who would have thought ?
jim carrey does drama .
when i first saw the advertisement for the truman show , i thought , ” what a hilarious idea for a movie ! ”
however , it was an even better premise for a drama .
the truman show takes us into a world that revolves around one man .
that man is truman burbank ( jim carrey ) .
truman has no clue what is really going on in his world and frankly , cristof wants to keep it that way .
christof is the ” god ” of this made-up world .
he keeps everything running and gives the actors their roles .
there were a few attempts to tell truman about his world , but they failed and life went on as normal .
the opening parts of the film introduce to truman’s world .
we see what he is doing at his current age , then we get a flashback at his past .
it may seem a tad boring , but it is so intriguing that you will fall in love with the film right from the start .
the film can be described in one word : weird .
it seems like such a simple idea , yet it is something that a majority of us would never think of , but andrew niccol did .
it seems like a warped idea , but it is andrew’s idea and he did wonders with it .
jim carrey actually lived up to the hype .
the hype , whether good or bad , always focused on carrey’s ability to do drama .
no one doubted how extraordinary this film could be , the only thing they doubted was carrey .
and he showed them all up .
jim carrey was snubbed at the oscars .
i do not think he was the best actor , but he deserved the nomination .
he plays truman burbank , the unsuspecting star of the most popular television show in the world .
he has lived a normal life for almost thirty years , but then strange things start happening .
he ventures into the wrong elevator .
a light crashes in front of him .
his father comes back and is then pulled away .
we are constantly teased with all of this and we know it is a show , but truman does not .
and it is just a constant progression that never gets sluggish .
carrey is able to shed his comedy to play a major role in a major drama .
laura linney is magnificent as the camera hungry wife .
she plays her role as advertiser and budding star to a point .
peter weir does not make the cast perfect , and their flaws eventually lead to truman’s escape .
the story unfolds until the show becomes too big and everything crashes down .
despite carrey’s greatness , the best performance in the truman show undoubtedly is turned in by ed harris , who plays the ” god ” of truman’s world .
he displays the pressure he is under , the world he has created .
he becomes so paranoid that he believes he is a god and that truman has him to thank for his sham of a life .
the action moves at a good pace , and rarely gets sluggish .
but , the main point of the film is how it looks like a television show .
it really makes you think .
maybe your brother is an actor , maybe your best friend is in heated contract negotiations to stay on the show .
some of the best parts of the film are when truman ventures into the wrong elevator and sees cast members drinking coffee and talking .
or when truman tunes into the wrong station and hears orders being said for truman’s arrival .
and when christof focuses in on truman and cues the dramatic music as marlon ( noah emmerich ) delivers his dramatic line .
all of these ideas are just perfect for the film and extremely innovative .
i was not only enjoying the film , i was overwhelmed by genius of it .
overall , the truman show is one of the freshest and innovative films to come out of hollywood .
jim carrey shows that he is not just a man of a million faces , but a legitimate actor who could go down as one of the best .
andrew niccol is responsible for the screenplay and peter weir pulled it off to perfection .
the truman show is a must see for anyone who likes movies in general because they will be thoroughly impressed by this creative film .