EDtv

Pity poor Ron Howard: he makes a perfectly likable, reasonably diverting comedy, and then has to watch in horror as people virtually stand in line to ignore it, largely because of its unfortunate resemblance to one of last year's most critically and commercially successful movies. Like The Truman Show, EDtv concerns a guy whose life is televised around the clock for the pleasure of a viewing audience; unlike the blissfully oblivious Truman Burbank, however, Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey), an easygoing video-store clerk, eagerly chases his stardom, auditioning for the lead role in a new program on the True TV channel--only to find that all the attention is getting in the way of his relationship with a spunky UPS employee played by spunky Jenna Elfman. McConaughey is always at his best playing regular Joes (his touchy-feely hunk o' priest in Contact, Palmer Joss, still gives me nightmares two years later), and his laid-back charm makes this very unassuming trifle a breeze to sit through. If you remember any of it ten minutes after ejecting the tape, though, you're a better consumer than I. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)