Worth watching, even if you're not a Jim Carrey fan.

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2011)

Jim Carrey is primarily known for his silly characters and odd roles. However, "The Truman Show" truly shows how brilliant he can be. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) has lived his entire life, literally, in a virtual reality. His entire life is broadcast on television, completely without his knowledge. His wife, friends, co-workers, everyone on the street are all actors. His existence is essentially created by a producer named Christof (Ed Harris, showing his own brilliance). The theme of "appearance versus reality" is apparent throughout the entire movie. Truman believes his life to be real, when it fact it is very controlled. The "townspeople" are all linked by radio earpiece to the producers so that they may receive instructions to keep Truman from discovering the truth about his world, the smallest cameras ever made are utilized to capture Truman's every move and the show even has its own satellite in order to broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. "The Truman Show" has been the most popular show on television for 30 years, literally since Truman was born.
Eventually, Truman begins to suspect that something is amiss, such as a stage light falling out of the sky, an elevator without a back, even an alleged nuclear power plant meltdown when he tries to escape town keeping him from leaving. His suspicions become so strong that he eventually confronts his wife Meryl (Laura Linney) with them and she accuses him of having a nervous breakdown. At this point, Jim Carrey shows his acting talent and transitions from comedy to drama. The effect is profound and Meryl drops character, screaming that she can't work under these conditions and that it is unprofessional. Eventually, Truman realizes that his reality isn't real and escapes the town.
The camera angles in the movie were interesting, many times using a fisheye lens to give a bugs' eye view from a wall or from behind Truman's medicine cabinet mirror. The cameras are scattered through town, Truman's house, workplace, even worn by the actors. Christof even admits in an interview that "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." "The Truman Show" seems to be the predecessor of modern reality television. It's touted as "reality", but it is heavily controlled by producers and an on-site crew and, at times, is scripted.
"Popular Mechanics" listed "The Truman Show" as one of the 10 most prophetic sci-fi shows in 2008. Director Peter Weir actually stated "This was a dangerous film to make because it couldn't happen. How ironic." when predicting the rise of reality television. "The Truman Show" certainly stands out among movies, especially when compared to modern reality television. Even if one isn't a Jim Carrey fan, "The Truman Show" is definitely worth watching.