Review of EDtv (1999) by James M — 20 Jun 2010

It's a bit of a shame that EdTV is always compared to The Truman Show, because it's really not a rip-off, just a lighter treatment of similar subject matter. With the rise of reality TV in the late 90's, loss of personal privacy was a hot subject and so it's quite legitimate for more then one movie to be made about it; and both movies treat the subject differently, Truman with a more philosophical angle and EdTV with a social one, and with a more comedic direction. And the story does bring its own message, one that's poignant and clear and aged well over the last decade of reality-reign.

Unfortunately , none of that helps the fact that the movie just isn't very good. Ron Howard's directorial work, as it always is, is professional but hollow, using every trick of the trade ably and without soul. He can make it slide, though; or could have, if the script would have been better. The dialog may have been written specifically to sound everyday and authentic, but a lot of the lines would have sounded unrealistic if spoken on Big Brother. As for the acting - the horrible Matthew McConaughey actually pulls off a better-than-average performance for his abilities, but it's not enough to pull it together; Woody Harrelson is mediocre at best; much worse yet are two mediocre TV actresses - Jenna Elfman and Ellen DeGeneres - who told Ellen she could act? - who really fall short with very flat characters and very unconvincing deliveries. Some quality supporting actors - Martin Landau, Dennis Hopper and Rob Reiner in a terrific performance - and some nice cameos from Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Michael Moore and other prominent media men of the time, help it along but it's not enough.

So for the story alone, it's worth a watch, and it makes some pretty interesting points about the role of the media in demolishing personal freedoms (and it's quite amazing that it was made before the Bush administration, because some direct connections could easily be made) and it's often enjoyable, but while The Truman Show and Pleasantville may be remembered for many years to come, EdTV is ultimately as forgettable as any middle-of-the-road American comedy.