The Truman Show

Rating:
Summary: An interesting and original movie.
Review: "The Truman Show" is about a normal everyday man named Truman Burbank living a normal everyday life. With one exception. His whole life is a TV show, directed by Christof (Ed Harris). Oneday, after years and years of his every move caught on camera, Truman finds out.

"The Truman Show" is handled very well throughout despite some details which I couldn't get past.

1, I couldn't get past the fact that Truman could possibly live that long without finding out that his life was a TV show.

2, That a film company would actually be allowed to make someone's life a TV show without the persons permission. Wouldn't that be invasion of privacy? And wouldn't it be criminal?

3, Where do Christof and his film company get the finances to keep the show going after all these years? A show like that would cost a fortune.

Now, I know it's only a movie and I know that movies don't have to be 100% realistic, but I found that these things let the movie down just a bit. But it's handled so well in other ways, that by the end of the movie, I still gave it 4 stars.

Rating:
Summary: An Essay About What is True and What's False
Review: Few People have identified what the Truman Show is really about: a man that is true to himself in spite of the distractions and lies of his false micro-world. Get it? True-man?

The creator (no capital "c") of Truman's micro universe artfully calls himself Christof- christ is Greek for "annointed" folks.

The false nature of Truman's universe pokes some real fun at hollywood, for nobody really knows how to drive a bus, to practice medicine, heck, when they're searching for Truman the actors don't even know how to have a search party, they link arms and walk through the streets- Everything is based on its appeal to the camera and nothing has any substance and ergo little to do with the real world.

But something is out there and Truman begins to suspect.

As Truman embraces his true self, his explorer self, the part that is stiffled by his false universe, Christof tries to lure him back by having the audacity to present himself as a voice from the heavens. Something that would have great influence on any of us. But the producer is not really God, and the whole cardhouse falls down right then: for the first time in the film, The Girl raises her eyes to heaven and pray's to God "please" at about the time Christof blasphemes "we're on geedee television". It's clear then that there is a real God and Christof ain't Him.

Truman is then brave enough to embrace the unknown True World, having identified and shunned the false universe, the false values, and the lower-case-c-creator of his micro universe.

A brilliant film

Rating:
Summary: opinion from a filmmaker
Review: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTO CINEMATAGRAPHY

The cinematagraphy on this movie is REALLY, REALLY, REALY nice! And Jim Carrey is ONE of the few actors who are really hard to get ahold off for a movie, once you got him to be in your movie, he is REALLY, REALLY hard to work with. And just by "watching" the Truman Show, i can see he did a great job on it! The Truman Show was ALMOST nominated for the academy awards, and i think i should have because of the nice shots, and that's mainly what they look at! The story is good too, it's a silly little beautiful story, plus it's funny.

Rating:
Summary: Boring and overplayed
Review: What more? Better Carry - Liar Liar, Man on the Moon (check). Same idea, better visuals, better acting - Dark City (check). Better story, WYSIWWG (what you see is what we got) feeling - Brazil (check). Extremely overrated.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- a life like our own
Review: I got really freaked out the first time I watched the Truman Show, but a great kind of freaked. You really have to question how far philosophy can go into mass media movies, but this one was done very well, so I'd be interested in more.

By the time the movie is done you'll be looking over your shoulder for a camera, looking towards the sky for spotlights, and looking out over the ocean wondering if it really does end in some wall somewhere -- and your freedom. Great stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Does 'The Truman Show' give us a glimpse of TV in the future
Review: "I was watching when you were born. I was watching when you took your first step. I watched you on your first day of school... You can't leave, Truman. You belong here." Who is speaking here? It may be Christof, but the impression created is one so powerful that it could be said to be God speaking. It is hard to say how close the film itself is to reality, but terror and power have always been used for exploitation in the world. Christof illustrates this immeasurable power throughout the whole film, yet the most disturbing fact is that some can and will accept this. Indeed, some, such as Christof, seem to show a complete lack of morality for what they are actually doing - laughing at certain fond memories, which he has 'shared' with Truman. He has become so engrossed in what he is performing, that he cannot possibly stand back from the situation and suddenly realise what has happened. Christof can find nothing wrong with the ultimate control he processes - he can control everything apart from Truman himself, yet there are endless avenues of exploitation to combat this, which he has implemented in Seahaven. This is made all too obvious when, at the end of the film, he is willing to make Truman die by using his total power over the environment. He instils a complete and utter terror in the viewer: the terror that this could be a reality.

One of the most disturbing scenes in the play is when Christof is controlling Marlon, as if he is a puppet. Christof forces Marlon, who has genuinely known Truman for years, to betray his trust: "And the last thing I would ever do...is lie to you. I mean, think about it, Truman. If everybody's in on it, I'd hafta' be in on it, too. I'm not in on it, because...there is no "it.""

