A Reel 25: THE TRUMAN SHOW

 

“In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” 

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of THE TRUMAN SHOW.

Directed by Peter Weir and based on a script by Andrew Niccol, THE TRUMAN SHOW told the story of Truman Burbank, a man living an ordinary life that (little does he know), takes place on a large studio-set populated by actors for a live television show about his life.

The idea for TRUMAN was born in 1991, when writer and director Andrew Niccol completed a one-page script called THE MALCOLM SHOW, which was set in NYC and was to be a sci-fi thriller. The treatment was picked by producer Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures, and the search for a director began with names such as Brian De Palma and Tim Burton considered. The job would go to Peter Weir, who had directed acclaimed films such as WITNESS (1985), and DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989).

Niccol’s original script was considered to be too dark, and nearly 20 drafts were done before settling on a final. For the fictional town Truman was living in, the master-planned community of Seaside, Florida was chosen. The paintings of Norman Rockwell and 1960’s postcards were inspirations for the film’s production design.

The role of Truman would go to Jim Carrey. Robin Williams had been considered for the role, but Weir chose Carrey after seeing his performance in ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (1994), saying that Carrey reminded him of Charlie Chaplin. The rest of the cast would be filled out by Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Paul Giamatti, and Harry Shearer.

THE TRUMAN SHOW was released in June of 1998 and received high critical acclaim. It would be nominated for three Oscars (Best Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Ed Harris), win three BAFTA’s (including Best Director for Weir), and two acting wins at the Golden Globes for Harris and Carrey.

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There are two common injustices that happen when the conversation moves to THE TRUMAN SHOW. The first is the dismissal of the film as a comedy due to its lead actor, Jim Carrey. While Carrey does get to flex some of his funny-ass chops, it is very much a dramatic role in a film that asks serious questions about the way we perceive our own reality along with being ahead of its time; its central plot device of a man being under constant surveillance pre-dates the eventual reality-TV era by several years.

The second injustice done to THE TRUMAN SHOW happened just a year after release. In 1999 the sci-fi thriller THE MATRIX exploded onto screens. With a similar theme (albeit in reverse), of how we accept our reality, along with land breaking, dazzling visual effects, THE MATRIX overshadowed (and does to this day), THE TRUMAN SHOW. While THE TRUMAN SHOW was certainly not the first film to try and explore these themes, it often gets buried by THE MATRIX. 

It would be pointless to debate which film did it better, but it is fair to say that THE TRUMAN SHOW does it quieter. By using real-world family dynamics and intimate, on-the-ground filmmaking, TRUMAN presents its ideas in a way that doesn’t dazzle but instead provokes thought. Its stunning closing shot of Carrey’s Truman, up against a solid wall made to look like the sky, represents us all when we come to a barrier that threatens our idea of reality. Do we smash through it, find a way around, or turn back? That is what THE TRUMAN SHOW is all about. 

“We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented..."