The Truman Show

The Truman Show is a 1998 American psychological comedy-drama film written and co-produced by Andrew Niccol, and directed by Peter Weir. The film depicts the story of Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), a man who is unaware that he is living his entire life on a colossal soundstage, and that it is being filmed and broadcast as a reality television show that has a huge international following. All of his friends, family and members of his community are paid actors whose job it is to sustain the illusion and keep Truman unaware about the false world he inhabits.
The movie's supporting cast includes Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, and Brian Delate.
Niccol's original spec script was more of a science-fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. Producer Scott Rudin purchased the script and set up production at Paramount Pictures. Brian De Palma was to direct before Weir signed as director, making the film for $60 million—$20 million less than the original estimate. Niccol rewrote the script while the crew was waiting for Carrey to sign. The majority of filming took place at Seaside, Florida, a master-planned community located in the Florida Panhandle.
The Truman Show held its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 1, 1998, and was released in North America on June 5. The film was a financial success, grossing $264 million worldwide, debuting to critical acclaim, and earned numerous nominations at the 71st Academy Awards, 56th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd British Academy Film Awards, and 25th Saturn Awards. The Truman Show has been analyzed as an exploration of simulated reality, existentialism, surveillance, metaphilosophy, privacy, and reality television, and described as a genre-blending work that features elements of dystopian fiction, meta fiction, psychological drama, romantic comedy, satire, and social science fiction.
Selected at birth and legally adopted by a television studio following an unwanted pregnancy, Truman Burbank is the unsuspecting star of The Truman Show, a reality television program filmed and broadcast worldwide, 24/7, through approximately five thousand hidden cameras.
Truman's hometown, Seahaven Island, is set inside an enormous soundstage in Los Angeles, which allows Christof, the show's creator and executive producer, to control most aspects of Truman's life, including the weather. Truman's world is populated by actors and crew members who serve as his community while carefully keeping him from discovering the truth. They also earn revenue for the show through cleverly disguised product placement. To prevent Truman from escaping, Christof has orchestrated various scenarios, such as the "death" of Truman's father in a boating accident to instill thalassophobia (fear of deep bodies of water), and has the cast reinforce Truman's anxieties with messages about the dangers of traveling and the virtues of staying home.
Though the producers intend for Truman to fall in love with and marry a woman named Meryl, Truman develops feelings for Sylvia, an extra. Sympathetic to Truman's plight, she tries to tell him the truth, but is fired and forcibly removed from the set before she can convince him. Truman eventually marries Meryl, but their relationship is stilted and passionless, and he secretly continues to imagine a life with Sylvia and dreams of traveling to Fiji, where he was told she had moved. Meanwhile, in the real world, Sylvia joins "Free Truman", an activist group that calls for Truman's liberation.
As the show approaches its thirtieth anniversary, Truman begins to notice unusual occurrences, such as a stage light falling from the sky, an isolated patch of rain that falls only over him, a radio transmission describing his movements through town, and the reappearance of his father, who is rushed away by crew members before Truman can confront him. Inferring that the city somehow revolves around him, Truman begins questioning his life and asking who he sees as his closest confidants to help him solve the mystery.
Truman's suspicions culminate in an attempt to escape the island, but increasingly implausible occurrences block his path. Eventually, he is caught and returned home under a flimsy pretext. There, he confronts Meryl and challenges the sincerity of their marriage. A panicked Meryl tries to change the subject with a product placement, causing Truman to snap and hold her at knifepoint. Meryl breaks character to call for help and is removed from the show.
Hoping to bring Truman back to a controllable state, Christof reintroduces his father to the show under the guise of him having developed amnesia after the boating accident. The show regains its ratings, and Truman seems to return to his routines. One night, however, Christof discovers that Truman has begun sleeping in his basement. Disturbed by this change in behavior, Christof sends Truman's best friend Marlon to visit and discovers that Truman has disappeared through a makeshift tunnel in the basement. Christof suspends the broadcast for the first time in its history, leading to record viewing numbers.
