EDTV Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: *** (out of ****) Universal / 2:02 / 1999 / PG-13 (language, sexuality) Cast: Matthew McConaughey; Jenna Elfman; Ellen DeGeneres; Woody Harrelson; Rob Reiner; Sally Kirkland; Martin Landau; Viveka Davis; Dennis Hopper Director: Ron Howard Screenplay: Lowell Ganz; Babaloo Mandel
The Andy Warhol-professed notion of 15 minutes of fame seems to have been invented for people like Monica Lewinsky, today's hot pop act du jour, and now Ed Pekurny, the centerpiece of Ron Howard's new comedy "EDtv." As played by Matthew McConaughey, last seen brandishing six-shooters in "The Newton Boys" about a year ago, Ed's an easygoing San Francisco video store clerk whose Southern twang, down-home charm and almost soothing presence make him the sort of average Joe you'd like to see good things happen to. In short, he's the perfect tour guide through Howard's giddily twisted take on celebrity status.
Sad to say, but such niceties don't exactly befall our hero, who is hand-picked by a struggling cable network to be the focus of a live, 24-hour-a-day television show that follows and broadcasts his every move - think of it as a non-stop version of "The Real World" without the gloomy roomies and cautious censors. Oh, sure, things start off on the right foot, as Ed's without-warning popularity sends him on the fast track to becoming a household name. He gets the ratings, the autograph hounds and even the sweet fiancee (Jenna Elfman) of his loutish brother (Woody Harrelson), after the omnipresent camera crews catch the latter inflagrante.
But the luster begins to fade, the media is soon taking national polls regarding the personal life of this public man, and the Nielsen-minded producers are going to disturbing lengths to rake in the numbers - as far as arranging Ed to have a session of on-air lovin' with a alluring model (Elizabeth Hurley). These wild ups and downs, while not necessarily grounded in reality, provide a generous helping of yuks and yucks - the latter when Ed partakes in lovely chores like toenail-clipping and the reliable early-morn crotch adjustment on the idiot box. "EDtv" ultimately shuns a few of the questions it poses, but a movie this infectiously genial need not be concerned with the big picture.
So fast do the laughs, spoofs and assorted gags come that there's little time to take in how low-key the romantic angle is - McConaughey and Elfman click but hardly combust, a hindrance which may actually aid the couple's ultimate dilemma - or that a subplot revealing some aired dirty laundry in the Pekurny family past cuts an unfortunate path into soapy melodrama; if I were a watcher, I'd probably use these parts for bathroom breaks and nacho runs. Also, the finale, as Ed turns the tables on the station monsters who exploit his should-be-private crises, lacks the early zip and zest, ending up like a really long joke that almost blows its punchline.
Luckily, a superlative cast of supporting oddballs as endearing as McConaughey make even the weakest passages something to sit through. Martin Landau gets choice one-liners as Ed's decrepit, wheelchair-bound stepdad ("I've gotta pee. Wish me luck."), while Sally Kirkland - where's she been, by the way? - does nice work as his white-trash mom, the kind that fancies KFC as quality dining. Dennis Hopper shows up briefly as Ed's biological father, and Howard wisely gives ex-sitcom stars Ellen DeGeneres and Rob Reiner plum roles as program honchos, respectively conflicted and conscience-challenged. DeGeneres, for one, has never been brighter.
So chalk up a hit for "EDtv," and let's hope it gets renewed for next season. Something so fresh, sneaky and entertaining certainly deserves its share of the viewership, but don't go expecting the wisdom of "The Truman Show" or face dire disappointment. Comparisons are inevitable - and maybe just a little inappropriate given the two movies' varied agendas - but here goes anyway: Think of "The Truman Show" as the deeper, smarter and more thought-provoking classy cousin to "EDtv"'s silly, rude and quick-to-please country bumpkin. Ed himself may put the boob back into boob tube, but it's hard not to like what you see.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "‘20 Dates' tells the story of Myles Berkowitz, a man who wants to make a film, and to fall in love. These areas are his ‘two greatest failures, professional and personal,' so he decides to make a film about going out on 20 dates. By the film's end, he has won the love of the lovely Elisabeth - maybe - but his professional life is obviously still a failure." -Roger Ebert on "20 Dates"
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