The Truman Show (1998)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Peter Weir

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Niccol (written by)

Release Date:

5 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

All the world's a stage...

Plot:

An insurance salesman/adjuster discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Hidden Camera | Infiltration | Revolving Door | Escape

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Truman Burbank
Laura Linney	...	Meryl Burbank / Hannah Gill
Noah Emmerich	...	Marlon
Natascha McElhone	...	Lauren / Sylvia
Holland Taylor	...	Truman's Mother
Brian Delate	...	Truman's Father
Blair Slater	...	Young Truman
Peter Krause	...	Lawrence
Heidi Schanz	...	Vivien
Ron Taylor	...	Ron
Don Taylor	...	Don
Ted Raymond	...	Spencer
Judy Clayton	...	Travel Agent
Fritz Dominique	...	Truman's Neighbor
Angel Schmiedt	...	Truman's Neighbor

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:12 | USA:PG (certificate #34959) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Ireland:PG | Mexico:A | Netherlands:12 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Every streetname in Seahaven refers to a movie actor, e.g. "Lancaster Square" or "Barrymore Road."

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: An 8-ball that appears to be on Truman's desk (and then disappears) is in fact in a basket on a cart.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Christof: We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World' (#10.19)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Opus 11: Second Movement: 'Romance - Larghetto'

An On-Film Miracle

Although it sometimes seems that Hollywood is catering to the lowest common denominator of everything, The Truman Show is proof that there are great ideas that are able to be turned into great movies. Jim Carrey plays an excellent role as a man with whom you can emphasize as well as be entertained by. The film's surrealistic nature is frightening when the viewer realizes the legal feasibility in today's society, and it offers a great message about who or what we assume God to be and how He (he?) would react to our personal drives for discovery to challenge a world we treat as an aquarium. Some things to note and ponder: The way the real-life viewers ignore the real lives of their compatriots and customers while focusing on a false life on screen; whose life is more real and whose is worth living? Also, note that Christof does not have his name listed among the "real world" in the credits, but in "Christof's World." His high-profile media-driven life is no different from Truman's!