The Truman Show

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%. (2006-06-14)

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. (2015-04-26)

Along with Memento, this is probably the most original Hollywood movie of the 1990s. The idea behind it is brilliant, executed in a perfect symbiosis of depth of thought with tremendous emotions. I admire The Truman Show for absolutely every component of it. I understand that it may not captivate everyone, just as the supposedly brilliant American Beauty, for example, didn’t captivate me. (2003-05-15)

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% (2008-12-28)

A wonderfully conceived and cleverly crafted story, thanks to the advertisements during the broadcast, weather changes, and the shining sun, excellently directed by Peter Weir and perfectly acted by Jim Carrey. The guy whom I have always admired for his countless facial expressions delivers a stellar performance in a poignant drama wrapped in a sharp satire. A must-watch for all paranoids. (2007-01-19)