The Truman Show

Making a movie about a reality show that follows somebody’s life from the moment of his birth is an idea worth a million. And with somebody of Weir’s caliber in the director’s chair, it’s worth two. It succeeds in sucking you into the life of Truman Burbank which is suddenly crossed by another storyline (the subject of which is obvious, but it’s till a spoiler) after about two hours of the movie. It’s funny, but at the same time chilling how everybody apart from Carrey performs like straight out of a telenovela, casually interjecting advertising slogans and so on. This is a really emotionally charged movie. And it has a wonderful soundtrack from Glass and the movie becomes ever more powerful every time you watch it again. Who wouldn’t root for Truman in his quest for freedom? So I say to you, Truman, if we never see each other again: “Good afternoon, good evening and good night!" (08/15/2004)

Spoiler... A film whose main theme is our own perspective. Limiting it to the phenomenon of a reality show and tabloids is superficial. Niccol's script focuses much more on how we construct ourselves as subjects, how we build our own perception of reality, our own identity. Peter Weir subtly captures this finesse, plays with the viewer, and is consistently ironic. The ending forced me to make a triumphant gesture - if anyone considers it a happy ending, he has clearly been the victim of his own The Truman Show. This is reality as we know it and accept it... The point of the film is not that Truman finds his exit, but that our exit is still far-off. "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented. It's as simple as that." The entire Truman Show is built on this principle reflected in its form (consistently within limits of possibilities). (10/24/2011)

Original, with a polished script, clever, humorous, and brilliantly acted. Alongside Man on the Moon, probably Jim Carrey's best film. It's a movie that denounces the phenomenon of reality shows and any manipulation of humans, as well as consumerist lifestyles built on commerce and ubiquitous advertising. While Peter Weir hasn't made any bad films, this is the pinnacle of his work so far. Overall impression: 95%. (06/14/2006)

A wonderfully conceived and cleverly crafted story, thanks to the advertisements during the broadcast, weather changes, and the shining sun, excellently directed by Peter Weir and perfectly acted by Jim Carrey. The guy whom I have always admired for his countless facial expressions delivers a stellar performance in a poignant drama wrapped in a sharp satire. A must-watch for all paranoids. (01/19/2007)

Along with Memento, this is probably the most original Hollywood movie of the 1990s. The idea behind it is brilliant, executed in a perfect symbiosis of depth of thought with tremendous emotions. I admire The Truman Show for absolutely every component of it. I understand that it may not captivate everyone, just as the supposedly brilliant American Beauty, for example, didn’t captivate me. (05/15/2003)