It is a common misconception for people to think that they want the world to revolve around them. I have felt the same way. But after watching The Truman Show, I doubt I will ever make that mistake again.
Seaheaven is a nice place to live. That is all Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) knows. What he doesn’t know is that his life is the subject of one of the most popular shows on television - “we accept the reality of the world with which we are presented,” the filmmakers suggest.
Truman is a sales executive at an insurance company, and is married happily to Meryl (Laura Linney). He doesn’t mind, or maybe just accepts when she describes their household items like an advertisement. He leads a supposedly normal life. That is until one day, when a stage light falls out of the sky and crash lands on the street. The radio plays it off as an airplane malfunction, but Truman becomes more and more suspicious as he recollects some of the other strange things that have happened in his life: people in the same spots every day, people who say the same thing every day, and most curious to Truman, the disappearance of Lauren (Natascha McElhone), the only girl he ever really loved, a girl who spontaneously left with her family to Fiji.
He misses her, and tries on more than one occasion to find her. But it never works out, (forced to stay on land because of a fixed childhood trauma) and he is stranded, wondering why she left him. Apparently, she wasn’t right for the Truman “character,” whose love life had already been plotted. The actress who played Lauren, Sylvia, developed genuine feelings for Truman, and in a desperate act of heroism, tries to tell him the truth about his existence. She fails. Meryl, on the other hand, is a professional actress, and keeps the cruel secret alive.
“The Truman Show” is controlled by TV producer Christof (Ed Harris) in a room so high in the sky that it doubles as the sun and moon. From there, he manipulates the weather, directs his performers (with the exception of Truman), controls the city’s thousands of cameras, holds press conferences, and fends off against protestors (including Sylvia), who believe that Truman’s confinement in this faux environment is inhumane. Meanwhile, the rest of the people watch Truman every day – some fans leave it on all the time, even as he sleeps.
Carrey is an appropriate choice for Truman. His trademark manic comedic style makes just enough appearances for the audience to feel comfortable with his character – they can still recognize Truman as a Jim Carrey rendition. But Carrey also makes Truman an honest, enjoyable, easy to sympathize with, and easy to like person, which is nice to see since there are so many other characters on the screen that are just as easy to hate.
Harris is another good choice. For Harris, and his character, the show’s concerns take precedence over all else. He is slimy. He is greedy. And he is certainly the film’s antagonist, but it is unfair to call him a bad guy. He loves Truman (which is unclear until a touching scene in which he is packing up for the night. Truman’s asleep. His face covers a monitor the size of a billboard. He stops and looks at the calm star, and proceeds to pet the screen), but what the audience doesn’t know is why. It is easy to assume the reason is because of all of the wealth Truman has brought him. But then again, it is just as reasonable to speculate that the love is genuine – a love like the one Dr. Frankenstein has for his creation.
Enjoying The Truman Show is not difficult to do. The film’s creative and original premise is reason enough to smile. But an entirely separate level of appreciation for the film is built once the viewer discovers its underlying message – pity is built for Truman, but sorrow is drawn to the fans. That is, Truman’s fans. They are all obsessed. They have bars and clothes dedicated to him (one older woman even sewed his face onto a pillow). “The Truman Show” is their life as much as it is Truman’s.
Really makes a person think – how boring must you be that watching someone else live their life is more entertaining to you than living your own?