The control possessed by Christof is much greater than first imagined. Is it perhaps possible that he may even control the lives of the viewers? Christof tells us that many viewers "leave him on all night for comfort." Yet to contrive matters still further, Meryl is now unable to define her screen life from reality: "The Truman Show is...a lifestyle. It's a noble life. It is...a truly blessed life." Does Christof really have complete control? There are points where it would appear not: for instance, when Truman sits on the beach and it begins to rain, there is obviously something wrong with the weather system. Neither can he control the real emotions of the actors - he can control everything they do; yet he cannot control their primitive emotions: Meryl breaks down in front of Truman, shouting "Help me" to the backstage crew, as well as breaking down when Marlon arrives, distraught about the "unprofessional" way in which she is being forced to act. It is these events that Christof cannot control that finally lead to Truman's sudden departure from the island.

When the viewer of the film is first presented with the viewers of 'The Truman Show', the experience is one of great confusion. The concept of 'worlds within worlds' is not one that is commonly applied to everyday thinking, so it is only when you have viewed the film for most of its length that the concept sets in. In fact, it is almost completely impossible to understand the film after a first viewing, as so many of the small subtleties are dismissed in the first viewing to facilitate some kind of understanding. Examples include the time when Truman is sent to Seahaven harbour by his employer to conclude a case on Harbour Island. It is unclear at this point that the very reason for his visit is to remind him of his fear of water. Another part of the film that is very hard to understand is Truman's obsession with Women's Magazines - we see later that he is collecting eyes and noses etc. to create the face of Sylvia, yet, even after the flashback to his time with her, it is still difficult to link with previous parts of the film.

The viewers (TV) themselves are very satirised, as they mimic a great truth in Western Society. The viewers (TV) have become so engrossed in the world of Truman, that they appear to lead no lives of their own - 'The Truman Show' is always viewed at the bar with the waitresses; it is always viewed by the man in the bathtub etc. It is true that we are given only one view of these people, but I think that this is very intentional, as it highlights the growing reality of people becoming more and more engrossed in what are supposedly other people's 'real' lives.

The vulnerability of people in this state of 'living someone else's life', allows them to also be drawn in by a great deal of commercialism which is presented to them at regular intervals. There are no commercial interruptions in 'The Truman Show', so 'product placement' must be utilised instead. As the interviewer of TruTalk says: "Of course everything in the show is available in the Truman Catalogue. Operators are standing by." The product placement in 'The Truman Show' is, of course, very obvious, but it hard to know how much of an impact 'product placement' would have on an individual who is so engrossed in the show. There are two very obvious examples: the 'greatest hits tape' owned by the waitress and the 'Truman cushion' which one of the old ladies owns.

It is at once obvious that Truman is slightly wary of what is happening around him, as the placement really is so obvious: everyday he is forced up against a billboard which advertises a different product each day (Kaiser Chicken/Fine Colonial Homes). To see this board, Truman must be standing very close to it, so that it is included in the shot of him. This is achieved by using two actors who will always stop him at the same point everyday, yet just the second time we see this happening Truman says: "Well, what a surprise," with mild sarcasm, indicating the turbulent nature of events to come.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible performance by Jim Carrey in a terrific film
Review: I have, ever since he was a regular on In Living Color, been a big fan of Jim Carrey. First he did Fire Marshall Bill on the show, then moved to the big screen with Ace Ventura, then Dumb and Dumber, making some of the funniest movies of the 90's. He has become known for making some really crazy films, and has been labeled by many critics inmature and very over-the-top. So it was with great interest that I went to go see Jim Carrey in the Truman Show, a drama directed by Peter Weir, probably best known for directing Dead Poets Society. I had high hopes as well, since it was Weir who directed Robin Williams in that film, a known "crazy man", and ended up winning Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.

Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man who seems to have it all: a beatiful wife, a nice home, a steady job, and friendly neighbors in a nice small island town. But lately, he has been feeling unrest, a yearning, to go out and see the world, escape New Haven and experience life, not just the candy-coated version he had been handed. But it goes much deeper than that, as he soon finds out. His dead father suddenly reappears one day on the street as a homeless man, and after he is carried away by strangers for no reason, Truman starts to question everything around him, including the ones he loves.

For you see, Truman is the center of a great television show, called of course, The Truman Show. His whole life has been a sham, with his family nothing more than actors, and his entire surroundings a giant set in the middle of Los Angeles. The whole world is tuned in to him everyday, 24/7, and has been addicted to the show for over 30 years. There are Truman coffee mugs, Truman pillows, Truman dollhouses based on the real ones on the set, and even Truman bars, where people go to just watch the show. It is nothing short of a world-wide phenomona, created by Christof, the man who originally came up with the idea and saw to the construction of it. He sees himself as Truman's surrogate father, and truly believes that he is benefiting Truman, as well as the viewing public.