Christof orders a citywide search for Truman and is soon forced to break the production's day-night cycle to optimize the hunt. Truman is found sailing away from Seahaven, having conquered his fear of water. Christof resumes the transmission and creates a violent storm in an attempt to capsize Truman's boat. Truman nearly drowns, but he continues to sail until his boat strikes the wall of the dome. Horrified, Truman looks around and finds a staircase leading to an exit door. As he contemplates leaving, Christof speaks to Truman directly, revealing the truth about the show and encouraging him to stay by claiming that there is no more truth in the real world than in his artificial one. In response, Truman utters his catchphrase: "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night," bows to the audience, and exits. Viewers around the world celebrate Truman's escape, and Sylvia races to greet him. The executive producers end the program with a shot of the open exit door, leaving Christof devastated. After the broadcast ends, Truman's viewers look for something else to watch.
Andrew Niccol completed a one-page film treatment titled The Malcolm Show in May 1991. The original draft was more in tone of a science fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. Niccol stated, "I think everyone questions the authenticity of their lives at certain points. It's like when kids ask if they're adopted." In the fall of 1993, producer Scott Rudin purchased the script for slightly over $1 million. Paramount Pictures agreed to distribute. Part of the deal called for Niccol to make his directing debut, though Paramount executives felt the estimated $80 million budget would be too high for him. In addition, Paramount wanted to go with an A-list director, paying Niccol extra money "to step aside". Brian De Palma was under negotiations to direct before he left United Talent Agency (UTA) in March 1994. Directors who were considered after De Palma's departure included Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam, David Cronenberg, Barry Sonnenfeld and Steven Spielberg before Peter Weir signed on in early 1995, following a recommendation of Niccol. Bryan Singer wanted to direct but Paramount decided to go with the more experienced Weir.
Weir wanted the film to be funnier, feeling that Niccol's script was too dark, and declaring, "where [Niccol] had it depressing, I could make it light. It could convince audiences they could watch a show in this scope 24/7." Niccol wrote sixteen drafts of the script before Weir considered the script ready for filming. Later in 1995, Jim Carrey signed to star, but because of commitments with The Cable Guy and Liar Liar, he would not be ready to start filming for at least another year. Weir felt Carrey was perfect for the role and opted to wait for another year rather than recast the role. Niccol rewrote the script twelve times, while Weir created a fictionalized book about the show's history. He envisioned backstories for the characters and encouraged actors to do the same.
Weir scouted locations in Eastern Florida but was dissatisfied with the landscapes. Sound stages at Universal Studios were reserved for the story's setting of Seahaven before Weir's wife Wendy Stites introduced him to Seaside, Florida, a "master-planned community" located in the Florida Panhandle. Pre-production offices were immediately opened in Seaside, where the majority of filming took place. The scenes of Truman's house were filmed at a residence owned by the Gaetz family, which included Florida State Senator Don Gaetz and U.S. representative Matt Gaetz. The scene at the Seahaven Nuclear Power Station was filmed outside the front entrance of the Lansing Smith Generating Plant at Lynn Haven, operated then by Gulf Power. Other scenes were shot at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. Norman Rockwell paintings and 1960s postcards were used as inspiration for the film's design. Weir, Peter Biziou and Dennis Gassner researched surveillance techniques for certain shots.
Though Robin Williams was considered for the role of Truman, Weir cast Carrey after seeing him in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, citing that Carrey's performance reminded him of Charlie Chaplin. Gary Oldman did test footage for the role. Carrey took the role so he would be known as a multifaceted actor, rather than being typecast in comedic roles. Carrey, who was then normally paid $20 million per film, agreed to do The Truman Show for $12 million. Carrey also said it was the fastest that he ever accepted a role. Carrey brought his own innovations to the role, including the idea for the scene in which Truman declares "this planet Trumania of the Burbank galaxy" to the bathroom mirror.
The film started production with Dennis Hopper in the role of Christof, but he left in April 1997 soon after filming began. Hopper later stated that he was fired after two days because Weir and producer Scott Rudin had made a deal that if they did not both approve of Hopper's performance, they would replace him. A number of other actors turned down the role after Hopper's departure, until Ed Harris agreed to step in. Harris later stated that he pitched the notion of making Christof a hunchback, but Weir did not like the idea.
After Laura Linney was hired to play the actress pretending to be Meryl, Truman's wife, she studied Sears catalogs from the 1950s to develop her character's poses.
