On DVD (1998). Rated PG-13, 103 minutes. Trailer.
I saw this twice in the theater when it came out, but didn't like it all that much (rated it a B+). I happened upon it tonight on TV and stuck with it. This time I liked it much more. The themes of conformity and "accepting the reality we are presented with" hit me much harder this time. Click below for more on The Truman Show:
To recap, the film tells the story of Truman Burbank - a man who has had his life filmed as a reality tv show since his birth, without his knowledge. Doc fave director Peter Weir builds the film into a masterful crescendo, and the script (by Andrew Niccol) is full of dozens of great quotes and existential nuggets. I think my immersion into the mortgage/mini-van/job/protective parent phase of my life has made the film so much more resonant. A great film. (too many ha-ha moments in the first third to give it the full A though)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Truman Show - A-
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2 comments:
Full A for me. The music is superb and director Weir has many memorable moments (the "first position" shot comes immediately to mind). The film is brisk, edited as tightly as it could be. Carrey does need some more subtlety and should have perhaps been reigned in a little better, but I let his first act shenanigans go since it comments on the artificial nature of his life. He would finally play it perfectly straight in Eternal Sunshine.
Weir is very underrated and there are few filmmakers I look forward to more: Scorsese, Coens, PT Anderson, Michael Mann, Fincher, Jonze.
I loved this one when it came out, and the basic set-up speaks more now with the ever-more-blurry lines between reality tv shows and the lives of stars. Loved Master and Commander and a number of his others. It wouldn't kill Weir to put out a few more films, I'll say that.
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