More Jim Carrey to check out? DUMB AND DUMBER: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LOIl3k64EH0.html 1990's Playlist: ru-vid.com/group/PLQHhQlj8i5dr8dJVR7bb5cRjIvAT-MeIM
People have complained about how it just ends without showing what happens next, but i love the idea that Truman has been watched his entire life. When he escapes, people can't watch him anymore. Not even us. In the original script there WAS another scene set slightly in the future where he is living with Sylvia and the TV is on. He hears an announcement that they are starting a new show with a baby girl.
I'd forgotten that was how it ended, but that really is the best ending - while he is in the show, you are always seeing the people watching him and talking about him, but when he leaves the show, that's it - he's not on camera any more, you just have to guess what might happen next.
That original script would ruin it I think.. like if Truman saw they were doing it again he would not stand for it.. and/or it would be the hollywood thing of setting up a sequel.. which probably would have to not be the same style because The Truman Show already did it.. so it'd be less unique and probably not as good.. Honestly the way I'd see it working is if they did only the "movie-y" shots for Truman show and save all the hidden camera and "real world" stuff as like a sequel/spin-off so if watch first one blind maybe you aren't told it's a show with-in a show and then not be ruined at how much of his life was controlled
i remember asking my dad this way back when it first came out, he made a similar answer and he loved the ending the way its shown...as a kid, i guess we just want to know everything, thats why i appreciate endings like this.
There are some deleted scenes with Marlon that I wish they kept in. They directly imply that he hated lying to Truman and hated the way Truman was being treated. IIRC there was also mention either in the book or script that when Marlon was gone on trips he was actually in rehab because he couldn't cope with the lying and turned to substances to numb himself. It makes the fact that he has to constantly drink beer as part of an advertisement even more scummy.
I almost think that, had they not deleted those scenes, it could be written in that Marlon knew Truman’s mental state would collapse, and was actually working with Silvia in order to convince Truman to leave… There is even a deleted scene that not only suggested that Truman knew… but outright confirmed it… in one scene he is looking directly into the camera when everyone is trying to find him.
Marlon was a child actor, so he would have been pushed into this by his parents, and what other life did he know? He's not completely innocent but I think he's less culpable than the ones who got into it as adults.
Thing is, the movie already implies a lot of that. Marlon talks about being away for a while. He’s never as enthusiastic as some of the others and always feels more genuine. He says things didn’t work out the way any of them had hoped. And when he’s being fed lines by Cristoff you can tell he hates himself for saying them. What I don’t see people mention, that always seemed obvious to me, is that when he says, “Everyone would have to be in on it. I’d have to be in on it,” Truman seems to get the message. “Everyone is in on it. I am in on it.” Truman doesn’t look like he’s thinking, yeah, silly me, you’re right, I’m imagining things. He looks like a man who was just told his worst nightmare is true. I was right and even my best friend has been lying to me all my life. Well, a lot of it. Maybe he even recognizes that it means Marlon has been trapped, too. Some of these kids he grew up with must have grown up hoping for a different life and were stopped one way or another (versus his wife being brought in as a high class escort). Shoot, Marlon may even have been one of the babies who were competing to be born in time for the premier. He’s basically a slave.
Some critics didnt like it at the time because they said it was unrealistic that the public would be so interested in someone else's life 24/7. Less than 2 years later Big Brother launched (in the UK) and reality TV was born. The Truman Show was way ahead of its time, great film, great reaction.
Reality TV has existed for decades it just wasn't called that till the early 90's. The first true examples of reality TV are 'The Real World' (1992), and an Australian series called Sylvania Waters (also 1992) that followed a single family for 6 months. There were also documentaries like the Seven Up series. COPS, one of the longest running reality shows, started in 1989 under the same circumstances that created what became the modern reality boom. The Writers Guild strike. Truman Show isn't even the only movie about following a single person. ED TV is not as well regarded but is much closer to what reality shows became.
They actually had two notable people that were broadcasting their lives back when the movie was made. Check out the wikipedia entry on lifestreaming and the subsection on lifecasting.
I would say.. The Mask really was a first taste of how great he could be.. When he's playing the more grounded Stanley.. I never just.. Maybe I saw it a bit before I could appreciate it but I never cared for Eternal Sunshine not necessarily that I disliked the actors as just not connecting with the film. But hope Jen checks out Man on the Moon although not sure how much she will care for it outside of not knowing about the real Andy.
