Not What It Seems

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 1999)

Jim Carrey gives a tour de force performance as an insurance salesman named Truman Burbank. He is surprisingly restrained, enjoyably funny, and shockingly touching.
"The Truman Show" itself is a shockingly touching piece of filmmaking. Even if you know the controversial "Secret of the Show," it's still utterly heartfelt as we root for Truman to find out his proper place in the world and not let anyone get in his way.
The film was impressively directed by Peter Weir on an epic scale, from an epic script by Andrew Niccol. More importantly, though, this movie deserves to be seen because Jim Carrey gives what might be the single best performance of the year, or at least a very close second to Jeff Bridges as The Dude in the Coen brothers' thoroughly entertaining "The Big Lebowski." Not to give away anything significant, but when Truman finds the "wall" and decides to make the "exit," we remain utterly still and hopeful. And when the "exit" is made, we feel the triumph of a human being. Rated PG. 102 minutes. 10 out of 10.