The Truman Show (1998)

Director: Peter Weir
Story: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris
Music: Philip Glass
Time: 103 minutes
Bottom-line: Tru-ly thought-provoking!

“All the world's a stage, 
And all the men and women merely players; 
They have their exits and their entrances...”

These are the famous lines from William Shakespeare’s As you Like It, and they lay the basic idea for Peter Weir’s The Truman Show. How would you feel if you find out that your entire life is a drama, being staged by some unknown person, and everyone around you has been instructed to play a role, and your whole “reality”, is nothing more than a set-up?

Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
Truman Burbank (Carrey) has his whole life videotaped, right from his birth. He is the star of this “show” about his life – being broadcast all over the world, 24/7 – called The Truman Show. The show’s creator, Christof (Harris) wants to capture Truman’s authentic emotions in certain situations and build a show around it by creating a gigantic set of Truman’s hometown, and everyone around Truman is a cast member. By the time Truman turns 30 he notices some abnormalities in his surroundings, because of the show’s crew members fumbling. As the story progresses, Truman decides to explore for himself and find out what’s really happening around him.

Carrey as Truman

The best part of life is that it is unpredictable; full of surprises. How would you feel if someone has scripted your entire life for you? Someone has taken care of the good and the bad that would happen, every detail, every incident in your life. Some of you may follow the religious belief that God has indeed scripted our life for us, but what if the writer is a human? In the film, Truman has no idea that he’s living an “ideal” life, but as a viewer, you wonder if Christof’s doings are morally right. In a way, he is protecting Truman from all harm and giving him what he wants, but is it right to force a man not to live life the way it should be lived? It is true that all of us want to live a worry-free life, but if we actually do, we miss out on its essence. The film also addresses the issue of privacy. Most of us are interested in peeking into the private lives of others... imagine how it would be if the whole world is watching everything you do. What sort of life would that be?

Ed Harris as Christof

The character of Truman is superbly played by Jim Carrey. The Truman Show is one of his more serious movies, for it induces more thought in you than laughter. The way he portrays innocence – because he’s the only one who thinks “something is fishy” around him – and determination to find out what’s happening to his life is wonderful to watch. Of course, Carrey gives us a fair amount of wackiness in his character to make us laugh too! Ed Harris plays the mastermind creator, Christof. His policy of, “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it's as simple as that” defines his character. Through subtle facial expressions, he conveys all the emotions of his character – panic, anger, disappointment and so on. Harris was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

With a thought-provoking message, and at the same time an entertaining story, The Truman Show is one of Carrey’s best films. It’s a new experience altogether and is definitely worth a watch for film lovers of all ages.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%