So, a few years ago, I had this boyfriend (I know, shocking). He was a good dude I guess, but we had a pretty bitter falling out at the end of things. But he told me to watch this movie- and it has taken me about three years to finally tackle it. So here goes.
The Truman Show is about a dude named Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), who lives in a picturesque utopian town called SeaHaven. What Truman doesn't know is that his entire life, from birth until the start of the movie, has been broadcasting live on television to people around the world 24 hours a day. In his town, Truman is surrounded by actors paid to portray the members of his town- including his wife and his best friend. However, when actors begin to go off-script and are chased down and taken away in front of Truman's own eyes, he begins to wonder what's going on and why the world seems to be entirely focused on him. He starts to notice that he lives his life on a ;loop- seeing the same cast members every day in the same location, exchanging the same greetings with his neighbors day after day, and being discouraged every time he tries to venture outside the safety of SeaHaven. The show is orchestrated by an evil sorta dude named Christof (played by Ed Harris), who adopted Truman after his birth and who controls every element of the goings-on in SeaHaven; and, unfortunately, there's little to nothing that Christof won't do in the name of good ratings.
I don't want to spoil the entire movie, but y'all can probably see how this might play out. So now, onto my thoughts about the movie.
So at first glance, because of the idyllic facade of SeaHaven, this movie looks cute and fluffy. BUT IT IS NOT SO! This is one of those movies where as the run time goes on, the perfect world unravels to reveal something more sinister than is at first perceived. There are three motifs, in my opinion, to explore about The Truman Show: Stockholm Syndrome, exploitation of human beings in the media, and what happens when man tries to play God.
As far as Stockholm Syndrome is concerned: one of the reasons that Truman waits until he's thirty to truly attempt an escape from his beautiful prison is because A: since his childhood, everyone from his "parents" to his "teachers" have discouraged any curiosity or adventurousness in him, and B: because Truman is regularly assured by those around him that there is no place better, safer, or more perfect than SeaHaven. Thus, Truman doesn't question the society around him for a very long time, and resigns himself (happily at first) to an unremarkable but "perfect" life. So, I'm not sure if it counts as Stockholm Syndrome exactly, since Truman doesn't at first realize that he's a prisoner in his own little world (which is actually a giant building in Hollywood), but it seems close enough to me to say a few words on the idea.
Next, we have the exploitation of Truman to talk about. Especially in today's world, it seems that human beings have little to no privacy (especially celebrities). Everything is recorded, edited, uploaded to the Internet to YouTube or Instagram or FACEBOOK.....and the average person's life is accessible to such a degree that anyone can learn everything there is to learn about a person, which leads people to feel like they have some kind of connection with people they have never even met. So this movie may have come out in 1998, but that idea is more relevant twenty years later than it ever has been.
Finally, there's the fact that Christof was basically trying to be Truman's God. If someone can find me any piece of evidence or any book or film where someone tried to play God and things turned out well for them or others, I will pay you at LEAST a dollar (because I'm poor, lol. Hit me up when I'm famous). I've really spoiled too much of the movie so I won't give away the ending. but the "don't play God" moral of the story hits you smack on the forehead from the opening credits. Not that it was oversold or anything like that, but it's just a really obvious theme. And this one is also still relevant today, as politicians gamble away the lives of their fellow countrymen in exchange for money or power, and as some scientists forsake the code of ethics they are taught for the sake of advancement.
Finally, just a little bit about the design of the movie. Lots and lots of color, which is greatly in contrast with the last movie I watched (Se7en). The colors were not only beautiful, but helped sell the utopia concept (or dystopia, rather). Also, the way the sets for this movie were built, they walked a fine line between looking like genuine streets/suburbs and looking like a full-on movie set, which is a super fine line to walk and which I respect. This design explains why Truman thought his town looked like any other, but the viewers of the film can immediately remark on the differences between this town and the ones they've lived in or been to.
There are two other things about the style of the movie that I found interesting. First, is that throughout the film, there are moments of "product placement", where Truman's wife will present some item to him and ramble off information about it that sounds EXACTLY like a commercial (which Truman later realizes is completely unnatural). Then, there's the fact that in a lot of the movie's shots of Truman, it's as though the viewer is looking through the camera, which brings home the idea that Truman is being watched by the world (and now, by the viewer) no matter where he goes.
In summary: The Truman Show looks like a cheery little movie, but it's a profound enough that it is not at all a children's movie (unless your child is Matilda or something). The acting and writing of the movie are good- didn't say much about that in the review but we all know Jim Carrey can do manic very well (although there were a few really serious moments that featured strong acting from him as well), and Ed Harris is a despicable villain. Weird comment, but this movie would be a great one for some college student to write a paper on (maybe it'll be me?). The one thing I will say is that this movie can be a little bleak at times, and the uninvited pulling at my heart strings hurt a little bit, but I enjoyed the movie a lot and the ending was wonderful.
