The Truman Show (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: June 5, 1998

Studios: Paramount Pictures/Scott Rubin Productions

Taglines: All the world’s a stage!

The World is Watching

Plot: He doesn’t know it, but everything in Truman Burbank’s life is part of a massive TV set. Executive producer/creator Christof orchestrates ‘The Truman Show,’ a live broadcast of Truman’s every move captured by hidden cameras. Christof tries to control Truman’s mind, even removing his true love, Sylvia, from the show and replacing her with Meryl. As Truman gradually discovers the truth, however, he must decide whether to act on it.

Cast

Jim Carrey - Truman Burbank

Laura Linney - Meryl Burbank/Hannah Gill

Noah Emmerich - Marlon

Natascha McElhone - Lauren/Sylvia

Holland Taylor - Truman’s Mother

Brian Delate - Truman’s Father

Peter Krause - Lawrence

Heidi Schanz - Vivien

Ed Harris - Christof

Writer: Andrew Niccol (The Host; In Time; Lord of War)

Director: Peter Weir (The Way Back; Master and Commander)

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language (103 min)

‘The Truman Show’ is one of those movies that can leave you completely hooked right until the very end. The 1998 drama gave funnyman Jim Carrey his first dramatic role and he knocked it out of the park.

At first, the film’s plot of someone being in a television show and not knowing it sounds a little — meh. But, the filmmakers really nailed it and the entire film is quite unique. This is truly a must-watch if you haven’t seen it yet and shows that Carrey can act!

‘Truman Show’ can also be powerful and has a few gut-punching emotional moments. Some of those moments can get really emotional due to the incredible music that is heard throughout. And … slight spoiler alert! At the end, when Truman (at this point, he knew something was amiss) finally decides to leave, you kinda want to cheer for him so he can start his own life. When he finally reaches the end of the actual set and realizes that everything was fake, just seeing the character break down is definitely emotional. Honestly, it would be interesting to see how Truman reacted to the real world. But, I’m also glad they ended it how they did and left it open-ended.

Make sure to check out the highly acclaimed ‘The Truman Show’ now streaming on the HBO Max streaming service.

And, here are a few interesting tidbits about ‘The Truman Show’:

• Ed Harris and Jim Carrey never met during filming.

• The original script had Truman living in a recreation of New York City. But Weir changed it to an idyllic town to make the movie feel less “sci-fi.”

• In an early scene, a bottle of Vitamin D is on Truman and Meryl’s table, needed for those without exposure to the (real) sun.

• There are around 300 extras in the movie, many of them from Seaside, Florida, where the movie was shot.

• Andrew Niccol rewrote the script twelve times, while Weir created a fictionalized book about the show’s history. He envisioned backstories for the characters and encouraged actors to do the same.

• In the fall of 1993, producer Scott Rudin purchased the script for slightly over $1 million and Paramount agreed to distribute.

https://youtu.be/dlnmQbPGuls