The Truman Show (1998)

Peter Weir's The Truman Show was a film so ahead of it's time when it came out back in the late nineties. It's ideas about reality television and how it could turned out somewhere near future were right on a spot and ironically today we have television shows like Big Brother which resemeble the show where film's title character Truman Burbank is living without knowing at.
In my opinion Peter Weir and writer Andrew Niccol created a film that is timeless and is actually even more effective today, as an satire with it's themes and ideas about entertainment in television, than it was when released back in 1998.
One of the riskiest moves for Weir as an director must have been casting a actor Jim Carrey as an Truman Burbank. This standup comedian, whose films are almost always based on a physical comedy, is obviously not the first actor that comes to my mind when i think role like Truman but Carrey outdoes himself and turns this role as one of his career best performances. His dedication, charm and ability to be more serious when needed came as a huge surprise to me when i first time saw this film. The Truman Show marks the first and most important step to more serious acting for Carrey in his career. This is a film that relies on his performance and Carrey delivers very well.
Among Carrey and his performance there is also standout actors like Ed Harris, Natasha McElhone and Laura Linney in a supporting roles. All of them give fantastic turns in their roles and especially Harris is delicious in a role that is demanding as it's complex.
Many people might consider this film as a pure entertainment from the surface but here is actually a film which has content and message. Niccol's screenplay is not preaching or not for an single moment it does not forget to be entertaining also. It is one of those rare examples of a screenplay that actually manages to mix comedy, satire, sci-fi, drama and thriller into one succesfull whole. It has brialliant concept and many genius ideas that amazes me everytime i watch it. Since this film there have been numerous similar kind of films which have tried to recycle the brilliant idea it has, but none of them have reached the heights that Peter Weir and his team did with this film.
As an director Peter Weir is without a doubt one talented man. His films like Picnic at the Hanging Rock, The Last Wave or Fearless are perfect examples of his ability to tell fascinating stories with more artistic touches. Even as a hired director, like in here, he always can add his personal signature to his films and make them something of his own. For me The Truman Show is Weir's most impressive work so far. With fantastic support from cinematographer Peter Biziou and composer Burkhard Dallwitz, Weir has created a entertaining film with great idea. The Truman Show is thrilling, heartfelt and philosophical adventure that should be seen by everyone. It is not only a film about ideas, it is most importantly a film about heart and freedom of individual.