Nearly 20 years on from its original release date, Peter Weir's fantastic drama-comedy satire on reality television The Truman Show resonates, perhaps even more so than it ever intended to. Packaged to audiences as a Jim Carrey showcase, and surprising and delighting them with something even better than that (though make no mistake, it is a Jim Carrey showcase for your money's worth too), the film was a surprise box-office hit and awards darling. Considering the somewhat troubled production beforehand (the script had to be written on-the-go by Andrew Niccol due to it having more of a science-fiction thriller vibe before Carrey came on board), and Weir needing a career comeback after the relative failure of Fearless in 1993, it's success is much like the film itself, a heartwarming story.
Though it's far from just that - don't let the trailers fool you. The Truman Show, while lighthearted, delightful and sweet in many regards, has also a surprising amount of depth and dark themes it explores through its concept: a reality television show broadcasting from an entirely fictionalized, simulated seaside town inside a gigantic dome in a Hollywood studio, in which the focal point is Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), whose entire life has taken place inside the dome, is unaware of the world outside of it, and whose every acquaintance, every family member, everything he's ever encountered or done in his life, has been controlled by the studio, primarily his 'creator' Christof (an excellent Ed Harris). I can easily see how this film could've panned out as more of a science-fiction thriller - something with a The Matrix sort of vibe, about a man gradually coming to terms with the falsities of the world around him and, consumed by paranoia, looking for a way out.
Well the finished product here doesn't exactly reject that sort of concepts. The gradual revelations of everything not being quite as they seem to Truman is dealt with in a part-comic, part-terrifying manner. The opening scenes of the film with a still unaware Truman are played with a comedic, lighthearted tone, but there's a definite edge to it that Weir and Niccol bring to the material. We laugh and smile at Truman's jovial nature and the cheesy, sweet little suburb he lives in, but with the knowledge that this is all articifical, that these neighbours of Truman have all been told how to act by a script, and that a camera angle follows his every movement with such precision, such exactitude, is really quite creepy and unsettling. And yet, it's extremely compelling to watch - and you can see why the show has become such a success for Christof and his studio.
This is where the casting choice of Carrey reveals its brilliance. Truman is not the most complex role Carrey's ever played - that'd be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - but this is possibly the most career-defining role of his, in my opinion. Truman is a bit of a blank slate in the beginning, rightfully so, just a nice guy who's been engineered by a perfect environment, free from the hardships of the real world, without any scruples, any demons besides the 'death' of his father, and the loss of a 'first love' who moved away from his hometown suddenly. Nothing about him is particularly remarkable, and that's exactly how it should be. The fascination the world has with the day-to-day life of an everyman is palatable because of how charming and funny Carrey naturally is in the role. I've never been a big fan of Carrey when he's overacting (besides Dumb and Dumber and Liar Liar, which are my two exceptions for him), but here his more low-key, personable humour works extremely well in making Truman a character we want to follow. And by making us want to follow his story, he makes the whole concept of the film work extremely well.
Of course there's still the occasional scene or two where Carrey gets to stretch his more overt comedic muscles. Here is a scene after he finds out his whole life's effectively been, a lie. The utilization of a more traditional Carrey persona works effectively in merging the comical air with the dark context of it: Truman wants out, but doesn't know how, and this way of coping with it seems to bridge into madness. (Also, young Paul Giamatti!!!)
Truman's gradual realizations that the world around him is centered around him, are depicted in scenes that are really quite disturbing to watch. The scene where he thinks he sees his father returned from the dead (when in actuality it's the disgruntled actor who played him wanting to get back on set to earn more money) is quite harrowing and played as such by Carrey and the direction. The scenes where he remembers how a certain Syliva (Natascha McElhone) caught his eye over his current wife Meryl (Laura Linney), are quite heartbreaking to watch. Then there's the scene where he finally flips out at his wife, which is excellently played by Linney. The falsehoods of Truman's life come to the fore in this scene as his wife, who was hired to marry him, sleep with him and potentially give birth to a child by him (a baby Truman, brought to continue the cycle? Terrifying thought), has a breakdown as she tries to keep up that 'cheery housewife' front while doing some product placement.
