The Truman Show (1998)
"An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show."
I don't know about you, but as a kid, I went through a phase where I thought my life was a sitcom. I'd dance while brushing my teeth, pretending that my theme song played as I got ready and I'd pretend to be on talk shows to talk about the show. Now whether I watched Truman Show or not back then, this movie reminded of me of that time in my life. It really is an interesting concept if you think about it. There's plenty of theories about us existing in a simulation, so you never know.
So Truman's life is a television show and he doesn't know it. Not only is that a premise for a unique story, but it led to really interesting camera angles. There were "hidden cameras" everywhere, from cameras on the wall, the mirrors, and even buttons on clothes. What I like was that every shot with Truman was from the point of the view of the Truman Show, so we were watching right with the audience.
One of my favorite shots was that moment right after the storm. After Christoff released his "wrath of God" with the storm, there's a moment where Truman is lying on his back hanging over the side of the boat with rope wrapped around him. I've read someone compare this to Jesus being on the cross, with Truman & Christoff paralleling with Jesus & God. I want to add to this and point out that the "hidden camera" is looking down on him, rather than how we look up at Jesus on the cross. So while there's that parallel, there's also a contrast because Truman isn't a powerful holy figure, he's just a guy.
And that brings me to the character of Truman himself. The very very first scene, Christoff makes it clear that his goal of the show was to present true, candid emotion rather than acting. So for the past thirty years, Christoff and his God complex controlled every major event in Truman's life. But Truman's life was honestly pretty ordinary (besides the tv show part). He had a normal job, a normal house, a normal life - he was a normal guy. And the audience of the show was able to sympathize and empathize with him because of that.
As Truman began seeing the cracks in his universe, he goes insane. He acts spontaneously and tries to escape Sea Haven, of course being interrupted every turn. Then he faced his biggest fear, the ocean, and sets out into the unknown. This was a very brave and inspiring sequence, as Truman determinedly didn't let anything stand in his way.
Christoff announces himself to Truman as his "Creator." He gives Truman the option to stay in the safe world he created for him, or to step out in to the cruel world of reality. He chooses to leave, following his life long natural curiosity to a new chapter in life.
I loved the ending, but so much was left in question. Did him & Sylvia meet? (I'm sure they got a happy ending.) How well does Truman adjust to the real world? What happens to Sea Haven? It's all left to interpretation. This kind of goes back to the religious parallels if you think about - Is there a god, like Christoff, dictating every single important event in our lives, or are we really in control of our own free will, like Truman?
The supporting cast was great, but the literal star of the show here was Jim Carrey. We all know he's type casted as the funny or crazy guy, but that's because he's so good at it. There are several scenes in this film where he had the opportunity to use his comedic skills as Truman went absolutely bonkers, and those were fun scenes. But the reason why this film is considered such a Jim Carrey classic is because there were many dramatic, heartfelt moments where Carrey was able to show the emotional side of his character. This is a movie that shows how diverse Carrey is as an actor. I'll be sure to watch some of his other dramatic roles in the future.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