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Laramie Movie Scope:
The Truman Show

An original, thought-provoking story

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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June 7, 1998 -- There aren't many original ideas coming out of Hollywood these days, but "The Truman Show" is one of them.

The movie is about Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), a man who is unwittingly the star of an ongoing, live television show. His every action is televised by hidden cameras and he is surrounded by actors in the world's largest studio, who help manipulate his emotions to achieve high ratings and to make money for sponsors, all of whom make money through product placement.

The story is filled with ironies about product placement, about the ruthless commercialization of every aspect of American life, about the loss of privacy and the prevalence of mendacity. There is rich satire in the film and smart dialogue. The story is far-fetched, but daring.

My only problem with the film is that perhaps it plays its hand a bit too soon. When you know none of the human relationships in the film (except one) is real, the film loses much of its drama. The only question becomes when does Truman get to leave the studio and enter the real world, not if, but when.

Nevertheless, Carrey makes Truman into a very interesting character. He's brilliant in the film, and Ed Harris (Apollo 13, The Rock) shines as Christof, the evil genius behind the show. Other than those two, however, the characters in the movie are uninteresting. Truman's true love, Sylvia (Natascha McElhone), could have been interesting, but she's on screen only briefly.

The idea of the film is brilliant and it is full of clever ideas and funny, satirical bits and it has a dynamite ending, but I found it curiously cool, passionless and lacking in energy. Still, it is well worth seeing. It appeals to that part of all of us that wishes our lives would have some wider significance beyond ourselves. It rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 1998 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)