Remember Jim Carrey's character in The Truman Show? Carrey played a man born and raised on a television series, unaware of his international stardom and the fact that his entire existence had taken place on an enormous set with actors playing family, friends, neighbors, etc. Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show is a real-life variation on that theme, in which a likable, 27-year-old galoot named Matt Kennedy Gould is convinced he is part of the cast of a reality-television show called Lap of Luxury, in which he must compete against housemates for a $100,000 prize. What Gould doesn't know is that his competitors are actually professional actors portraying stock reality-TV stereotypes: a token gay guy, a virginal sweetheart, a good-looking bitch, a macho warrior, a clown, a nettlesome creep, etc. While season one's eight episodes mirror any number of other reality shows--complete with humiliating trials (underwear-swapping contests, gross-out dinners) and tense, once-a-week eviction contests--the real fun is in the constant worry that Gould might see through the big ruse because of somebody's slip-up. Despite those challenges, the gullible Gould makes it through the season to a surprisingly moving ceremony in which the truth is revealed. The Joe Schmo Show has been described as a parody of the reality-TV phenomenon, but that implies the series has something important to say about the state of television: it doesn't, but it is fun--in moderate doses. This DVD set includes lots of supplementary material, including commentary in which Gould weighs in, after the fact, on how he felt about certain staged scenes, as well as behind-the-scenes segments, and five uncensored deleted scenes. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)
The Joe Schmo Show: Season One Uncensored
Paramount, 3 discs, 486 min., not rated, DVD: $49.99 Volume 19, Issue 5
The Joe Schmo Show: Season One Uncensored
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