Even before the advent of reality TV, we have Truman Burbank who started it all, almost. Jim Carrey stars as Truman and is the star of that hit TV reality show, the Truman Show. The only thing is, he doesn't know about it.
Ever since birth he was adopted by a company. He was the winner among other babies who were considered for the honor. It was him who arrived on cue. Ever since he was born, his life was already under the scrutiny of 5,000 cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
He grew up in a place they called Seahaven and all residents except him, are actors. Everyday is almost the same except that some plots or events happen under the guidance of the show's director Christof (played by Ed Harris). The director manipulates story lines everyday to make Truman's day exciting.
Controlling as it may seem, Christof couldn't expect Truman's reactions to the flow of the story. When they tried to pair Truman with Meryl (played by Laura Linney), he fell for another co-student Sylvia (played by Natascha McElhone) whom Christof removed from the set afterwards.
Sylvia then advocated for "Free Truman" and admonishes Christof in a TV show for holding Truman prisoner for which he denies. Truman can leave any time he says, but he believes the world he gives to Truman is a safe haven for him. The true world is harsh and he merely protects Truman in Seahaven.
There are no perfect things nor a perfect world so, things go wrong in Seahaven and Truman notices it more. Like a spotlight falls from the sky, his car radio accidentally getting the radio instructions among the actors, and people doing the same routine as much as circling his block many times over everyday. When he does notices such things, the show then tries to explain to him (not directly of course) why they happen.
In one of those weird moments, he found a homeless man who resembled his dad, whom he lost at sea when he was still a boy. It was later known that the actor who played his dad, snuck back in the set but before Truman could talk to him, he was taken away by the other actors.
Truman at this point was aware of suspicious things around him and he tries to be spontaneous. This time he wanted to get out of Seahaven but all his efforts are being thwarted. He wanted to take a bus, only to have the driver destroying the engine. He wanted to take a plane but all flights are booked and the earliest flight out is at least a month. He tried driving out of Seahaven he almost succeeded however a Nuclear plant had an acccident they had to close the road. All these frustrated Truman.
When the show's production crew noticed that Truman went back to his regular routine, it was then that Truman pulled off the unexpected and he tried to run away again. They looked for Truman but the they couldn't find him, until Christof thought of him running away via a sailboat. They never thought of him sailing over water knowing the Truman had fear of the water. To persuade him to sail back, they introduced a storm with high waves. Hoping to instill fear in Truman, enough to make him turn around and "be safe".
However Truman decided to sail on amidst the strong winds and the high waves. He almost died in that storm and Christof, upon seeing his persistence, stopped the storm. Truman then continued on his journey until his boat reached the edge of the stage. He found a walkway along the edge and went up to a stage door. He found an exit and before he tried opening it, Christof talked to him over a PA system. He tried reasoning to him, trying to convince him to stay. Truman listened to him but still he eventually opened the door and exited Seahaven.
One of Jim Carrey's acting greats without him trying to be funny. He really pulled a good one playing the character of Truman and we liked him here. The whole movie was about him so we don't get to see much of the other actors shine. They have to make do with the short time they have on film but some do stand out.
We find two actors who really shined were that of Nastascha McElhone playing Sylvia and Noah Emmerich who plays his best buddy Marlon. McElhone had a short and few moments on screen but it was enough as she established already her concern for Truman. Emmerich meanwhile is the production staff's lackey, the go to guy when they want to check on Truman and have him toe the line in some scenes.
Other characters who had bit roles and are great is Truman's mom, Holland Taylor and Paul Giamatti as the show's control room director.
Laura Linney had a huge screentime here however we only liked her in one scene. We can't blame her though as we felt that the script was to blame for her portrayal as the wife of Truman. We liked the way she advertises a product placement. The rest of the time, the script just made her an eye candy. She really is pretty.
Ed Harris was emotionless here, maybe as characterized by the script. His best moment here was near the end when he tried to convince Truman not to leave Seahaven. The rest of the time he was onscreen, he was just cruising along. A great actor doing some easy dialogues, they should really have given something heavy for him to swing at.
