Review of The Truman Show (1998) by Briana C — 03 Oct 2016

The Truman show is a cross between a biting criticism of the truth to be found in television as well as the validity of religion and a simple, feel-good movie. This makes for an entertaining film that leaves you both satisfied and introspective once it's over.

The Truman show has a large number of biblical allusions if the viewer looks closely enough. First off, the "creator" of the show is named Christof, which is extremely similar to the phrase "of Christ" used in religious texts. This allusion exists to set the framework of the movie being a satire of religion. Christof's purpose as a character is to criticize a God that is "always watching" but allows us to operate in a world in which no one really knows the purpose of living. In this sense, Truman [the only true man in a world of fakes], once he realizes that he is living in a false reality, becomes a sort of anti-jesus who wishes to escape the enslavement of his god in order to venture into the unknown. While I see some reviewers likened Truman to Adam and Sylvia to Eve of the biblical story of Adam and Eve, I feel my explanation fits better with the script of the movie and the overall themes in general.

On the other hand, one can view this pleasing film as a joking criticism of the growing American obsession with reality television and the utter stupidity of it all. Despite Christof claiming that "nothing is fake" in the show, it is inherently fake in its depiction of the events of Truman's life as it's all orchestrated by the Christof himself. This movie aired in a pre-Kardashian age, but is just as applicable to the world's television tastes now. In an age where celebrity is almost synonymous with falsehood, this movie provides a refreshing satire on reality TV obsession.

I believe the Truman show is a mostly good movie; while there were plot holes (why in the presence of 5,000 cameras was the entire cast of the show linking arms and shouting out Truman's name to find him] and instances where too much of Jim Carrey's patented eccentric nature leaked out, it contained a good message and a valid criticism of the world in which we live.