Oh, and in case I don't see ya

Rating: 10/10 (30 March 2006)

With its (all intentional of course) cheerfully colorful cinematography, cheesy music and one-dimensional supporting characters, it's easy to miss just how brilliant The Truman Show is; it's in fact one of the most important cinematic creations of the 1990's, at least as important as darker films like American History X and Fight Club, and one that works on several different levels. Because while it works quite clearly as a sarcastic satire and a commentary on the destructive and intrusive nature of the media in the post-modern age, in the light of the reality TV syndrome which was at the time just starting to grow, it's also a philosophical metaphor about the state of mankind.
For Truman's story is man's story; and it's difficult not to see the importance in the names given to the lead characters. True Man's life, the film says, is an illusion, a lie. Or perhaps  all our lives are illusions, but the True Man is the one who figures it out and seeks a deeper truth. In its essence the point is very similar to the one The Matrix made; The Truman Show is a fascinating trip through Plato's Cave, and while it takes a rather simplistic look at Plato's philosophy  because any other way would be impossible in a film of less than two hours  it doesn't dumb it down. The Truman Show is a deep and intricate film that deserves repeated viewing and gets better with time, and can be discussed for hours.
Writer Andrew Niccol  who made his breakthrough debut one year before with the critically acclaimed cult favorite Gattaca  lost the Oscar that year to the Academy's favorite Shakespeare In Love, and director Peter Weir got most of the credit for the film; but while it's certainly an important achievement for Weir and the best film of his long career, it's Niccol's sarcastic, intelligent, innovative script that made The Truman Show great; that, and the amazing performance by Jim Carrey, who showed his fantastic dramatic skills here for the first time. Carrey is enchanting in the lead role as the ultimate everyman Truman, and we're as fascinated with him as the show's fans in the film. Praise should also go to Ed Harris, who plays Christof, creator and director of The Truman Show (and again, special attention should be given to the character's name)  and also to Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natasha McElhone, Harry Shearer, Peter Krause, Paul Giamatti and the rest of the wonderful supporting cast, both in Truman's world of Seahavan and in Christof's 'real' world. Finally, a word of praise for the excellent musical score, composed by Burkhard von Dallwitz and the great Philip Glass, which compliments the film's atmosphere to perfection.
The Truman Show is not an easy movie to absorb; it's a disturbing tale and a disturbing message, which takes some time to seep in, and while it's entirely unconvincing as a reality and even as sci-fi, and feels more like a metaphor than a story of a specific man, it's also entirely involving and demands to be taken at face value. Truman's character is irresistibly charming, and just like the people watching The Truman Show, we believe in him and identify with him completely. The beauty of The Truman Show is that it's lots of fun; it proves that entertainment and art are not necessarily opposing ideals. By being entirely entertaining and gripping, it gets its messages across a whole lot better.
The Truman Show is now eight years old: the way I see it, once a decade has passed, a film can begins to be considered a classic. The Truman Show will pass that test. In any possible aspect, The Truman Show is one of the absolute best films of the 90's, and one that will remain relevant long after reality TV has bitten the dust.