The Truman Show

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2005)

From BAFTA winning, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominated directed Peter Weir (Witness, Dead Poets Society) this is a fantastic satirical drama comedy film, with a great comedy star taking on a more dramatic turn. The film begins with an interview with Christof (Golden Globe and Oscar and BAFTA nominated Ed Harris) winning, creator of the highly popular reality show called The Truman Show, along with cast members Hannah Gill playing Truman's "wife" Meryl (Laura Linney) and his best friend Noah (Noah Emmerich). Then we get to the main story, where since birth, Truman Burbank (Golden Globe winning Jim Carrey) has been the star of the show, only he doesn't know it, and he has lived in his fictional town filled with an all actors cast. On Day 10,909, a TV camera suddenly falls from the sky, and later on character Lauren, played by Sylvia (Natascha McElhone) tries to tell him that everything is fake and everyone is pretending. Very slowly more peculiar things happen to make him believe he is "part of something" (e.g. his wife promoting products, he sees his Dad who he saw die, the radio broadcasts his movement, he sees a film crew where the elevator is meant to be, characters circling the block, and when he tries to get away everything the makers can think of are stopping him). The network is the first to legally adopt a child, they have 5000 cameras watching Truman's every moment from the mundane to the monumental, they gave Truman a fear of water when his Dad "drowned", and they have no intention on ending. But when they think they have sorted everything bringing back Truman's "father" (Brian Delate), Truman tricks the camera and escapes, but not before they find him sailing away from the town. They attempt to scare and stop him with a storm, but he continues till eventually he reaches the studio edge (i.e. the sky). Christof talks to him for the first time when he sees the staircase and exit, and has a little heart to heart to try and make him stay, and when he asks him to say something because he's live to the whole world, Truman says his catchphrase "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!" and finally leaves. Also starring Holland Taylor as Truman's mother, Paul Giamatti as Control room director, Spinal Tap's Harry Shearer as Mike Michaelson and Bruce Almighty's Philip Baker Hall as Network executive. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, it won the BAFTAs for Best Production Design, Best Original Screenplay and the David Lean Award for Direction, and it was nominated for Best Film, Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Burkhard Von Dallwitz and Philip Glass, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay - Motion Picture. Jim Carrey was number 47 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Outstanding!