@@mcgilj1 Same about Eternal Sunshine. Never made it all the way through. I just skip around or at most watch parts and then change it. I'm a fan of, "Yes Man".
This was a well done movie, very topical at the time, but a lot of actors could have done it just as good, if not better. I feel like people swoon over Jim Carrey in this film just because it wasn’t his typical over the top comedy.
12:20 One of my favourite "details". They didn't give 'Marlon' enough stuff to actually stock the machine, so when Truman looks away he takes it all out and refills on a loop to buy time.
They intentionally didn't give him enough. If you watch older tv characters will often do the same thing but almost no one noticed because the audience was too enthralled with the story. The story was more important than the mundane actions of everyday life.
@@jessecortez9449The audience didn’t notice because there was no pause rewind. Nobody was pausing and watching movies frame by frame like a theorist watching a Kubrick film. So often in filmmaking there isn’t a deeper meaning, it was just like “do we have the shot? Yes ? Moving on” or “Nobody will notice”.
It's why we normally don't realize we're dreaming every night. Everything seems normal in the context we're presented with because clearly it's real, it's right there in front of us.
Because it’s true. Who decided we all had to work? Who decided money was what we all wanted and needed? Who decided attaining material objects were the purpose of life?
I always felt bad for Truman, because he’s been living this nice, quiet, “normal” life inside the dome, and when he leaves, he’s going to realize that he’s the most famous person on the planet with nearly everyone wanting to touch him, talk to him, get a picture with him, get his autograph, etc. I’m sure that would be so difficult for him to adjust to, and then after a while he’d be forgotten when the next “big thing” came along. But, I’d like to think that he’d move somewhere quiet with Sylvia, and not have to worry about everything.
Just a thought but maybe the line with the two guys watching tv at the end saying "What else is on?" is kind of a hint that people will move on quickly
@@heynamu, well, I mean some people will definitely move on quickly, but there are certainly those that are super-addicted to the show, and I doubt that they’ll get over “losing” that part of their lives.
This Jen reaction is brought to you by new Mococo drink. All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua, no artificial sweeteners! ☕👈
I adhere to the theory that there were people who didn't think it was right, and that there was a group of people working towards letting Truman realize the truth. Most of the "errors" can be explained as sabotage. Rain that follows him? Must be programmed, the father didn't look like he would be able to get in himself without help to be smuggled in. Radio of the one car Truman drives switches to "control channel"? Light falling in the direct vicinity of him? If you ask me, sabotage just fits best.
this is interesting. Since Paul Giamatti's character seems to be in charge of a lot of the systems and is ultimately sympathetic to Truman, maybe he's the one who screwed up the rain and even intentionally let him sneak out of the basement.
You can literally see _IN_ _THIS_ _RU-vid_ _VIDEO_ that in the film there are posters made by campaigners who do think the truman show is barbaric and should be ended, and Truman told the truth about it all. Pay attention.
Sometimes, a movie comes along that becomes part of language to describe how you feel about your day. Groundhog day is one such descriptor and the Truman Show is another.
Watched this in the cinema in the UK. All the movie flyers were styled as campaign flyers, with each screening as a sit-in protest against Truman's effective involuntary servitude
A campaign transparently held to make profit out of the public, but one where the public are aware that the protest is fake and aware that the guy at the centre of it is really a paid actor pretending to be oppressed for the camera. That's the closest thing to an honest political campaign I've ever heard of.
21:38 He wasn't happy that his father was alive he was happy because there was nothing left to keep him on the island, he's no longer afraid of the water.
There are some very cool subtle hints that things aren't what they seem. two examples: The actors can be seen taking vitamin D pills because they aren't exposed to sunlight. When Truman visits Marlon while he's stocking the vending machine, it wasn't planned, so Marlon didn't have enough candy with him to do the job. When Truman looks away, Marlon removes candy from the machine so he can continue working while Truman is there.
The bus driver did know how to drive the bus as that was his role, but he was instructed to break it so Truman wouldn’t realize they can’t leave the city. He honestly felt bad for Truman looking at him in the mirror, and I’m sure he could’ve gotten the boat to move at least, but he pretended to not know and broke the boat intentionally so they couldn’t chase Truman. He was on Truman’s side.
I work in a Behavioral Health Hospital and the first week I was there I was introduced to a psychotic patient who thought his life was the Truman Show. Thought everything revolved around him and that news reports and TV shows were catered to him. Thought the actual Truman Show movie was a farce made to be an inside joke for fans of his “real” show. It was wild. This movie obviously makes me think of him!
