Film review: The Truman Show

Most descriptions of this movie online gave away the main plot, I went into it blind, which is an outset I’d probably encourage to readers. Right from the word go in this movie something feels so glaringly strange, the odd frame and the occasional fisheye shots to name some. Everything about the opening 15 minutes or so felt so uncomfortable and I hated it. Eventually, well, let’s just say it starts to make sense, and what unveils is perhaps one of the very best creative concepts I’ve seen in a moving image.

Usually, when a comedic concept is thought of by a creative mind, such an idea may be projected into a 5-minute sketch, with as many clever and innovative jokes squashed in as possible. How this movie thought of as many gags, routes and tiny Easter egg details as it did was so impressive and constantly hilarious.

Jim Carrey is quite an all or nothing cast member, if you want him, and you don’t get him, it’s a blow. If you cast him for whatever role you needed him for, then you probably couldn’t have cast a better individual. I’d say I’ve watched plenty of films where I’ve considered it a Jim Carrey film above all other identifiable trait. I’d say ‘The Truman Show’ was an exception to the rule, the quality of the idea and writing balanced this out a lot more. This is to no detriment of Jim Carrey though, who carried out the project with usual excellence.

I would say that the part of the movie where ideas were flowing and stuff was being figured out was by far the strongest period of the movie, and what came after it, while it was wasn’t disappointing, it struggled to live up to what came before it. The emotional attachment created towards the end wasn’t the strongest I’ve seen, and perhaps the length and tone of the film was the reason for it, but I wasn’t particularly blown away with its ending.

A brave premise and so many funny angles to it absolutely makes this film a memorable one, but with minor criticism of the way things signed off.

Rating: 8/10