by Tanner Colvin
The first time I ever watched “The Truman Show,” I was only excited because it starred my favorite actor, Jim Carrey. I thought I had seen all of his best work; however, “The Truman Show” had somehow eluded me.
Director Peter Weir was planning on casting Robin Williams for the role of Truman Burbank but decided to cast Jim Carrey after seeing his performance in “Ace Ventura.” When this opportunity came to Carrey, he took it to break away from being typecast in comedic roles and establish himself as a dramatic actor… and establish himself he did.
Truman Burbank is your average everyday guy, but unknown to him, his entire life has been the subject of the biggest reality TV show in the world. Everything he does, from getting ready for work, to driving his car, is being watched by one billion viewers in over 220 countries.
Truman was one of six unwanted pregnancies and the first child adopted by a TV cooperation. He would grow up in a fake town called Seahaven, which is the biggest movie studio set in the world.
Christof, played by Ed Harris, is the director of The Truman Show. To keep Truman in Seahaven, Christof used different psychological tactics to keep Truman from leaving. This is one of the best parts of the movie because it shows how people can be manipulated by fear. One instance was having his teacher shut down his dreams of being an explorer. But the most effective and extreme tactic was killing off his “dad” by drowning. I say “dad” because it’s really an actor portraying Truman’s dad and not his real biological father. Everyone on the Truman Show is an actor and their life is essentially the Truman Show.
We see Truman in various parts of his life, up to present day, where Truman is 29. His urge to explore outside the (fake) town of Seahaven becomes stronger and stronger every day.
We are also introduced to a past love interest played by Natascha McElhone that was taken away from Truman. When I say taken away, I mean physically thrown in a car by her “dad” and driven away.
Truman knows something is not right about his life. Things start happening and this pushes Truman over the edge; he takes his wife to get away from Seahaven. However, he is stopped short by the local nuclear power plant due to a “dangerous leakage.”
This, of course, was the film crew trying to stop him from escaping. A police officer calls Truman by his name, though he had never seen him before. Truman tries to make a run for it but is tackled. This moment showed Truman wasn’t crazy or wrong, but something was off about his life.
This causes Truman to question everything. He fights with his wife, and she calls out for help. Suddenly, his best friend, Marlon, played by Noah Emmerich, appears out of nowhere. Then Marlon takes Truman to “talk” but reveals he has found his long-lost dead dad alive. Christof is telling Marlon everything to say, and, in this moment, we see Christof and the film crew celebrate as they have made a historic moment for The Truman Show.
Viewers from all over are in tears, everyone but our main character Truman is .crying. I believe this is the moment he comes to the realization that his life is a lie.
The ending of the movie gives us a battle between Truman and Christof who decides to play God. For the first time in his life, Truman is not on camera; he cannot be found by the cast and crew. Viewers we have seen throughout the movie are in a state of panic.
Then Truman is found in the one place he would never go – the sea, in a boat headed towards the horizon. Christof tries to capsize the boat and kill Truman, so he cannot escape.
“We can’t let him die in front of a live audience,” One of the network executives says,
“He was born in front of live audience,” Christof replies.
A wave hits Truman’s boat, knocking him over and leading everyone to believe he is dead. A once rough sea is now clear skies, and our main character appears coughing up water. The boat is then rammed into a painted blue wall. Truman believes all hope is lost and knows he will never escape.
Then the greatest scene in cinematic history takes place. Truman follows a walkway to a staircase leading up to a door.
Christof comes over an intercom explaining everything in a last desperate attempt to keep Truman from leaving. This is not successful in the slightest, and Truman ends The Truman Show with his signature phrase.,
“In case I don’t see ya… good afternoon, good evening, and good night.”
This is my favorite movie of all time. I simply love the relatability to Truman wanting to escape his life, but the people in power making it feel like it’s impossible.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone wanting to see Jim Carrey in a way you never have before. For me, this is a love letter to cinema with a warning to society.
In a world of reality TV and everything being filmed, who’s to say you’re not already in The Truman Show?
Rating 100/100