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Movies / On DVD / The Truman Show
The Truman Show

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The Truman Show (1998)

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Reviews Counted:96

Fresh:91

Rotten:5

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: A funny, tender, and thought-provoking film, The Truman Show is all the more noteworthy for its remarkably prescient vision of runaway celebrity culture and a nation with an insatiable thirst for the private details of ordinary lives.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Comic actor Jim Carrey plays it (mostly) straight for this smart satire from director Peter Weir (DEAD POETS SOCIETY). The life of Truman Burbank (Carrey) has been broadcast around the world with... Comic actor Jim Carrey plays it (mostly) straight for this smart satire from director Peter Weir (DEAD POETS SOCIETY). The life of Truman Burbank (Carrey) has been broadcast around the world with tremendous success since the day he was born. A star for the mere fact that he exists, Truman has no idea that there are cameras in every corner of his world. But soon, cracks begin to show in the constructed world, and Truman questions his existence while everyone around him is in on the joke. Weir directs a fine cast, including Laura Linney as Truman's wife and Ed Harris as the show's director. Screenwriter Andrew Niccol also added interesting twists to the scripts for S1M0NE and GATTACA. [More]

Starring: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich

Starring: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor

Director: Peter Weir

Director: Peter Weir
Screenwriter: Andrew Niccol
Producer: Scott Rudin, Andrew Niccol, Edward S. Feldman, Adam Schroeder
Composer: Wojciech Kilar

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Truman Show

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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A hilarious and breathtakingly conceived satire which also allows Carrey to edge away from broad comedy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
12/14/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One movie you can pronounce a modern classic with absolute confidence.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A masterpiece of art, comedy, perfect acting and pure uplifting emotion.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is one of the best films ever made about the dangers of mass-media...

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

The issues it tackles are just as relevant now (if not more so) than they were when the film was first released theatrically back in 1997.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
01/24/09
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views

...benefits substantially from Jim Carrey's unexpectedly layered (and flat-out moving) performance.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/17/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Some of us may go out wishing for something meatier, edgier.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 5 Comments
08/05/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

A good, intelligent, insightful movie...

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

Isn't it amazing what you can do if you take the time to FINISH your script?

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ron Wells
Ron Wells
Film Threat

Carrey doesn't break off into outrageous physical comedy bits as fans might hope, and the film does take a while to find its legs, but there is something rewarding in its quirky demeanor.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Film Threat

A deceptively simple fairy tale; a hilariously subversive satire… and finally an elegant parable about truth and happiness with evocative religious resonances.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/17/05
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

The movie and its themes have held up. For better or worse, we're a nation consumed by television, a country roped in by spectacle. Weir sees through it.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
09/11/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

With the reality TV boom, it brings forth more thoughts as to whether our society could ever be this extreme, and with each viewing, its themes deepen.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/28/05
Rory L. Aronsky
Rory L. Aronsky
Film Threat

The intimations of profundity, of reality perceived, mediated, and processed, are milked for heavy irony rather than enlarging complexit.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment 7 Comments
08/24/05
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
Slant Magazine

[A] hugely entertaining dramatization of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"...a fable that would be relevant 50 years earlier and no doubt will remain relevant 50 years hence.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/21/05
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Jim Carrey gets in touch with his Jimmy Stewart side. There's a humanity here... that we haven't seen before.

Full Review Source: Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

A brilliant flick with a remarkable performance by Carrey coupled to a fascinating story, a first-class cast and top-notch technical credits.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

This is clearly one of the decade's cleverest, most original pictures.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
02/04/05
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Truman has been wronged, and it is thrilling to see him strive to escape a machine built by a compassionless and egomaniacal creator.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

This is a profound movie for people who don't like to think, or perhaps for people who are in the media and of the media, and can't imagine any life outside it.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment 2 Comments
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Truman Show

September 13, 2006: Jim Carrey With Joel Schumacher? "The Number 23" Reviewed
Numerologists and Jim Carrey fans will be thrilled to hear that "The Number 23," set for release in February 2007, will be another dark, tunnel-like experience the... More...

December 02, 2005: Depp, Weir & Roth to Visit "Shantaram"
Variety brings news of a cinematic pairing that should thrill most of the hardcore movie geeks out there. How about Peter Weir directing Johnny Depp? Yup, thought that'd get... More...

July 29, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Lord of War
Yahoo! Movies brings us the all-new trailer for Lions Gate's seemingly twisted comedy-action flick "Lord of War," which stars Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Ethan Hawke,... More...

May 17, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: "A History of Violence"
Thanks to the official Cannes Film Festival website for posting the all-new trailer for David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." The New Line Cinema release, which... More...

See All

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