EDTV A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 1999 David N. Butterworth
*** (out of ****)
When I first saw the previews for Ron Howard's latest film, my expectations were discouragingly low. A show about nothing? Sounds like "Seinfeld." A guy whose entire life is broadcast 24 hours a day? Sounds like "The Truman Show." What is it with Hollywood that no sooner than one production company puts out an animated feature about ants, another puts one out about bugs?
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised by "EdTV," which turns out to be a fresh, insightful, and often times hilarious film about the follies of instant celebrity.
The writing, by Howard's longtime collaborators Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is right on the money and Howard himself should be credited for giving the subject matter a fresh focus. In the hands of a less-experienced director, "EdTV" could easily have had all the flavor of yesterday's meatloaf.
With their 'True TV' cable ratings being threatened by 'The Gardening Channel' (apparently people would rather watch soil), the NorthWest Broadcasting Company is looking for a novel concept to attract viewers. Program Director Cynthia Topping (Ellen DeGeneres) comes up with the idea of putting a nobody on the air and broadcasting his every waking and sleeping moment. The hook is to find a regular guy, someone normal that people can relate to. While scouting possible candidates, Cynthia's camera crew discover Ed Pekurny and his pig brother Ray (Woody Harrelson) in a bar, where Ray believes he has what it takes for his fifteen plus minutes of fame. But on watching the videotape, the show's producers are more taken with Ed than with Ray. He's cute, he says all the wrong things, and he's 100% USDA hick.
Cynthia's boss, played by Rob Reiner, gives the show a week to deliver the goods and it's tough going in the early stages. The most exciting thing that happens is Ed brushes his teeth. "Action shot!" wags one of the production assistants when a couple of Pop Tarts jump out of the toaster. You get the idea.
But soon enough, things--Nielsen-boosting kinds of things--start to happen to this unassuming San Francisco video store clerk and the 'True TV' cameras are right there to document it. Ed's privacy is no longer his own, his newfound fame starts having a negative impact on his family life, and what little dignity he has left is trampled on by the media. Who should Ed go out with? You can be sure the pollsters have a list.
Not only is the film exceedingly well cast, but its performers are consistently excellent. Matthew McConaughey provides the face, the body language, and the lovable Texan accent to fill the shoes of America's latest phenomenon. He and Harrelson look like they really could be brothers. Sally Kirkland is noteworthy in a difficult role as Ed's mother, and Martin Landau is one of the film's highlights as Al, Ed's ailing stepfather. Jenna Elfman (from TV's "Dharma and Greg") proves herself surprisingly worthy in the company of Kirkland and Landau, although those Alpine eyebrows of hers get a little distracting. Even DeGeneres and Reiner are better than you'd expect.
In 1979, writer/director/comedian Albert Brooks made a zany little film called "Real Life" in which a small-time opportunist makes a real-time documentary about a typical American family. The scenes of Ed's family sitting around the dinner table feasting on Kentucky Fried Chicken and waxing idiotic play like a big-budget variant on that film, paralleling its wickedly inventive humor. As with most films by Albert Brooks, "Real Life" was funny, but absurd. The funniest--and scariest--thing about "EdTV" is that it is absolutely believable.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@dca.net
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