I “suspect” it’s actually more common than it seems… most wouldn’t admit that they’ve felt or sensed reality to be more “personal” and ordered than random or chaotic. By far. I believe this is exactly why the Truman show strikes such a deep nerve.
What's cool is when the boat crashes into the wall, the sky background is all smooth and real-looking. Then when they cut to it again, there are seams visible.
One of my favorite reactions on the channel. For one thing you were on it from minute 1 (so many people seem lost for the first 1/2 of the movie). You also made the connection that 99.7% of reality tv has come after this movie, which is something I feel like people completely take for granted. All the emotional beats in the movie hit so hard, rewatching with your reaction was like seeing the movie for the first time, again. Really enjoyed this.
Jen, your anger is perfect! SO much to think about with this film! Ed Harris is such a deceitful puppetmaster, yet he has convinced himself he's treating Truman well! Time to watch your reaction again!
One of my favorite details in this movie is the music. All of the music is public domain classical music, because they would have to pay royalties for Truman to listen to literally any other music.
When he reunited with his “father” it looks as if it’s a heartfelt scene to the audience but to Truman it’s where his suspicions are confirmed that all of it is fake. His father just HAPPENS to be alive out of nowhere.
I like the commentary at the end in regards the show's audience, i.e. us, the general viewing public. They've been wrapped up in the show for years and years, watching Truman live his life and they all celebrate when Truman finally gets out and the show ends. What is the reaction? "What else is on?"
Yeah so many reactors miss that. The film is not only a critique of reality shows and morally bankrupt corporations, it's also a critique of the audience. They made this the number 1 TV show in the world. By patronizing the show, they are complicit in the adoption and imprisonment of a baby by a corporation. They never cared for Truman, they were only cheering because they got caught up in the climax.
That scene at the end with Truman pounding the barrier walls crying out and breaking down with the powerful musical score in the background... phenomenal🏆💯
Peter Weir is one of the greatest Australian director's ever. His fims, like this and Dead Poets Society are always captivating and unforgettable. He is an incredible storyteller.
In the last year or two I've watched several reactors inexplicably not understand what's happening in this film. It's kind of a relief to see somebody get it from the start for a change.
the scene of him at the end banging against the wall, after learning he was right the entire time, is the most heartbreaking scene in this whole movie.
Such a good movie this infuriating yes , scary concept yes , manipulative yes but wonderfully acted and very heartfelt . Pretty much everyone is rooting for Truman and it's fascinating watching him slowly figuring out things 🙌 I'm so happy you enjoyed this Jen even if it did make you mad at times 🙂 I hope now you go down the Jim Carrey rabbit hole and watch ace Ventura , the cable guy , yes man , the mask , liar liar and all the others no doubt will be recommended to you 👍
As others have said, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is the greatest Jim Carrey performance. It's even more serious than this (and more devastating), and is his (and Kate Winslet's) magnum opus. Essential viewing. Also, the music over the last scenes was obviously the king of arpeggios, Philip Glass.
In one of my Film Studies class (decades ago) I picked The Truman Show for my final dissertation. What a great movie. And so fun to revisit it thru your eyes years later.
I've always wondered how the Truman character would have adapted to the negatives and ugliness of the actual world. Thinking that would take some time to get used to.
He'd sue everyone: Christof, the network, the sponsors - all complicit in his enslavement. All profiting from it. He'd hate every viewer: All watching him being manipulated and lied to, like ancient Romans watching gladiators fight to the death. Almost no one objecting to the pure evil of it. And the government doing nothing about it. The Truman Show has been listed as a comedy, but it's not. It's a horror movie.
@@PhilBagels, He may very well have been unable to bring legal action, however, given his status of being the property of the corporation that was behind the whole enterprise.
I saw that. There was an episode where the actors had a, kind of, revolt because they didn't like how they were manipulating the main guy. Granted, that could have been staged, but it was one of the only reality shows I ever was interested in enough to watch a whole season of. Season 2 sucked and bombed badly.
@@samuelvincent557 nope it was legit, the studios' plan was to basically torture the guy emotionally but it backfired hard with the audience and with the actors, so they did what they could to make the backfire "content"
Jen mentioning Philip Glass, and that amazing and one of her best react, Jen is the best...Jen you are such an incredible person, ...you have no clue...
0:56 -- RE: Day 10,909 ; Basic Arithmetic time. 4 years has exactly 1461 days; 7 cycles of 4 years = 10,227 days, 28 years. He's a shade under 30, 48 days before his birthday.
