EDTV by DeWyNGaLe Rating: A-
EDTV is the third recent film with a similar plot line. In June 1998, the first one was released. The Truman Show starred Jim Carrey as a man whose entire life was a television show, and he didn't even know it. All his friends and family were just acting. The second one came in October 1998, which was called Pleasantville. Two kids get stuck in a sixties sitcom and they inspire the people in the show to live, and they become color once they discover who they really are. The third is EDTV, which is about a television show that shows the life of someone twenty four hours a day. Whoever is chosen by True Tv, the company who is going to put the show on the air, will be a volunteer to put their life on television. The True Tv committee working on the show consists of Cynthia, played by Ellen DeGeneres, who thought of the entire idea of putting someone's life on the air.
The search will be a long one to find the right person to put on television. After a long search, Ed Pekurny, played by Matthew McConaughey, is chosen. They feel that he would be a fun person to watch twenty four hours a day. Ed's brother Ray, played by Woody Harrelson, likes the idea of the show, and wants to advertise his new gym on television. Ed's parents aren't very supportive of the idea, and Al, who is Ed's mother's second husband, is extremely uneasy about the idea. Ed doesn't mind the cameras following him all day though. After Ray and his girlfriend Shari, played by Jenna Elfman, break up, Ed starts going out with her. Shari is on television constantly now also, and she completely hates it. She has no privacy, and she cannot go on. She tries to avoid the cameras as much as possible, but with Ed following her, it is impossible. I really liked the way the relationship between Ed and Shari was developed. Both the characters are developed very well, and we are given background on both characters. Therefore, they are both extremely fun and likable characters.
At first EDTV was barely watched by anyone. Everyone thought it was a low point in America, but after people started watching it more and more, it grew on to them. EDTV has become a phenomenon. Ed is about the only one that is enjoying being filmed though. The people involved in his life are very upset and outraged about the things that are being put on to television.
The performances in EDTV are wonderful. Matthew McConaughey and Jenna Elfman especially were wonderful in the large, star crowded cast. It was nice to see Ellen DeGeneres again after her show was canceled. In the film, she delivers a lot of laughs. I feel that she was cast perfectly as Cynthia. Although she wasn't developed, she added a lot to the film. Others who added to the film were Elizabeth Hurley, who played Jill, a model who starts to take the place of Shari as Ed's love interest, Dennis Hopper as Hank, Ed's biological father, and Rob Reiner as Dr. Whitaker.
At first, I thought that EDTV would be a complete rip-off of The Truman Show. It turns out I was wrong, considering EDTV was better than it. Unlike The Truman Show, EDTV is very funny, and isn't very dramatic. I like the comedic path better than the dramatic path that The Truman Show took. Although the second half in EDTV is based more on human emotions and the effects on Ed's life, it still has the fun feel to it. EDTV was a lot of fun to watch. It had a soundtrack that was fun music, and it added to the feel of the film. There are a lot of fun and also touching moments in EDTV, some that I will think about for awhile. Towards the end of the film, it started to drag the slightest bit. Luckily, they ended it with an ending which was satisfying, before it dragged on any more. All of the elements were there to make this film great, especially the large cast. Expect large numbers at the box office for this one.
The Bottom Line- A large cast of familiar, funny faces, makes EDTV great fun.
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