Currently showing on Netflix so watch Jim Carrey in one of his best acting so far next to that sleeper Yes Man.
Ever since birth he was adopted by a company. He was the winner among other babies who were considered for the honor. It was him who arrived on cue. Ever since he was born, his life was already under the scrutiny of 5,000 cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
He grew up in a place they called Seahaven and all residents except him, are actors. Everyday is almost the same except that some plots or events happen under the guidance of the show's director Christof (played by Ed Harris). The director manipulates story lines everyday to make Truman's day exciting.
Controlling as it may seem, Christof couldn't expect Truman's reactions to the flow of the story. When they tried to pair Truman with Meryl (played by Laura Linney), he fell for another co-student Sylvia (played by Natascha McElhone) whom Christof removed from the set afterwards.
Sylvia then advocated for "Free Truman" and admonishes Christof in a TV show for holding Truman prisoner for which he denies. Truman can leave any time he says, but he believes the world he gives to Truman is a safe haven for him. The true world is harsh and he merely protects Truman in Seahaven.
There are no perfect things nor a perfect world so, things go wrong in Seahaven and Truman notices it more. Like a spotlight falls from the sky, his car radio accidentally getting the radio instructions among the actors, and people doing the same routine as much as circling his block many times over everyday. When he does notices such things, the show then tries to explain to him (not directly of course) why they happen.
In one of those weird moments, he found a homeless man who resembled his dad, whom he lost at sea when he was still a boy. It was later known that the actor who played his dad, snuck back in the set but before Truman could talk to him, he was taken away by the other actors.
Truman at this point was aware of suspicious things around him and he tries to be spontaneous. This time he wanted to get out of Seahaven but all his efforts are being thwarted. He wanted to take a bus, only to have the driver destroying the engine. He wanted to take a plane but all flights are booked and the earliest flight out is at least a month. He tried driving out of Seahaven he almost succeeded however a Nuclear plant had an acccident they had to close the road. All these frustrated Truman.
When the show's production crew noticed that Truman went back to his regular routine, it was then that Truman pulled off the unexpected and he tried to run away again. They looked for Truman but the they couldn't find him, until Christof thought of him running away via a sailboat. They never thought of him sailing over water knowing the Truman had fear of the water. To persuade him to sail back, they introduced a storm with high waves. Hoping to instill fear in Truman, enough to make him turn around and "be safe".
However Truman decided to sail on amidst the strong winds and the high waves. He almost died in that storm and Christof, upon seeing his persistence, stopped the storm. Truman then continued on his journey until his boat reached the edge of the stage. He found a walkway along the edge and went up to a stage door. He found an exit and before he tried opening it, Christof talked to him over a PA system. He tried reasoning to him, trying to convince him to stay. Truman listened to him but still he eventually opened the door and exited Seahaven.
One of Jim Carrey's acting greats without him trying to be funny. He really pulled a good one playing the character of Truman and we liked him here. The whole movie was about him so we don't get to see much of the other actors shine. They have to make do with the short time they have on film but some do stand out.
We find two actors who really shined were that of Nastascha McElhone playing Sylvia and Noah Emmerich who plays his best buddy Marlon. McElhone had a short and few moments on screen but it was enough as she established already her concern for Truman. Emmerich meanwhile is the production staff's lackey, the go to guy when they want to check on Truman and have him toe the line in some scenes.
Other characters who had bit roles and are great is Truman's mom, Holland Taylor and Paul Giamatti as the show's control room director.
Laura Linney had a huge screentime here however we only liked her in one scene. We can't blame her though as we felt that the script was to blame for her portrayal as the wife of Truman. We liked the way she advertises a product placement. The rest of the time, the script just made her an eye candy. She really is pretty.
Ed Harris was emotionless here, maybe as characterized by the script. His best moment here was near the end when he tried to convince Truman not to leave Seahaven. The rest of the time he was onscreen, he was just cruising along. A great actor doing some easy dialogues, they should really have given something heavy for him to swing at.
Currently showing on Netflix so watch Jim Carrey in one of his best acting so far next to that sleeper Yes Man.
