The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998) Review

Well it's my birthday today so I guess I ought to review a film that is somewhat special to me. I'll say why at the end. I mentioned in one of my first reviews (Yes Man) that Jim Carrey was one of my favourite actors. This was the film that made that concrete and easily has one of his best roles. Sure it's not the only reason that was great about this film but it is one of the biggest reasons. Let's dive in to The Truman Show.

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) begins to feel that the world seems to centre around him as weird stuff start happening. From set lights falling out of the sky to homeless people looking like his father. His friends and family try to make it seem like it's all in his head until it's revealed to the audience (yeah, not to Truman) that his life is in fact a TV show created by Christof (Ed Harris). He is the only real thing in the show as everyone he knows is an actor even his wife, Meryl (Laura Linney), and his best friend, Marlon (Noah Emmerich). Now Truman is determined to prove that his world isn't as simple as it seems.

The concept is fantastic. I absolutely love it. The execution is the reason it works. Jim Carrey really conveys the naivety of being trapped in a fake world very well and is easily his best role. He only goes 'over the top Jim Carrey' in one scene and even then it's tame. If you hate Jim Carrey, you probably won't in this film. He really proved he can do more than comedy (although there are a few funny moments). The rest of the cast work well with him and Ed Harris creates an excellent over-seeing character who watches over Truman's world. The concept plus the characters is really what makes this film shine.

I can't really think of any problems unless I really think about it. It's a fantastic film. The way everything comes together is genius. It's an intelligent film that is actually better the second time around. They do explain things but the first time through you may be confused...you have to be patient with this film or else you won't enjoy it. It definitely pays off and is were the movie also shines. This movie shines alot, alright! It's so clean it squeaks. I spot something new everytime I rewatch this film, just like Back To The Future, and I welcome films like this since they make me feel smart and that's a good thing.

The Truman Show is a fantastic film. The idea behind it is fantastic, the acting is great and the fact that everything comes together well makes this film stand out even more.The only bad thing from this film is that it probably inspired Big Brother (which is...eeeehhh) and, if that's the worst there is, that must mean it's a good film. It is. It really is. Now, at the beginning I said this was somewhat special to me. Why? Because this is my favourite movie of all time (at time of writing).

Verdict:
10/10
It was favourite movie of all time. A fantastic concept executed well by great actors and everything else that makes up the film.