Subject: Susan Granger's review of "ED tv" Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Summary: r.a.m.r. #17370 Keywords: author=granger Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews Organization: None Author: Ssg722@aol.com (Susan Granger)
http://www.speakers-podium.com/susangranger.
Susan Granger's review of "ED TV" (Universal Pictures)
We're obviously a nation besotted with celebrity, fame, and seeing ourselves on TV. If you doubt it, watch the crowds that gather outside NBC in Rockefeller Center every morning to wave and mug for the "Today" show cameras. "ED tv" is about a goofy, ordinary guy from Texas - Matthew McConaughey - who is catapulted to instant success when his photogenic face is spotted by "True TV" producer Ellen DeGeneres, who is determined to air someone "live" on cable 24 hours-a-day. From video store clerk to TV star in days...is that the new American Dream? Unlike "The Truman Show," in which Jim Carrey was the unwitting dupe, or "Pleasantville," in which two teenagers get stuck in a '50s sit-com, the star of "ED tv" succumbs to the aphrodisiac of fame, volunteering to give up his dignity for the spotlight. After discussing it with his family (Woody Harrelson, Martin Landau, Sally Kirkland) McConaughey gamely allows cameras installed in his apartment to record his every move (except in the bathroom) and tries to ignore the three-man crew dogging his steps - until he falls in love with his brother's girl-friend, Jenna Elfman (who resembles a wannabe Renee Zellweger). Only when she resents the constant intrusion does McConaughey realize what celebrity and the sacrifice of privacy really mean - but, by that time, the audience has become addicted to watching his "life" unfold. Written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel ("Parenthood," "City Slickers") and directed by Ron Howard ("Ransom," "Apollo 13"), "ED tv" is a relentlessly entertaining, cleverly comical satire of our American obsession with the limelight. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "ED tv" is an engaging, delightful 8, focusing on people who are considered special just for being famous.
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