The Truman Show

Andrew Niccol first surfaced on the critical radar screen last year as the writer/director of the flawed but uncharacteristically thought-provoking Gattaca, a sci-fi whodunit which focused on some serious questions we humans will undoubtedly face in the not-too-distant genetically enhanced future. The Truman Show, penned by Niccol and directed by Peter Weir (one of the key figures in the worldwide launch of Australian cinema in the late '70s) is being promotionally labeled as a "hit comedy" but it's a comedy in the same sense that Niccol's Gattaca is a sci-fi flick: on the surface only. The story of an essentially nondescript Everyman named Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), who lives in the rather creepily antiseptic village of Seahaven, Florida (a mix of '50s television show social sensibility and '90s brand-oriented commercialism), where he leads an undistinguished life as a married insurance salesman, The Truman Show has one rather large conceit of which--isn't it ironic?--only the most media-sheltered are unaware. And I'm about to partially give it away, though, in my defense, I'll argue that any reasonably media-savvy viewer will figure the basic premise out pretty quickly: Truman is the unwitting star of his own hugely popular TV show, the ultimate in reality-based TV. The fun (and the intellectual meat), of course, is in the details: appreciating the lengths to which Truman's wranglers have gone in creating his environment, seeing Truman's "friends" and "relatives" thrown off track when the script takes unexpected turns, and watching Truman's psyche literally transformed when confronted with truths that would have made Oedipus pass on the self-blinding and simply slit his throat. The Truman Show is the quintessential film to close the ironic '90s, a movie which truly has its cake and eats it too. Just as the "fictional" world is caught up in the televised "Truman Show," so are we hooked by The Truman Show. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--Aug. 23, 2005--Paramount, 102 min., PG, $19.99--Making its second appearance on DVD, 1998's The Truman Show: Special Edition sports a nice looking transfer along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound. DVD extras include the two-part "making-of" "How's It Going to End?” (42 min.), a “Faux Finishing: The Visual Effects of The Truman Show” featurette (14 min.), four deleted/extended scenes (13 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a definite improvement on the original barebones release, this is highly recommended.][Blu-ray Review—Jan. 20, 2009—Paramount, 102 min., PG, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1998's The Truman Show features a great transfer and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including the two-part “making-of” featurette “How's It Going to End?” (42 min.), a “Faux Finishing: The Visual Effects of The Truman Show” featurette (14 min.), four deleted/extended scenes (13 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: one of the best films of the ‘90s, this prescient satire shines on Blu-ray.]