Matisse van Rossum’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched as part of my "100 Movies to See Before You Die" Challenge.
#2 of 100
The Truman Show is just one of the million movies everyone else has seen that I hadn't, but something particularly interesting happened when I was watching this film I've been hearing about for years. I realized about 15 minutes in that the town of Seahaven looked insanely familiar. Then I realized that it was actually Seaside, Florida which is a little more than an hour's drive east of the town I grew up in. I remember going there a couple of times as a child and even then being completely put off by how artificial it was. It was utterly surreal to watch Jim Carrey walk down streets I've walked down. Peter Weir really could not have found a more perfect location for this film.
The Truman Show is a very smart satire on the world's obsession with reality TV and mankind's innate need to be voyeurs. Jim Carrey gives one of his best performances as Truman Burbank, the man who's every moment is broadcast live around the world as a reality TV show. Carrey shows in this film that when he's not being absolutely insane, he's an incredibly talented actor. I much prefer him in roles such as these, because seeing him bounce off the walls and shriek and make weird faces really aggravates me more than anything else. Fortunately, this is not one of those films. Truman is an incredibly human character and watching his artificial reality crumbling around him as he struggles against a man with a god complex is simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. This is one of those films that manages to be tender without being overly sentimental.
The Truman Show is an example of perfect storytelling, combining excellent pacing, a relatable protagonist, and an excellent script. I think this film has absolutely earned its place on the list of 100 movies to see before you die.