You HAVE to watch, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. You'll really see the scope of Jim's acting ability in this film. Also stars Kate Winslet. Drama, romance, sci-fi, I think you'd enjoy this one a lot.
On a similar subject to this movie, you may want to try "Wag the dog", directed by Barry Levinson, who also directed "Rain man" and "Good morning Vietnam". The movie was co-written by playwright David Mamet.
They used Philip Glass' Powaqqatsi soundtrack for this movie when Truman realizes what's going on. The Qatsi trilogy and Philip Glass' work is amazing.
While some of the music is recycled from other works, there are a lot of original pieces written just for the movie. It’s a shame it was deemed ineligible for an academy award nomination for music score because not every track for written specifically for that movie. They would never disqualify a movie that happened to use a few Mozart or Beethoven tracks along with the original score. But because they used 4 or 5 Philip Glass tracks from other works, they refused to recognize the incredible music that WAS originally written for The Truman Show(apparently they didn’t believe members of the academy could separate the reused music from the original scoring when judging and might affect their judgment by hearing both as a whole. I disagree. But what do I know? 🤷♂️🤨). Personally I would have loved to see it nominated, even if only the Burkhard Dallwitz tracks were eligible. It would still hurt(half the Philip Glass tracks were reused, but not all. I ADORE tracks like “Dreaming of Fiji”, “Truman Sleeps”, and “Raising the Sail”), but it would be something at least.
@dwightgruber8308, Others might know him, but simply are paying less attention to the score than the visuals and dialogue, and also just don't recognize him when he's briefly on-screen.
The Jen I've gotten to know is a bright, inquisitive lady, whose lifetime of curiosity has led her to familiarity with a great deal. Nothing she knows about surprises me, it just makes me smile.
This film contains an excellent example of what I call The Weir Moment. In every one of Peter Weir's films, there comes a moment when the main character experiences something emotionally devastating, and the audience is _not allowed to see it._ Usually it's filmed from behind; in this one, it's the moment when Truman's boat hits the wall, and he realizes everything in his life is a lie. He screams and sobs and slams the wall, but his face is not visible to us until he turns around. You'll find a moment like that in every Weir film; it's his signature trope. It encapsulates his subtle, lyrical style, and it displays an unusually sensitive treatment of the characters in his film because it shows how Weir treats them with the same level of respect for them and their privacy that he would show to any real life person. (Another film of his that I think you'd really like is _Witness,_ from 1985, starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. A really gorgeous film, with a soundtrack by Maurice Jarre, another master of film soundtracks. Harrison gets _two_ Weir Moments in that one.)
@@vincelang3779 Peter Weir is a brilliant director. He missed out on an Oscar for Master and Commander (a superb movie) only because he was up against The Lord of the Rings. But he also made many equally brilliant movies - 'The Year of Living Dangerously', 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', 'Dead Poets' Society', 'Gallipoli'
@@stevenlowe3026 There is something to be said when a film like DEAD POETS is a minor effort! It's not as low on the totem pole as say, GREEN CARD, but it's below something like LIVING DANGEROUSLY. He's made MANY amazing movies and no stinkers is what I'm trying to circuitously say! . . .
Indeed the screams and banging are silent, so we wish it was louder. As that is what Truman is feeling, he's screaming and hitting the wall as loud as he can but it's not enough for what he's feeling.
Yes, also a great film! My two favorite Jim Carey films are not his comedic ones. I find his comedy juvenile and too silly for my taste. But this film and Eternal Sunshine show that he has serious acting skills.
In 2003 there was a show called "The Joe Schmoe Show". It was very similar to this (although not as extreme obviously). It was set up as a reality tv show but everyone except for "Matt" was an actor. I"ll be honest, it was absolutely hilarious seeing him try to wrap his head around stuff that happened completely unaware that everyone was in on the gag. The final episode when everything was revealed the poor guy almost had a mental breakdown. I can still remember the tone of his voice when he said, "What is going on?!?" I don't like how much I enjoyed the show and I do think it was a very smart concept but it certainly is a warning about the depths we will go for "entertainment"
Had Christoff convinced Truman to stay, the show would not have been the same anyway. How could Truman still display genuine emotions, knowing what he now knew? It would basically be just acting for the camera.