I won't go into too many more details of the plot, for there are those of you who have not seen it. But what I found to be fascinating is not only Jim Carrey's subdued, sympathetic performance, but the moral implications as well. We have today seen the sanctity of marriage destroyed in a "reality" program, witness voyeuristically first-hand people's sorrows and personal distasters, and while we say some of these programs are disgusting and against every moral fiber in our bodies, we continue to watch, and give these networks some of the highest ratings they have ever seen outside of the Super Bowl. I think this film raises several good points: how far would we go? And why are we so addicted to our televisions that we need to spend a hundred dollars a month on programming for 300 channels, that we need to catch every word of our favorite programs so we won't be left behind? The Truman Show is a great film to watch time and time again for entertainment, but it is also one of the most important cultural satires to come our way in a long time.

As for the technical aspects of the film, I thought the musical score was brought out fantastically through the 5.1 surround sound. And the colors are supurb, almost life-like. And if you have a widescreen television, you are in luck, because this film has an aspect ratio that goes great with your televisions, no ugly letterbox. You get to see the entire picture in widescreen, but with minimal black bars.

Rating:
Summary: Truman is one of Carrey's best performances
Review: In today's relam of reality TV, this show would fit right at home. Wanting to give the audience the ultimate experience of a person's life, but not through the eyes of an actor, Omnicam Corporation adopted a young baby, named him Truman burban, and set him up in a spectacular city encased in a huge dome. Everything is controlled, form outsiders trying to break into the set, to how Truman is interpreted by his family and friends.

Now, it is some 30 years later, and Truman Burbank is married to the supposed woman of his dreams, is working as an insurance salesman, and everything seems to be going fine: until one day, when a strange object falls from the sky (an optical light, with the label of a major star form the night sky). As the days go on, Truman encounters more strange and bizarre happenings: a man looking like his father appears, an elevator ina building seems to just be part of an enclosed set, and a thunderstorm seems only to rain down on HIM! Pretty soon, Truman is enraptured with the spirit to try and leave the city, of Sea Haven, which he finds that he almost cannot do. All of these attempts are foiled by the Truman Show mastermind Christof(recipient of multiple emmy awards, as seen on a mantle near the door). Chritsof has a complex of control over Truman, and tries everything to make sure that he never leaves.

Jim Carrey is the major standout in this film. He's not an actor, he actually acts like a man unsuspecting of his surroundings (the closest to a down to earth person Carrey had played befor was Stanley Ipkiss in "The Mask"). We are as shocked and surprised as he is. There are some instances where Carrey's humor breaks out, but it is mainly spontaneous and not quite as over the top as his performances in "Ace Ventura" and "Liar Liar." This was one film where carrey at least deserved an Oscar nomination, if not the award.

Rating:
Summary: Deeper meanings
Review: I remember after watching this film for the first time I just looked up at the sky for a long time. It made me think so deeply about myself and the people around me in a way that few other films have managed to do. I have now watched this film about 5 times and each time I notice something new about it. It is first and foremost a media satire. With all of the T.V shows that are devoted to watching how normal people live, this film asks the question "How far could we go?"

The performances were excellent especially from Jim Carrey and Ed Harris. Ed Harris brings a sensitivity to Cristoph that makes you almost feel sorry for him. When he talks you can sense that he feels he is helping Truman rather than destroying him. I beleive that Jim Carrey is the only person that could have played this role to perfection. He makes Truman such a vulnerable character that you really care about what will happen to him. He also portrays the gradual change that Truman goes through so smoothly and beleivably that I think he definitely deserved an Oscar nomination for the role.

One of the disturbing things I found about this film was the amount of lying that was present. Imagine finding out that the people closest to you including your family had been lying to you for 30 years. You would be absolutely shattered. This is relevant in real life in that close friends who consistently lie and deceive you are no different from Marlon(Truman's best friend) or Meryl(Truman's wife). The different devices used by Cristoph to keep Truman on the island could be seen as the lies that keep us from reaching our full potential.

The direction by Peter Weir is excellent and the story is told so fluently that you will not be bored at all by this film. I find that the closer you look at this film, the more you will find. There are many ideas that fly by when you watch it the first time but become more apparent on multiple viewings.

This would definitely be in my top 10 films of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Stop This Movie Six Minutes From Its End
Review: It's a great concept! And I can't imagine anyone better suited for the Truman role than Jim Carrey. This whole thing about playing with a real person's life, controlling it and reducing it into some fantasy world... or how is it now... what is real, and what is fantasy, and in whose fantasy is what real, and vice versa?? It is interesting, an interesting (and relevant!) approach to our fake televisionized Big Brother world. And »The Truman Show« gives the meta theme a lot of humouristic touches as well.

In other words, a great film. BUT it would have been an even greater film if it had ended about six minutes before it does. In my eyes, these unnecessary, and even ruining, last six minutes are typical for USAmerican films. It's like they have to explain everything in every detail in order to make the dim viewer understand what's going on. The punchline and morality would have been far more efficient, and far more frightening, had the film just stopped when Truman... no, I'm not going to tell you; watch the film instead!