The Truman Show

Summary

“Good morning and in case I don’t see ya – good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”

A few times a year, my family visits SanDestin, Florida with our children to soak up some sun on the beach and decompress from our work schedules. Each year we try to make time to make the drive to the nearby planned community of Seaside, Florida for a quick day trip. Seaside is the community most famously featured in Peter Weir’s film The Truman Show. In 1998, Jim Carey was coming off of a slew of box office successes including both Ace Ventura films, Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever, and Liar, Liar. The darker edged comedy The Cable Guy had not quite made back its budget at the box office, but he was still at the top of the A-List. Jim Carrey had shown some emotional depth in Liar, Liar, but The Truman Show was his first shot at a true dramatic role. He would have mixed success dramatically in the future (Man on the Moon and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are excellent, The Number 23… not so much,) but The Truman Show is an absolute success. Director Peter Weir had already proven his abilities with the eerie horror film Picnic at Hanging Rock, the Amish thriller Witness, and coming-of-age drama The Dead Poet’s Society. Working with a screenplay by Andrew Nicoll, he created one of his best loved films. I have rewatched this film somewhat often over the years on Blu-ray, so I was happy to see that Paramount was given the film a full 4K UHD visual upgrade that also includes a brand new Dolby Atmos track. For fans of the film, this release comes very highly recommended.

In the reality presented in the film, there was a national lottery to choose a child born out of an unwanted pregnancy to become the star of The Truman Show. Truman Burbank is completely unaware that the world around him of Seahaven Island has been completely fabricated and that he is being filmed and broadcast every day twenty four hours a days. The world in which Truman lives is the world’s largest studio on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Everything from the weather to the actions within the daily lives of the townsfolk that Truman interacts with are controlled by creator and executive producer Christof (Ed Harris,) who, along with his large staff, watches everything from their control room high in the sky above the idealistic town of Seahaven Island. Truman does fairly routine things everyday. He is married to Meryl (Laura Linney) and occasionally will drink a beer or two with his best friend Marlon (Noah Emmerich.) He has been friends with them since high school, and is completely unaware that they are actors. Truman’s life is unfulfilling and he desperately wants to travel, but there is always some reason that this is impossible. Truman is also still in love with a girl he met named Lauren (Natascha McElhone) who was pulled from the show when she accepted his advances. Truman’s life begins to change after a studio light crashes down from the “sky” onto the street in front of him. As Truman begins to unravel the facade around him, he becomes increasingly paranoid of everything and everyone around him. As he attempts to escape from his humdrum existence, the whole society around him works to thwart his plans of escape.

The Truman Show is a very good movie. The central premise of the film is intriguing, and the script explores issues of surveillance and voyeurism, reality television, product placement, and so much more without losing sight of the dramatic arc and control of its numerous comedic elements. Given its beautifully realized setting, and Peter Weir’s strong command behind the camera, it is a truly unique experience that holds up twenty five years later. I remember that I saw the movie in the theater when I was thirteen, and I have revisited the movie numerous times since then. At whatever age you approach the film, it completely works. The themes of the script are much more mature than your average PG rated film, but it is handled with a delicate touch to where anyone can watch and enjoy the film. 

The performances across the board are excellent. Jim Carrey handles the role of Truman perfectly. He hits all the right notes both comedically and dramatically. This film proved he could be great in dramatic roles and he proved that again as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon the next year. Laura Linney is wonderful in the movie. The sense of selfishness and menace behind the family friendly veneer of her character is really well executed. Ed Harris is perfectly cast in the role of Christof. It is a strange role and needed a truly commanding presence to be effective. Ed Harris was an excellent choice to play the God-complexed creator of Truman’s world. Noah Emmerich is similarly well cast as Marlon. Natascha McElhone is good in the role of Lauren.

The Truman Show remains a one-of-a-kind film with fantastic execution of setting and premise. It is a movie that pleases audiences young and old while really making the audience think along the way. I am excited that Paramount has given the film a truly wonderful 4K upgrade.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, The Truman Show looks fantastic in Paramount’s new UHD presentation. A lot of effort has been put into the transfer. I recently watched the film on the prior Blu-ray release, and the new UHD easily outshines it in every way. The Truman Show benefits from the beauty of the Seaside, Florida shooting locations, and they have never looked better. Grain is extremely well resolved and the HDR brings out the very best in the film’s color palette. The film has definitely never looked better, and is well worth upgrading. I don’t see any room here for improvement.

Audio

Paramount has also taken steps to upgrade The Truman Show from a  DTS-HD MA 5.1 track to a full blown Atmos track. As one might expect, it sounds fantastic. In a perfect world, all UHD upgrades would feature Atmos remastering. I appreciate that Paramount stepped up to the plate to give this film so much care.

Supplements:

4K UHD Disc

• There are no supplements on the 4K disc.

1080 Disc

• How’s It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show
• Faux Finishing, The Visual Effects of The Truman Show
• Deleted Scenes
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5 

Audio – 4.75/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

The Truman Show is a fantastically inventive comedy with some real dramatic weight. It was solid proof that Jim Carrey could do heavy lifting in dramatic roles, and he would prove that again the next year as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. I revisit The Truman Show with my family every few years and we always enjoy it. Paramount’s new UHD release is wonderful with a reference quality 4K transfer and a brand new Dolby Atmos track. The supplements are legacy material from the prior release and are on the 1080p disc. I highly recommend adding this release to your collection.