This movie presents the end as a happy ending. But, the whole story was Truman realizing he was not just an average, everyday guy, but the center of a world-wide plot where everyone knew him and tried to keep him on a certain life path. And then he escapes. Into what? A world where he is not just an average, everyday guy, but where he is a star, everyone knows him, or thinks they know him (parasocial) and he is the center of many people's lives, people, fans, who will keep him on his life path. Apart from the girl, who he barely knows and has been infatuated with, putting on a pedestal for years, what happiness awaits him in the real world? This is a good movie commenting on our relationship with TV, but I am just as curious in what a sequel would have to say about celebrity.
I just realised that the name of the town is Seahaven, or C Haven, as in Christoff, the show's creator's, haven. The fact that there's a map of the world behind him, cementing him as a "God" of this universe, is no accident.
I absolutely loved how deeply you felt into this! It was always just a curiosity to me. I loved the depth that you got into it. Your reaction made me think about so much of what you said. Thx!
I think about this film every now and then when coincidences and weird stuff happens in life. Loved Jim in this one using his energy in a slightly more serious tone. Understand your frustration with this one Jen. Brill reaction as always!!!
This is such an amazing movie. It also gets better with multiple views l, as you notice more and more little subtleties to what's going on. So well done.
You're so wise Jen! When I saw this movie years and years ago I didn't think about the exploitation right up front I was just thinking about the entertainment value. Thank you for your take on these movies and shows! It's like watching them all over again for the first time. 😊
Marlon being out of school for a month due to illness was probably a lie. It was likely an opportunity to recast his character, considering the actor would have been a child, and wouldn't be available at all hours. It makes one wonder if this occurred more than once.
According to deleted scenes it was because Marlon’s actor had to go to rehab. He started doing substances to try and cope with lying to Truman all the time
Yep, some of the music is by Philip Glass, it from his score from the film Powaqqatsi. If I'm not mistaken, when you see the keyboard player, that actually is Philip Glass!
What an interesting concept for a film. It reminds me of the work of the screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which also starred Jim Carrey). Please react to those movies. Great reaction as always. Have a nice day.
I love this movie, and I loved your reaction. You picked up on everything right away. Also, you're one of so very few reactors who knows what crossed fingers means.
This movie is a masterpiece. Here's a few things you might not have noticed. Or at least you didn't mention them, so I don't know if you noticed them 1) Almost all of the music in the movie is classical music, because it's past copyright, meaning tv shows are allowed to use it without paying licensing fees. The only time it's not classical, it's still clearly copyright free music. 2) all of the background people, just do things in a loop, or aren't actually doing the thing it looks like. for example, in shots outside, you can see people sweeping up the streets, but the brooms never actually touch the ground. EVERY single person doing something like that, doe it this way. 3) When he starts freaking out and trying to figure out whats going on, the scene where he goes to see Marlon, his best friend, while he's at the store stocking a vending machine, and the camera is from inside the machine itself, when Truman isn't looking directly at Marlon and what he's doing, Marlon takes out some candy to make it so he's still working so the camera doesn't have to change. Because he keeps removing and restocking candy, they can stay in that same spot for the whole conversation. 4) When Truman went to the travel agent's office, she still had her makeup bib on, and had to quickly remove it, because they weren't expecting him to go there, so they had to get someone there asap. Honestly, this isn't nearly as obvious because this could be anything, like forgot to remove a napkin after eating food, or even just someone doing their makeup at work in general, so that one wouldn't be as obvious of a "mishap" for him to discover, but the actual reason for it, is part of it.
The Truman Show is such a perfect movie, it's unreal. Every single thing possible worked out with this movie. There's not one moment I would change about it. Not one detail is anything less than perfect.
I am eternally grateful because I think you are the very first reactor to understand the crossed finger thing. Is it regional? Generational? So much confusion on that point!
EdTV, with Matthew McConaughey and directed by Ron Howard, came out at the same time, and is a different take on the same idea. I haven't seen anyone react to it. I think it would be a good reaction.
The attention to detail in this movie is astonishing. My favorite is that when they drive out of town, the trees become less and less naturally spread out. At the end they are in a perfectly even factory planted grid, something that would not be visible from the distance the show is filmed. Edit: and the travel agent they didn't have time to take the make up napkin off
I think you are one of the first reactors to notice the cameras so soon and knew what they light was. I read that even Truman’s and his friends vehicles were ads because Ford had not come out with that generation of Ford Taurus and ford Ranger yet.