The Truman Show is about a dude named Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), who lives in a picturesque utopian town called SeaHaven. What Truman doesn't know is that his entire life, from birth until the start of the movie, has been broadcasting live on television to people around the world 24 hours a day. In his town, Truman is surrounded by actors paid to portray the members of his town- including his wife and his best friend. However, when actors begin to go off-script and are chased down and taken away in front of Truman's own eyes, he begins to wonder what's going on and why the world seems to be entirely focused on him. He starts to notice that he lives his life on a ;loop- seeing the same cast members every day in the same location, exchanging the same greetings with his neighbors day after day, and being discouraged every time he tries to venture outside the safety of SeaHaven. The show is orchestrated by an evil sorta dude named Christof (played by Ed Harris), who adopted Truman after his birth and who controls every element of the goings-on in SeaHaven; and, unfortunately, there's little to nothing that Christof won't do in the name of good ratings.
I don't want to spoil the entire movie, but y'all can probably see how this might play out. So now, onto my thoughts about the movie.
So at first glance, because of the idyllic facade of SeaHaven, this movie looks cute and fluffy. BUT IT IS NOT SO! This is one of those movies where as the run time goes on, the perfect world unravels to reveal something more sinister than is at first perceived. There are three motifs, in my opinion, to explore about The Truman Show: Stockholm Syndrome, exploitation of human beings in the media, and what happens when man tries to play God.
As far as Stockholm Syndrome is concerned: one of the reasons that Truman waits until he's thirty to truly attempt an escape from his beautiful prison is because A: since his childhood, everyone from his "parents" to his "teachers" have discouraged any curiosity or adventurousness in him, and B: because Truman is regularly assured by those around him that there is no place better, safer, or more perfect than SeaHaven. Thus, Truman doesn't question the society around him for a very long time, and resigns himself (happily at first) to an unremarkable but "perfect" life. So, I'm not sure if it counts as Stockholm Syndrome exactly, since Truman doesn't at first realize that he's a prisoner in his own little world (which is actually a giant building in Hollywood), but it seems close enough to me to say a few words on the idea.
Next, we have the exploitation of Truman to talk about. Especially in today's world, it seems that human beings have little to no privacy (especially celebrities). Everything is recorded, edited, uploaded to the Internet to YouTube or Instagram or FACEBOOK.....and the average person's life is accessible to such a degree that anyone can learn everything there is to learn about a person, which leads people to feel like they have some kind of connection with people they have never even met. So this movie may have come out in 1998, but that idea is more relevant twenty years later than it ever has been.
Finally, there's the fact that Christof was basically trying to be Truman's God. If someone can find me any piece of evidence or any book or film where someone tried to play God and things turned out well for them or others, I will pay you at LEAST a dollar (because I'm poor, lol. Hit me up when I'm famous). I've really spoiled too much of the movie so I won't give away the ending. but the "don't play God" moral of the story hits you smack on the forehead from the opening credits. Not that it was oversold or anything like that, but it's just a really obvious theme. And this one is also still relevant today, as politicians gamble away the lives of their fellow countrymen in exchange for money or power, and as some scientists forsake the code of ethics they are taught for the sake of advancement.
Finally, just a little bit about the design of the movie. Lots and lots of color, which is greatly in contrast with the last movie I watched (Se7en). The colors were not only beautiful, but helped sell the utopia concept (or dystopia, rather). Also, the way the sets for this movie were built, they walked a fine line between looking like genuine streets/suburbs and looking like a full-on movie set, which is a super fine line to walk and which I respect. This design explains why Truman thought his town looked like any other, but the viewers of the film can immediately remark on the differences between this town and the ones they've lived in or been to.
There are two other things about the style of the movie that I found interesting. First, is that throughout the film, there are moments of "product placement", where Truman's wife will present some item to him and ramble off information about it that sounds EXACTLY like a commercial (which Truman later realizes is completely unnatural). Then, there's the fact that in a lot of the movie's shots of Truman, it's as though the viewer is looking through the camera, which brings home the idea that Truman is being watched by the world (and now, by the viewer) no matter where he goes.
In summary: The Truman Show looks like a cheery little movie, but it's a profound enough that it is not at all a children's movie (unless your child is Matilda or something). The acting and writing of the movie are good- didn't say much about that in the review but we all know Jim Carrey can do manic very well (although there were a few really serious moments that featured strong acting from him as well), and Ed Harris is a despicable villain. Weird comment, but this movie would be a great one for some college student to write a paper on (maybe it'll be me?). The one thing I will say is that this movie can be a little bleak at times, and the uninvited pulling at my heart strings hurt a little bit, but I enjoyed the movie a lot and the ending was wonderful.
Rating: B+
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