Filming took place from December 9, 1996, to April 21, 1997. Its overall look was influenced by television images, particularly commercials: Many shots have characters leaning into the lens with their eyes wide open, and the interior scenes are heavily lit because Weir wanted to remind viewers that "in this world, everything was for sale". Those involved in visual effects work found the film somewhat difficult to make because 1997 was the year many visual effects companies were trying to convert to computer-generated imagery (CGI). CGI was used to create the upper halves of some of the larger buildings in the film's downtown set. Craig Barron, one of the effects supervisors, said that these digital models did not have to look as detailed and weathered as they normally would in a film because of the artificial look of the entire town, although they did imitate slight blemishes found in the physical buildings.
The Truman Show: Music from the Motion Picture was composed by Burkhard Dallwitz. Dallwitz was hired after Peter Weir received a tape of his work while in Australia for the post-production. Some parts of the soundtrack were composed by Philip Glass. Philip Glass also appears in the film playing his composition "Truman Sleeps".
Also featured are Frédéric Chopin's second movement (Romanze-Larghetto) from his First Piano Concerto, performed by the New Symphony Orchestra of London under the direction of Stanisław Skrowaczewski with pianist Artur Rubinstein; Wojciech Kilar's Father Kolbe's Preaching performed by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra; as well as the song 20th Century Boy performed by rockabilly band The Big Six.
Although not included on the soundtrack CD, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondo alla turca from his Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, performed by Wilhelm Kempff, and his Horn Concerto No. 1, performed by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; plus "Love Is Just Around the Corner" by Jackie Davis were also featured in the film.
Ronald Bishop's paper in the Journal of Communication Inquiry suggested The Truman Show showcased the power of the media. Truman's life inspires audiences around the world, meaning their lives are controlled by his. Bishop commented, "In the end, the power of the media is affirmed rather than challenged. In the spirit of Antonio Gramsci's concept of hegemony, these films and television programs co-opt our enchantment (and disenchantment) with the media and sell it back to us."
Journalist Erik Sofge surmised that the film's story reflects the falseness of reality television. "Truman simply lives, and the show's popularity is its straightforward voyeurism. And, like Big Brother, Survivor, and every other reality show on the air, none of his environment is actually real." Weir declared, "There has always been this question: Is the audience getting dumber? Or are we filmmakers patronizing them? Is this what they want? Or is this what we're giving them? But the public went to my film in large numbers. And that has to be encouraging."
In her essay "Reading The Truman Show inside out", Simone Knox argues that the film itself tries to blur the objective perspective and the show-within-the-film. Knox also draws a floor plan of the camera angles of the first scene.
An essay published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis analyzed Truman as
For the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, its official poster pays homage to the film and its final scene with their website stating that "Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol's The Truman Show (1998) is a modern reflection of Plato's cave and the decisive scene urges viewers to not only experience the border between reality and its representation but to ponder the power of fiction, between manipulation and catharsis."
Parallels can be drawn from Thomas More's 1516 book Utopia, in which More describes an island with only one entrance and only one exit. Only those who belonged to this island knew how to navigate their way through the treacherous openings safely and unharmed. This situation is similar to The Truman Show because there are limited entryways into the world that Truman knows. Truman does not belong to this utopia into which he has been implanted, and childhood trauma rendered him frightened of the prospect of ever leaving this small community. Utopian models of the past tended to be full of like-minded individuals who shared much in common, comparable to More's Utopia and real-life groups such as the Shakers and the Oneida Community. It is clear that the people in Truman's world are like-minded in their common effort to keep him oblivious to reality. The suburban "picket fence" appearance of the show's set is reminiscent of the "American Dream" of the 1950s. The "American Dream" concept in Truman's world serves as an attempt to keep him happy and ignorant.
The Truman Show has themes that can be perceived as being gnostic; with its symbolism and Truman exiting the world clearly showing in the woodcut Flammarion engraving, exiting the world. Slowly, Truman realises the truth and he, like the figure in the Flammarion Engraving, explores the artificial seam between the sky and the sea, wondering what might lie beyond the torn canvas.
