Tag: Jim Carrey

When I saw this 1998 movie I did with trepidation because of Jim Carrey. There is only so much of his comedy I can take at once but this was completely different. He did more of a serious turn in this movie and I must admit he was great. I’m not the world’s biggest Jim Carrey fan at all but this movie is brilliant.

Carey plays Truman Burbank, a man who unknowingly lives his entire life in a meticulously crafted, 24/7 reality TV show, with his every move broadcast to a global audience. I try to find themes in movies and this one explores themes of manipulation, personal freedom, commercialism, and the power of free will that wins out.

This movie was like looking into the future…a bleak near future. The  Kardashians and others followed showed “real life” (heavy sarcasm) and delivered Warhol’s 15-minute fame theory in the worst possible way. To be honest…I’m honestly amazed that this movie’s plot hasn’t been tried.

Truman Burbank lives a seemingly perfect life in Seahaven, a fictional island town somewhere that is mixed between the 1950s and the 1990s. He was unaware that his entire existence was being broadcast to millions around the world. Every person he interacts with, including his wife, best friend, and co-workers, is an actor playing a role. As Truman begins to notice inconsistencies and strange events like a stage light falling from the “sky” and his wife advertising products mid-conversation…he starts to question his reality.

The film builds towards a powerful climax as Truman embarks on a journey of self-discovery and challenges the artificial world he has been confined to, sailing across the set’s ocean (which he is scared of) in search of freedom. Funny, he wanted to see the world but didn’t know the world was watching him being born, his first step, his first kiss, his marriage, and his escape.

This is a SPOILER but the most poignant thing about the movie to me is when he decides to go to the real world and the show ends. All of those people who bought Truman merchandise and tuned in through the years applauded and said hmm… what’s on another channel? They moved on quickly without a thought or care…and hopefully, Truman did the same.

I have so many feelings about this movie. After I watched it for the first time I took a second look in the mirror and the consistent things in my life and thought hmm what if? And you know what? There IS something called The Truman Syndrome… Psychologists later identified a phenomenon called “The Truman Show Delusion” where individuals believe their lives are being staged and broadcast.

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