There's more lightly comic scenes, don't get me wrong, and they're well done in the film, Weir having a bit of fun putting some of his style as a director into the more conventional Carrey moments. The most exceptional bits of this film are indeed, the serious ones, however - there's a reason this was nominated in the 'Drama' category at the Golden Globes and not the 'Musical/Comedy' category (though like last year's The Martian, I find it category-fluid enough to go into either.
Truman's best friend, Marlon (Noah Emmerich), is another interesting character. He seems to genuinely for Truman, but he's also just doing his job in many regards, in the scenes where he's comforting Truman, or trying to convince Truman that nothing's wrong. Raises the question of what relationships in this film are truly two-sided affairs besides Truman's romance with Sylvia; in most regards, any human contact Truman's had in his life has been predestined and planned by higher authorities, and he has never really had the opportunity to seek out a connection with someone on his own. The more you think about it, the more Truman learns about the reality of his universe, the more terrifying it is; it's the sort of questioning one's sanity that can easily drive one man.
Another one-sided relationship in this film is the 'god' of Truman's universe, Christof. Ed Harris originally wanted to play Christof as a slightly more odd, eccentric type, with a hunchback, but Peter Weir wasn't overly keen and told him to take a different approach. Well it all works for the best, because Harris' performance here is quite remarkable, as his Christof is less of a madman, and more of an artist with an exalted view of his own work. Which is probably more terrifying, since he sees Truman as more of a project than a man, an experiment to put into various scenarios to broadcast to the world, deluded that he and Truman together have a greater purpose through the show to broadcast the message of the everyman to the world. As the film progresses and Truman begins to fight back, we watch the stoicism leave Christof and his desperation gradually increase. Christof seems to relish in his ominiscience and omnipotence in Truman's universe as an unseen power, and Truman's attempts to gain control over his own life, threaten the very heart of Christof's 'grand' project.
Then there's the ending of the film. I really have no words to describe it. It's beautiful, but it's great in that it's not overly sentimental either. Truman will have to face difficulties in the outside world he won't be accustomed to. He'll struggle, and he knows that. So while it's not a happily ever after necessarily, the upbeat disposition Truman takes into a new world is quite uplifting for the audience who has been following him through the whole film - the television viewers effectively reflect our own emotions in this scene. We feel joy at seeing Truman succeed - yet also a hint of trepidation at how he'll cope in the reality outside. When I think of Truman, I think of contestants on reality shows noawadays who may become so ingrained into the falsehoods they've been immersed in, that they may never, ever want to leave.
Which brings us to the modern-day. In programmes like Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, Keeping Up With the Kardashians (don't tell me nothing in that series is engineered for the cameras, I refuse to believe humans can instinctually act and talk in that fashion), Jersey Shore to name but a few of the more notable ones, present simulated universes where people, well aware of the controlled nature of their surroundings, willingly choose to live in them and broadcast themselves to the world. Now there's an argument to be made that unlike Truman they can come and go as they please, so it's not exactly equivocal, but a lot of the time you get the vibe that a lot of these participants actually find enjoyment and satisfaction in getting such spotlight and attention by being put into situations controlled by the studios, and being judged by audiences for every action they take even if it's something that people do in everyday life - take, in terms of a recent example, the Miss Great Britain Zara Holland getting kicked off the show Love Island for having sex with a fellow contestant on the show. That people put themselves in a position to be scrutinized by the general public, and that the general public actually see fit to get invested in a scripted form of televised entertainment, is quite darkly amusing.
An article here, written by Hamza Shaban (http://thoughtcatalog.com/hazma-shaban/2012/07/considering-the-truman-show-in-the-age-of-the-kardashians/), perfectly examines the mentality of the modern-day society; how we seem to get off on observing other peoples' realities no matter how false or feigned they are, maybe because reality as it is is so insufficient to most people. And yeah, I'd agree movies could be argued along the same sort of lines as a form of 'escapism', except films aren't an experiment controlled by studios upon people. They're collaborative fictions, whereas reality television is the fiction crafted by a studio, in which contestants are thrust into aware it's all 'not real', but are simulated into acting in a 'real' manner, an alternate reality of sorts.
Anyway, I digress. I'd recommend watching The Truman Show over any reality television series nowadays as it provides not only more entertainment, depth and emotion, but will also cause you to question the whole nature of reality televised entertainment. Yeah, films from nearly 20 years ago can carry a great deal of contemporary context.
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