Watching The Truman Show from a 2023 lense is truly a fascinating experience. I haven't watched this movie in many years, even though it is probably still up there with the best ones I've ever experienced. It is simply not an easy watch, because no matter how many times, it still makes my brain work overtime. I do mean that positively though.
We live in a world of multimedia consume that is ever growing through the internet, live streams and new resources to add to the online live experience. While we're not watched in the same way unassuming Truman is, you do get an eerie feeling that privacy is very often just an illusion these days. I mean, you just talk about wanting a new blue jeans and then you put out your phone and guess what adds you mostly get now? Again, not the same but still in the same realm of uncomfortableness.
I don't think I need to recap this movie, because even if you haven't watched this (why would you read a review like than anyway then?) you'll know the basics.
The concept is easy and yet so complex. Man trapped in an enteral TV show everybody but him is aware off.
We live in the age of reality TV and more. There are countless shows of celebrities and "regular" people that have no issue being filmed for TV shows or even live stream themselves. The enjoy sharing every private detail of their lives and while that is questionable, it is at least consensual. Not so much when it comes to their young children, but that opens a whole different can or worms. Maybe when should actually compare it more to paparazzi culture and how many people in the public eye can't take as much as a walk down the street without being photographed and put online. But again, they are at least aware of it l.
Truman, not so much. He believes the lie until he gets too many questionable clues that make him rethink his entire life and situation and he starts to investigate the truth.
One of the biggest questions the movie offers is if Truman is happy in his world until he starts to question it. Is his life in the TV bubble worse than a possible life in the outsight world can offer him? Ed Harris's defacto villain Christof even asks him that important question. In a way, even if morally wrong, he is probably right that Truman would be better off in his safe haven of a Utopia than experiencing a world he has never known but nevertheless he makes the brave choice in the end.
The other dilemma the movie is, is one of moral complexity. As Natasha McElhone's Sylvia points out, it is rather discussing to adopt a baby only to put him on display since birth without ever giving him the truth or choice to walk away from it. I called Christof a "defacto villain" before because that is clearly his function. He is the one responsible for the Truman Show and even if he might has moments where he questions his actions, he desperately wants to keep Truman. A false form of fatherly love for him (he did watch him grow up)? Maybe. An incredible form of delusion and narcissism? Most definitely. His last conversation with Truman, where his voice booms out directly off the sky like he is God is even an indication that people should never play God to begin with.
Religious imagery aside, it's also just so wrong on a moral level and the movie beautifully toys with how twisted Truman's whole world is. He has parents, friends, neighbors, a wife even... all actors who willingly play along for the paycheck. While it is set to believe that the people closest to him do care, it doesn't change the fact that no one speaks up about his situation. Same goes for the audience. The same people who cheer for him to get out in the end are those who watch his show every day without much or a problem, because it is light entertainment for them. And don't we all fall for a certain kind of entertainment ourselves every day. Is something like a real life Truman Show not actually something that could happen if we're not careful?
But enough of that. Let's talk about Jim Carrey for a moment. He's mostly a comedic actor and very good at it, even though he's sometimes a bit of "special taste." It is sadly barely acknowledged what a great dramatic actor he can be when given the chance.
The Truman show remains one of his performances today.
I love this movie. I think it's fantastic and still holds up many years later with more of a relevance that ever before.
In the post-YouTube age, you could argue that it's tough to relate with a character trapped in a TV show constructed around his life, when for many today this is a dream come true. That aside though, this is a fantastic story of a man who begins to question every detail of his life.
For people looking for the answers to big questions, this film will disappoint. For those who have never been asking questions, this film is a fantastic eye-opener, an accessible ice-breaker when it comes to larger philosophical discussions.
For as long as the TV show premise can be accepted, this is recommended viewing for everyone, particularly teens.
EDIT (10th October 2020): I'm downing my rating from a 9 to an 8, because unfortunately with time, the films weaknesses have only become clearer with time, and will continue to do so as it becomes more of a period piece firmly set in the time in which it was created. This film was easily a 10 when I first saw it... and its message still resonates with me, and I believe is relatable with most people, despite the heavy use of 90s technology and platforms within the film.... but now I'm questioning whether even the premise will become dated and unrelatable in the next ten years...
Review by Dsnake1VIP 8BlockedParentSpoilers2018-05-07T18:52:30Z
On the surface, The Truman Show is about a man who has lived his life trapped inside of a bubble. He tries the entire movie to pop the bubble, and he eventually does.
Under that layer, though, is a complex theme. Does Truman really enjoy his cell? He seemed to for years. At the same time, he struggled with memories, but don't we all?
As the viewer, we're left to determine the morality of the happiness of millions versus the freedom of one. We're also left to consider whether Truman's cage was better than his freedom. A child born into a system that doesn't have a great track record or a life of relative safety with no knowledge of the cage.
The viewer also has to determine the sturdy nature of reality. What is reality besides our perception of it? What's real to Jim or to Bob? Are the things that are real to them real to me if I've never seen or heard about them?
Beyond the philosophical questions the movie poses, the film itself is solid. Jim Carrey pulls off the part wonderfully. He's more than just a comedian, although he can bring the humor the instant the scene needs it. The supporting cast fell right in line.
The pacing may be a little slow early on for many viewers, but that is remedied once the action begins to pick up.
If you want something light and silly, go watch something else by Carrey.