Jim Carrey is on top form in this satire on reality television

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2016)

Truman Burbank thinks he is an ordinary person doing an ordinary job in a fairly ordinary town... he does not realise that he is the star of a reality show. He has lived in the town of Seahaven all of his life; never suspecting that cameras are watching his every move and that everybody else, including his wife, mother and his friends are merely cast members and that the town itself is under a giant dome. Strange things occasionally happen but excuses are quickly made; for example a falling spotlight is explained away as something that fell from a plane. From an early age Truman has been conditioned so that he won't try to leave the town; the drowning of his father gave him a terror of the sea and any time he thinks about leaving an obstacle appears. Eventually he starts to realise that something is wrong and decides that he must leave to prove that he isn't paranoid.
'The Truman Show' is a fine satire of reality television made when the genre was just starting. The idea that Truman might live for thirty years before he realises something isn't right with his world might seem unlikely at first but one has to remember that this reality is all that he has ever known. Jim Carrey can be a bit annoying at times but here he is on top form and gives one of his best performances as the eponymous Truman; he manages to be funny without being silly and makes the viewer sympathise with Truman. Ed Harris is also impressive as Christof, the creator of the show who has directed Truman's entire life and is determined that the show must go on. The reality of Truman's world is fun with lots of digs at modern media; characters talk as though they are in commercial which of course they are and a travel agent's shop is decorated with posters guaranteed to put you off flying! There are also touching moments such as Truman falling for an extra who is quickly taken 'off to Fiji' by her 'father'. Not only do we see what is happening to Truman; we are shown the fans of the show who are obsessed with his life which emphasises just how public Truman's life is. Overall I strongly recommend this; the concepts may be quite dark but it is presented in such a way that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages.