Director: Peter Weir
Screenplay: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Ed Harris
Running Time: 103 minutes
Genre: Science-fiction, comedy, drama
Truman Burbank (Carrey) lives a contended life with his wife Meryl (Linney), in a seemingly idyllic coastal town of Seahaven Island. However Truman begins to suspect that something is very strange. A spotlight falls from the sky, almost hitting him. A homeless man bears a striking resemblance to his father who died 22 years earlier, and is quickly hustled away by seemingly random passers-by. His car radio picks up a strange transmission that seems to describe his exact movements, and rain falls only on him. Added to that the odd behaviour of his family, friends and neighbours. In reality, Truman Burbank is the unwitting star of the world's top-rated television show. Since birth he has lived his life in a vast set, and everyone he encounters is an actor playing a role. Every minute of Truman's life is orchestrated by the show's creator and executive producer Christof (Harris) and broadcast live around the world twenty-four hours a day.
This is an enjoyable and intriguing film, which is surprisingly prophetic, foreseeing the explosion in so-called "reality" television. While the film isn't very funny, it is enjoyable and very clever, managing to marry entertainment and big ideas. The film is very stylish, imagining the look of Truman's world as a bright, all-American "white picket fence" small town, with Christof's control room hidden in the Moon. Jim Carrey gives a charismatic performance in what was really his first major dramatic role, Laura Linney plays the actor playing the part of Meryl, hiding her true feelings behind a huge fake smile, and cheery demeanor which occasionally slips, also of note is Ed Harris who seems to be channeling Steve Jobs as the sinister Christof. While the story mostly takes place in Truman's world, as he slowly begins to understand the nature of his reality, it is interspersed with sequences in the show's control room, and the reactions of the viewing public. The film tackles some big themes such as the nature of reality, identity and media manipulation.
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