Nice reaction Jen! I'm one of those people thinking we start the movie with Truman (true man) knowing something isn't working. Then he gets proof after proof, but he was already playing a part, waving to neighbors like an idiot, repeating himself, accepting to be pushed on the wall by the "brokers", talking to his stupid ads wife... (super cringe) When he claps in the store and nobody notice it, it's a big proof. Wouldn't you react is someone claps in a shop? Then the wife's fingers crossed, and so on. What he is looking for is the WAY OUT, since a long time. The girl he "loves" is his motivation to get out. And he managed to go out at the end. I play a role all my life or I die trying something better. I also think that when he meets his "father" he's clearly playing the crying son. And the amnesia thing is cringe. He's the actor looking for a way out. The others have to base their lives on his. Awful lives.
It's great you're digging this movie. It's one of my true favorites. It makes me so furious how they manipulated everything in his life, and his freedom is so perfect.
Just wanted to pop by and wish everyone an awesome première , have fun in the chat and show Jen all the love herself and her channel deserve by LIKING the video it does wonders for the algorithm and helps a lot 💙
low key the most important part of the movie, it's the point at which Truman's suspicions are confirmed that everything is not as it seems. Until that point he just feels it, and for all he knows maybe he's mentally unstable but after the boat hits the wall his world changes forever
You are a very perceptive reviewer. This was very much reality TV, before reality TV became a thing. There were shows, like COPS, in the 90's. However, the soap opera Sims style reality shows really weren't a big thing, until Big Brother. This shows how isolated an elite class, even with the best intentions can become so out of touch with reality and even basic humanity. Truman was experiencing the show. It was his entire life. To his peers, it was far more clinical. Imagine losing touch with reality so much, that compassion is your job, and when things get REALLY tough, you just back out of your contract & quit. (Emotional breakdowns are SO unprofessional ) When watching this reaction, I experienced it on a much deeper level this time. You were very into this film, and I was really able to empathize with Truman, as you reacted to his plight. The story has always been tragic, but it has also been a while since I've seen it. It's a bit easy, over time, to develop Cliff Note memories & condense it down to its basic elements. If you've grown up with Jim Carey, with Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, Mask, and of course In Living Color, you grow to expect certain things from Jim Carrey movies. This film shows a whole 'nother angle on JC's acting abilities. If you'd like to see another film, that shows Jim Carey in a serious role, I would suggest "The Majestic". I truly appreciate this reaction, and I think it's one of your best. It wasn't just a detailed analysis of the film. It was a truly heart felt emotional response to the events happening to Truman. The emotions were true, man.
The best of Jim's occasional forays into straight acting (although there are bits,especially in the 1st half,where Jim exercises his usual comic skills)🎩
This truly one of your best reactions ever, especially your post film analysis. This film is so deep and prescient, and you were spot on in your reaction. Thank you for bringing some real depth to these reactions and real sense of understanding. This is why you are the best.
No matter how munificent the captor, or the opulence of the surroundings, a prison is still a prison. This movie is close to perfection. The attention to detail is fantastic. The way the story unfolds in such a way as to make it seem like Truman is going insane, even though he's right. And the callous closing scene with the security guards and their, "Okay, that's finished, what next?" is probably more true of our general attitude today than it was when this film was made. Laura Linney's performance is something else, all the subtle nuances she does, like the look to camera when she advertises Elk Rotary mowers, then glances back at Truman before she heads back upstairs. Ed Harris brings in a very impressive role, too, getting the balance between father and captor perfect. And the biggest surprise for me at the time was Jim Carrey - I'd been used to his goofball stuff, so when he started out like that, I wasn't overly shocked, but the way he turned during the film, not suddenly, but you can almost see the cogs turning as he works it out. Brilliant stuff. But perfection lay in the Marlon scenes they cut out. In those, you can see how he's wrestling with the role and how he's uncomfortable with the lie. It paints him in a very different light and I think they should've stayed in.
Not really. _The Real World_ was very similar to _Nummer 28,_ which started a year earlier on Dutch television. Similarly, _Expedition Robinson_ started in Sweden in 1997, and then was even more directly duplicated in several other countries as _Survivor._ Reality tv was a thing in Europe in the 1990s, and Jen’s “reality tv didn’t really get started until the 2000s” is a bit off. There was a second wave of reality shows in the 2000s after the reality shows that started in the 1990s saw a decline in viewership, which led some to prematurely conclude that reality tv had run its course. In any event, reality tv was a well-established concept by the time _The Truman Show_ came out with its tale of pushing that concept to the extreme.
