The Truman Show is a great satire, worth rewatching today

Rating: 9/10 (9 September 2014)

The Truman Show tells the story of Truman Burbank, who unknowingly plays the main character in a TV show all about his life. Themes of the movie, including how the media influences our thinking, the perversity of advertisements, and the lack of privacy we have in our day to day lives (although inflated) draws many parallels to our lives today, making it more watchable now than when the film first came out. The direction that the producers want to send Truman in is made clear through thinly masked dialog. When Truman starts to reach his mid-life crisis and want to travel, his friend, Marlon, tells him that, "You don't have to leave home to find out what life is all about." Today's news stories are being targeted here, based on how they typically lean in one direction or another, rather than report only facts. The Truman Show airs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With a broadcast schedule like this, there is no time for advertisements, so advertisements are worked into Truman's life. Marlon is never present without a beer in hand, and Truman's wife is constantly promoting kitchen and gardening tools right in front of him. To see this on the show seems a little ridiculous, but from giant billboards to short ads before youtube videos, there aren't a whole lot of ad-free places in our lives today. As the main character of The Truman Show, Truman Burbank is on camera a lot, meaning he doesn't have a whole lot of privacy. When the show's creator, Christof, is being interviewed, the interviewer thanks him for the opportunity, saying, "We know how much you value your privacy." It's ironic how this man values his own privacy so much, but can allow Truman to go on without any. Today we have a lot of issues with privacy, namely with the NSA monitoring scandals. These reasons are why I would suggest watching the movie if you haven't seen it and why I would suggest re-watching it now if you haven't recently.