Can all of life be fake?

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 1999)

Spooky, profound and perhaps prophetic. Could the world we live in be Truman's world? Instead of Christof (or his predecessor, the Wizard of Oz) could there be aliens Out There running their TV show of us?
We can't get out of this solar system. The sun is rigged Out There. Just as Truman could never sail to Fiji, no human can live long enough to transverse interstellar space to Alpha Centuri Proxima, the nearest star. Before the gods we must have demigods in the form of those looking over us, real or imagined. Does it make any difference? And as Christof says, we accept the reality that is given us, so we could be fooled.
Anyway, "The Truman Show" begins with a startling premise marvelously presented. The script by Andrew Niccol is a work of art and the direction by Peter Weir sure-handed and seamless. He allows the story to unfold at a convincing pace and the fifties cum nineties TV Americana feel to the "Seahaven" sets is delightful. Jim Carrey is perfect as Truman Burbank, the poor sap in a fishbowl. Everything about his life, including his wife and best friend are totally fake. Ed Harris as the megalomanic TV artist Christof is creepy enough, although the scenes with him are ironically less convincing than those in Truman's world. I thought he came across a little too much like a mad scientist. Laura Linny as Carrey's TV wife/product spokesperson with the ever present TV smile is wonderful, and good too is his estranged girl friend, Natascha McElhone with the big eyes.
Some unanswered questions. We know there is a camera in the bathroom. Do they switch to another shot when he is using it or does the world-wide audience watch him move his bowels? And is his wife a "whore" as well as a TV actress or is their relationship purely Platonic? Does the audience see them together in the bedroom? Does she have a life away from him? Weir chose not to address these questions.
Although the premise looks a little messy when examined closely, the inspired and completely apropos ending is as crisp and clean as the dot at the end of this sentence.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)