Too Many Missed Opportunities

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2000)

What would you do if you found out your wife was not your wife, your mother not your mother, your friends not your friends, and your dead father neither your father nor dead? This film was packed full of opportunities to explore the human and emotional issues behind these questions in a powerful and thought-provoking way, but aside from a couple of scenes, failed to do so.
Jim Carrey stars as Truman Burbank, whose entire life (since before he was born) has been the subject of a television show. His world (unknown to him) is a huge studio, replete with oceans, artificial weather, etc. Everyone with whom he interacts is an actor hired to play a part. Carrey shows the ability to transcend the usual comedic roles he plays and displays dramatic talent, but either he or the writers (producers, etc.) seem to feel the need to keep falling back on his comedic talent (facial expressions, etc.) rather than allowing the drama of his journey of self-discovery to build. A glimpse of what might have been possible with this movie occurred in the scene where one almost thought he was about to kill the actress playing his wife as he crumbles psychologically with what he recognizes to be the inconsistencies of his life, but there are too few of these powerful moments.
This was a good movie, but could have been so much better.