#68 – The Truman Show

(1998) Rated PG

Genre: Paranoia-inducing reality TV: the movie

Trend: Steadily dropping, but holding fast to its current position

The plot:

Inspire men by living life!

One catch: relinquish all your dreams.

Don’t look at her – we’ve picked your wife,

And ratings keep you center screen.

The world’s a stage, and you’re the lead;

Reality through cardboard sets.

Is love an act concealing greed?

Is freedom fenced inside regret?

It’s all for you; we do insist.

How dare you spit in your god’s eye?

Well, if you really must resist…

A special show: tonight, one dies!

So why is it on my list?

It was my favorite movie when I was younger. This was probably the first movie I could ever call my “favorite” at one time.  It’s clearly fallen a lot since number one, but I still enjoy watching it from time to time.

It’s a clever critique. Is watching other people live their (fake) lives really so rewarding?  Does not your own life dissipate in direct correlation to the amount of time you spend in front of the TV?

It changed my life. Not for the better or worse, but for the paranoid.  Seriously, it took years before I stopped being (playfully) suspicious of my friend’s and family’s motives.  Maybe I never went to the Grand Canyon; it was just staged in front of some billboard!

In conclusion: The Truman Show is funny, sweet, and, most importantly, creative for its time.  Jim Carrey does get a little over the top at parts, but what did you expect?  He’s much tamer here than in many of his other films, anyways.  Just be prepared to start looking for hidden cameras in necklaces of strangers…