The Truman Show

In its day, The Truman Show was one of the fascinating great cinematic experiences that transcended media. At the time, we read articles in magazines and were unfamiliar with the reality show format, yet we knew Jim Carrey had crossed another milestone. That feeling has remained, and even after becoming familiar with the format, The Truman Show must simply be admired. (05/07/2021)

At the end of the 1990s, America woke up and became aware of itself. A great and complex satire of society and simultaneously an intriguing film full of scenes with verve, with a main character you will support with clenched fists. When you see it in reverse order, at least it beautifully highlights why reality TV became so successful among the lower middle classes. The foolishness of a life story, other than one's own, was actually completely identical. (27/04/2015)

Spoiler... A film whose main theme is our own perspective. Limiting it to the phenomenon of a reality show and tabloids is superficial. Niccol's script focuses much more on how we construct ourselves as subjects, how we build our own perception of reality, our own identity. Peter Weir subtly captures this finesse, plays with the viewer, and is consistently ironic. The ending forced me to make a triumphant gesture - if anyone considers it a happy ending, he has clearly been the victim of his own The Truman Show. This is reality as we know it and accept it... The point of the film is not that Truman finds his exit, but that our exit is still far-off. "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented. It's as simple as that." The entire Truman Show is built on this principle reflected in its form (consistently within limits of possibilities). (25/10/2011)

Original, with a polished script, clever, humorous, and brilliantly acted. Alongside Man on the Moon, probably Jim Carrey's best film. It's a movie that denounces the phenomenon of reality shows and any manipulation of humans, as well as consumerist lifestyles built on commerce and ubiquitous advertising. While Peter Weir hasn't made any bad films, this is the pinnacle of his work so far. Overall impression: 95%. (14/06/2006)

It’s been long since a film thrilled me this much. Funny, poignant, original; perfect, really. The premise exploits the contrast between utopia (Truman’s artificial but safe and carefree life) and anti-utopia (the TV mogul controlling human lives from an almost god-like position while people watch it without complaints). Although both have a common basis: the absence of the right to be freely happy or unhappy, they have two very different causes: Truman is denied this right from above, while the viewers don’t give a toss about it, for them it’s enough that Truman is enjoying this right, even though he doesn’t actually have it, which puts us in a vicious circle where nobody is free, but nobody cares. How much this situation reminds us of our world, that’s up to each one of you. The Truman Show offers a lot of food for thought in an entertaining package, and I love it. 100% (29/12/2008)