Why Am I Here?
Dr. Daniel's review of The Truman Show

medical miracle

Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Ed Harris, Brian Delate, Una Damon, Paul Giamatti.

Directed by Peter Weir. Rated PG.

   Okay, here's the deal. There's not a man, woman, or child among us that hasn't asked themselves, "Why am I here?" Granted, a few of us have asked the question more than once, particularly after a week of walk-in flu victims, coughing fat guys, and too many prescription-pad paper cuts. I'm talking, though, about the more philosophical ones out there, folks that wonder what purpose they play in the universe, if any, or if they're just here to process air for the pine trees.
    My granddaddy, Poppa Billy, used to always tell us that we're here on this earth to accomplish one thing that no one else can do. Problem is, we never know exactly what that one thing is, so we have to keep on accomplishing things every day. Take a day off, you might just miss the chance to do the one thing you were put here to do.
    A lot of folks have spent years trying to define a purpose to life, solving the one mystery that, truthfully, most people would just as soon not know. I mean, think about it. Do you really want to know exactly what you are here on this planet to accomplish? Knowing that, regardless of the impossibility involved, you absolutely have to do something like breaststroke across the Atlantic towing a five-pound bag of oatmeal, how you gonna feel? Who needs the pressure? I don't even like to make dinner reservations, 'cause, who knows what could happen on the way to the restaurant? You wanna call a restaurant and cancel a reservation 'cause you have to pick up a bag of oatmeal and swim the Atlantic Ocean? Didn't think so.
    Well, what if you found out that your purpose in life was to be a TV star, whether you wanted to or not? What about if you found out that you were a TV star and didn't know it, had been for your whole life, as a matter of fact? Jim Carrey's new movie, The Truman Show, deals with exactly this question, and, despite all the talk and pre-hype, it makes for one forever great movie.
    Carrey plays Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman in the Rockwell-perfect town of Seahaven. He has a lovely wife, (Laura Linney), a great best friend (Noah Emmerich), a nice house and tidy clothes. Life is grand. Truman has all the answers he needs to be happy. But Truman doesn't know that he's been the star of a TV show called The Truman Show since birth. The mastermind behind this "show" is the ego-charged producer/director Christof (Ed Harris), who orders every detail of life for Truman like he's blocking a play.
    But, gradually, Truman starts to suspect something's wrong in the world he knows. And, like Adam in the Garden of Eden, when he gets that first taste of knowledge, he learns more than he ever wanted to know.
    Let me start here by saying that the script itself is outstanding. Andrew Niccol has stumbled into the rarest of the rare in Hollywood, a new idea. He's found a way to satirize television, media manipulation, and that hazy line between fiction and reality, and done so without ripping off Network. Instead, he goes the route of allegory, allowing Truman to be Everyman, learning from his creator (in this case, Christof) just what can and cannot be. I'd be remiss if I didn't also point out the obvious religious overtones, like the comparisons between Seahaven and Eden, the "creator's" name being a loose anagram for "of Christ", and the whole idea of one being's life "fated" out by another being's wishes.
    But, rather than get all preachy and heavy, Carrey provides a humorous element to the film that levels it out into a thought-provoking and razor-sharp exercise. Jim's "out-of-control" persona is kept fully in check here, and his wildness seems almost channelled inward, giving him a range of emotions that most Carrey fans never thought about seeing. There's no "ass-talking", no "Ssssssssmokin'!" catchphrases, or huge slapstick routines. This is a new Jim Carrey, one who acts from the heart and soul rather than rocketing rubberfaced from scene to scene.
    It helps that the supporting cast is so perfect too. Linney and Emmerich, the "supporting cast" of the TV show, are on target from start to finish. Linney, in particular, gets even funnier when it becomes obvious that her presence on the show is to make sure every label on every product gets camera time, for the product placement money that keeps Truman TV commercial-free. Imagine being married to one of those chicks on "The Price is Right," and you'll get my meaning. And, people, let me tell you right now, unless something completely incredible comes along here pretty soon, Ed Harris will finally cop an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, an award he deserved for Apollo 13. Here, Harris is calm and cool outside, but a raging inferno inside. He truly looks like he could burst into one of those "mad scientist" laughs any second, but doesn't. Instead, he keeps on controlling the world he built with directions like, "Cue the sun." He is God, by way of Hollywood. (Side note: Rumor has it that Dennis Hopper was originally cast as Christof, a move which, IMHO, would've blown the entire flavor of the film.)
   There are so many perfect things about this film, it's hard to name them all. Great music, impressive sets, stunning production design, clever editing. This is top-drawer Hollywood filming at its finest, and the film's reported $60 million budget is all there standing tall on the screen.
    There is no perfection, though, without director Peter Weir. Weir knows how to tame the raging beast, as he showed us all with his direction of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. If that was the raging beast, then here, he collars the rabid dog known as Jim Carrey. He gets a sensitivity out of Carrey, and blends it with this Utopia and it becomes a smooth idyllic picture of happiness. Then, he lets the cast work to unfold the story as he, like Christof, calls the shots, keeping everything crisp and clear, and, of course, funny as only "real life" can be.
    Now, kiddies, don't get all Viagra-ed up on me now. There are a lot of unfounded comparisons being made between The Truman Show and Forrest Gump, It's a Wonderful Life, and other classic movies. Let me be the one to steer you through some of this fanfare. The Truman Show is a wonderful movie, but comparing it to Gump is most unfair. The idea of an innocent manchild seeking truth may be similar, but the emotional results are miles apart.
   The biggest similarity between Truman and Gump may be in the marketing scheme. Paramount seemed to give up on Gump, like some kind of write-off, very little pre-release hype, a few trailers, and maybe a soundtrack or two. Then, about a month away from the release date, they realized that Gump was pretty good after all, and kicked it in second gear. But, word of mouth was the best thing that happened to Gump. It got people talking, and people told others about it, and Gump grew on its own. Paramount seems to have done the same thing here, written Truman off as a sleeper, and, here in the last five weeks, allowed Brer Lizz to dominate the airwaves. Only once 'Zilla slipped on his own steaming crap did they sense an opportunity to kick things up a notch. Thankfully, The Truman Show, like Forrest Gump, is, indeed, well worth talking about.
    Will Jimbo triumph like Tom Hanks, and ride this character to Oscar Town? It could very well be. Carrey is that good in this movie, and his supporting cast and director shine him up like a wingtip in the airport. There might very well be a statue in Carrey's hands come next March. The big question is, will the Academy voters accept him enough to even nominate him. Other wild men that have calmed themselves had to work in the mode for quite a while to get that far. Steve Martin got nary a nod for Roxanne, his best movie. Robin Williams got mere passing glances from the Academy before finally knocking down a win for Good Will Hunting. It could happen for Jimbo with this one, but ask me again in February, when I've got my thermometer out.
    No kidding around, folks. If you have to pass on one of the Summer Slamfest Movies, do not let it be The Truman Show. It might just be the best thing you'll see all summer.