out that your whole life has been an in-depth design of an innovative production team at a broadcasting company with more power than the president. What then? How badly would you suffer? Would your mind be completely blown? Could an idea like this be more unfeasible or absurd? These are the questions that "The Truman Show" poses to its audience as they examine the falsified life of a naive human being, a science project from its initial induction into a fictitious society. He grows into the man we know as Truman Banks, a man with nothing intimate concealed from anyone except his mind. His wife and friends are all talented thespians, chosen for him by the creative crew behind the eye in Truman's sky.

This was a noteworthy film but it fell short of my initial expectations. I expected Jim Carrey to be a little more animated but I guess he was hard-pressed to give some earnest delivery after the numerous farces he effortlessly cranked out in the past few years, and the continuing doubt from audiences and critics alike that he could never do the serious actor bit convincingly. I wouldn't doubt Peter Weir had something to do with obtaining that goal, seeing as how his directing style is visibly apparent and exceedingly understated (Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Year Of Living Dangerously). I expect JC was on a very tight leash while under Weir's administration. His performance as a result was extremely subdued, but he was quite charming and very believable as a stanch romantic. Aside from this comforting fact, the action was less comedic than the overblown trailer gave the impression of. Don't get me wrong, the actors were great, but I thought I would laugh a lot more than I did when I watched it. I'm just thankful I rented it instead of going to the theaters to see it. ....

Laura Linney pleasantly surprised me with her airhead act as the la-la-land persona of Meryl, this sunshiney portrayal attempted after her aggressive cabaret as prosecuting attorney Janet Venable in 1996's "Primal Fear". She's a versatile talent, able to shift from one character to another with astonishing ease. She also impressed me recently in a made-for-TV movie called "Running Mates", co-starring with Tom Selleck as his voracious lobbyist. Who I also took a liking to is Noah Emmerich, Truman's best friend Marlon. Noah was perfect as the everyday man and Truman's humble companion, following the baton well with Christof's instruction and the improv from fellow castmates (Linney). If you want to see another cute performance by Noah, watch "Beautiful Girls". Ed Harris as the elusive mastermind behind it all was a strange casting choice. I really don't think he fit the part, what with his known temperament in roles. He can be the beguiling gentleman (China Moon), the indomitable sleuth (The Firm) or the serial psychopath (watch "Just Cause", you'll be blown away!) but good and evil are the two extremes he wanders between and never teeters upon a fine line. He just isn't passive enough, and that makes me wonder if there were ever any creative differences between him and Weir during the filming of this movie. Of course, if someone as outrageous as Carrey can make the transition, I suppose Harris was more than willing to cooperate also.

Besides the overblown theme, there are other problems, for instance the pace. This movie moves so slowly at times you wonder whether it's going to get to the point. Weir wastes so much time dwelling on what's inside Truman's heart that you have not an inkling of what's going on in his head or any outside stimuli. I wish I could appreciate the artistic essence of this film more, but the flaws seem to outweigh the assets. The older this film gets, the less appreciated it will be. I think it's lost most of its praise anyhow. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. Maybe I don't like it because I'm misinterpreting in some way. It could have a deeper message than I seem to think but it's not being made clear to me, no matter how many times I watch it. Oh well. At least it didn't ruin anyone's career.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Idyllic Prison
Review: As you will know by now, this is the surrealistic movie of a man who's grown up in a controlled environment, his life broadcast on television, and with every aspect of his life planned by a corporation. It's a story with many levels of questions and interpretations, from the obvious to the existential. How far would television executives go for ratings? How much right does the public have to know all the details of someone's life? How much are we controlled by others? What is the nature of reality?

However, simply as an allegory for middle-class life, it works extremely well and is deeply moving. When Truman begins to yearn to know more of the world, the people around him conspire to keep him in his claustrophobic environment, using guilt and manipulation. He has an aging mother, he has a job, he has a mortgage, he has friends, he has a wife who wants a baby - he is expected to be settled and happy. When he tries to interject a change of routine into his life despite their admonishments, he's thwarted by 'acts of God'. Jim Carrey was perfectly cast as Truman, making the innocence and wistfulness of the character believable, as was Ed Harris as the god-like director who's both loving and wrathful towards his creation. The 1950's look to the controlled environment harks back to a time many people still think of as domestically ideal, a time when we had no doubts in our beliefs of what was right and proper and what wasn't.

But perhaps the simplest message in it is that until we can overcome the expectations and limitations others impose on us, we will never be free.


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