I know people who were lucky enough to see The Truman Show
without knowing the premise. That must be a kick, to sneak up on
the discovery.
The Truman Show is less ambitious than
Pleasantville, but its aim was dead-on and was consequently it is
far more successful. The details of producing the TV show of the
hapless Truman's life are outlined perfectly--the corporate
adoption of conveniently born baby, the desperately concealed
panic that occurs whenever he does something unexpected. The
commercial endorsements were very funny. The public's junkie
fixation with his life and their discussion of it was macabre,
but entirely believable.
I was surprised to find that the movie
disturbed me tremendously. Even though I knew the plot, I hadn't
really considered the realities of the privacy invasion it
entailed. I found the beginning, where Carrey's wife (Linney) and
best friend (Noah Emmerich) discuss their roles, profoundly
disturbing. I could barely stay in my seat when I realized how
Truman was being psychologically manipulated by the
"death" of his father to stay on the
"island"--that scene with his mother and wife is the
product of a viscious mind. As hard as it was to watch, it was a
relief to see Truman slowly become suspicious, test his theories,
and then become horrified at his imprisonment.
The Truman Show succeeds where Pleasantville
fails in large part because it seems to understand what
Pleasantville doesn't: embracing an unpredictable life is equal
parts bad and good, but for all that it's *still* the best deal
in town. This is demonstrated throughout the last fifteen minutes
of the movie, but is perfectly summed up in the ending, when
Truman is given his choice by his God.
Carrey is marvellous. Who would have thought
the star of Ace Ventura would follow the path of Robin Williams
rather than Chevy Chase? Linney is terrifyingly plastic, and
Holland Taylor as his mother is a nightmare of evil and
propriety. Noah Emmerich is great as his duplicitous best friend.
In fact, the one performance I wasn't all that
stunned by is the one that has been getting all the attention--Ed
Harris was rather ordinarily odd, I thought. Not bad, by any
means. But I just didn't quite buy it.
Look for it on video. Definitely worth seeing.