Originally set for August 8, 1997, the film's theatrical release was pushed back initially to November 14, 1997, and then to the summer of 1998. NBC purchased broadcast rights in December 1997, roughly eight months before the film's release. In March 2000, Turner Broadcasting System purchased the rights, and now airs the film on TBS.
Paramount Home Entertainment released the film on VHS on January 12, 1999, followed by DVD on January 26 that same year, and a "Special Edition" re-release on August 23, 2005. It was later released on Blu-ray on December 30, 2008. An Ultra HD Blu-ray was released on July 4, 2023, in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary.
The Truman Show grossed $125.6 million domestically (United States and Canada) and $138.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $264.1 million, against a budget of $60 million. It spent its first two weeks as No. 1 at the domestic box office, and its first seven weeks in the Top 10.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 162 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "A funny, tender, and thought-provoking film, The Truman Show is all the more noteworthy for its remarkably prescient vision of runaway celebrity culture and a nation with an insatiable thirst for the private details of ordinary lives. " Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Giving the film a perfect four star score, Roger Ebert compared it to Forrest Gump, claiming that the film had the right balance of comedy and drama. He was also impressed with Jim Carrey's dramatic performance. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The Truman Show is emotionally involving without losing the ability to raise sharp satiric questions as well as get numerous laughs. The rare film that is disturbing despite working beautifully within standard industry norms." He would name it the best movie of 1998. In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named Truman one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.
James Berardinelli liked the film's approach of "not being the casual summer blockbuster with special effects", and he likened Carrey's "[charismatic], understated and effective" performance to those of Tom Hanks and James Stewart. Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "Undeniably provocative and reasonably entertaining, The Truman Show is one of those high-concept movies whose concept is both clever and dumb." Tom Meek of Film Threat said the film was not funny enough but still found "something rewarding in its quirky demeanor".
In the decades since its release, the film's exploration of surveillance and manufactured reality has been described as "prescient". In 2008, Popular Mechanics named The Truman Show as one of the 10 most prophetic science fiction films. In 2023, ACMI chronicled the modern societal developments that were predicted in The Truman Show, with writer Anthony Frajman noting "it foretold the rise of reality TV, mass surveillance, social media, influencer marketing and our increasing obsession with celebrity," along with "the 24-hour news cycle, product placement, parasocial relationships, the merging of entertainment and news." Journalist Erik Sofje deemed it an eerie coincidence that Big Brother made its debut a year after the film's release, and he also compared the film to the 2003 program The Joe Schmo Show: "Unlike Truman, Matt Gould could see the cameras, but all of the other contestants were paid actors, playing the part of various reality-show stereotypes. While Matt eventually got all of the prizes in the rigged contest, the show's central running joke was in the same existential ballpark as The Truman Show."
The film's set design and setting of Seahaven served as inspiration for future films with similar themes. Director Greta Gerwig consulted Weir for the inspiration for Barbie Land in the 2023 film Barbie, with the idea of creating it as an "interior soundstage world" reminiscent of Seahaven in The Truman Show. Director Jon M. Chu cited how The Truman Show and its setting influenced the thematic portrayal of the Land of Oz in the 2024 film Wicked, saying, "It helps create this idea of the rebelliousness that this new younger generation are discovering ... You start to see the truth about things that maybe you were taught differently."
Joel Gold, a psychiatrist at the Bellevue Hospital Center, revealed that by 2008, he had met five patients with schizophrenia (and had heard of another twelve) who believed their lives were reality television shows. Gold named the syndrome "The Truman Show delusion" after the film and attributed the delusion to a world that had become hungry for publicity. Gold stated that some patients were rendered happy by their disease, while "others were tormented". One traveled to New York to check whether the World Trade Center had actually fallen—believing the 9/11 attacks to be an elaborate plot twist in his personal storyline. Another came to climb the Statue of Liberty, believing that he would be reunited with his high school girlfriend at the top and finally be released from the show.
In August 2008, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported similar cases in the United Kingdom. The delusion has informally been referred to as "Truman syndrome", according to an Associated Press story from 2008.
After hearing about the condition, Andrew Niccol said: "You know you've made it when you have a disease named after you."
Screenwriter Andrew Niccol had pitched a sequel show to The Truman Show. This was his pitch: