Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is the star of The Truman Show, one of the most popular TV shows on the planet. People around the world watch Truman's life as an insurance executive in the coastal town of Seahaven. Although Truman is a popular member of the community, he is the only one who isn't paid to live there - because everyone else is an actor. Thousands of strategically-placed cameras follow Truman's every move, as he interacts with hundreds of people who are following the orders of a TV director, high in the sky.
This massive conspiracy was conceived decades ago, when Truman was chosen from several unwanted babies. Adopted by a corporation, Truman became the object of a fantastic experiment to televise an entire life -- the ultimate reality show. There's no script for Truman, but everyone else in town has a role to play, while only some have speaking parts. Others just play "extras," pretending to be about their lives, providing a natural traffic for Truman's world.
The deception is most cruel in that his wife (Laura Linney), his best friend (Noah Emmerich), and his parents are not only acting their affection, but they are subtly steering Truman in his choices. From childhood, his wanderlust was pooh-poohed by those around him, and the customized media that he sees is styled to induce fear of travel. As a teenager, he was attracted to the wrong girl - an "extra." The producers whisked her (Natascha McElhone) away, so that he would marry Meryl.
But that incident and others left Truman confused. In a 24-hour production day, many things could go wrong, and incidents build up. We see a few overt miscues, and Truman is awakened from his non-questioning complaisance. His new awareness and his canny attempt to get to the truth makes for an exciting story.
This is the perfect role for Jim Carrey, especially at this stage of his career. His comedy genius has charmed millions of ticket-buyers, but there is a handsome leading man hiding in there. We know it, but he is a rare talent, and we don't want to lose him like we lost Spielberg. The Cable Guy showed us that our fears were well founded, but Truman provides the perfect vehicle. Carrey is still permitted to amuse us with little fantasy scenes that Truman has in front of his bathroom mirror. I doubt that any were scripted.
Delivering this transitional gem is reason enough to praise director Peter Weir (Witness). The material speaks so clearly that I doubt he had any trouble reigning in Jim's wild ways. Ed Harris is stuck with the non-role of Cristof, director of the Truman Show. Dennis Hopper bailed, and Ed replaced him, but maybe Dennis had the right idea. The Uber-director and the constructed dome/studio seemed like plot devices. Their artificiality was in stark contrast to Carrey's beautifully natural performance. Waytogo, Jim!
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