The Truman Show

If Ace Ventura didn't know he was being watched before, he sure does now.

My fascination with The Truman Show was mostly due to the fact that I lived a little fantasy life (when I was younger) that was basically just like the premise of this movie. No, I didn't want to be Jim Carrey. But I used to pretend I was on a television series about my life, and it starred me, and everyone I knew was in it, as supporting characters, or extras, or whatever. Of course, I was in on the deal, and so was everyone -- they were all paid actors. I have no idea who my audience was. But it didn't matter. I was twelve.

Jim Carrey turned in one of the best performances of his life in this film. He deserved the Oscar nomination he didn't get. His work was entertaining, funny, intelligent, and overall, good. Enough of that.

Truman Show was unique (despite it's television concept copycat followers) in that it was really about a man whose life has been a lie for 30 years. Of course, I live in New York City. My rent is high, my social life is barren, and I work a crappy desk job. I can only hope my life is a lie.

I wanted this film to be longer. I wanted more Ed Harris, more Laura Linney, more everything. I want a director's cut. I want my cut. I deserve a cut. I had this idea when I was twelve.

Okay, what's with the colors? First I thought things changed because people learned something about life. Then I thought things changed because people had sex, or did something else they had never considered before. Then I thought it was just arbitrary. But none of these worked. Too much pattern, not enough consistency. And dammit, Reese Witherspoon's chin is too big.

Tobey Maguire was older than when he did The Ice Storm, but other than that, he was the same person, with a better haircut. And he didn't die. Except that wasn't Tobey Maguire who died in The Ice Storm anyway. What do I know. In The Ice Storm, Sigourney Weaver wears bad wigs, Kevin Kline wears bad corduroys, and Joan Allen gets about as much sex as she does in Pleasantville: none.

Once again, Allen turns in a marvelous performance, even if she makes trees self-ignite with her unerotic bathtub masturbation. William H. Macy was similar to the shnook he played in Fargo, except he was in black and white , and didn't kill anyone. Frances McDormand did not appear in Pleasantville, despite her brilliant turn in last year's Madeline.

Color wars between white boys, burning bushes (besides Joan Allen's), and sexy nude paintings by Jeff Daniels -- when did he go blond? -- made this movie something to remember. I enjoyed it at the time, but now, I forget why I liked it so much. As a result, my grade lowers.

The most realistic of the trilogy, EdTV pits Matthew McConaughy against the world of corporate television, led by Rob Reiner and Ellen DeGeneres. And even though Entertainment Weekly thought this was one of the worst films of the year, I thought it was delightful. It's my opinion that Entertainment Weekly has a personal grudge against Universal Pictures. They spent about six months hating Patch Adams, then went on to torch EdTV, and now they say that The Mummy hasn't got a future.

But don't listen to Entertainment Weekly. Listen to me. This is a good film. Everyone in it is wonderful. In a past review, I suggested that everyone needed a Meg Ryan in their life. After this movie, I need some more Jenna Elfman in my life, and I don't mean reruns of "Dharma and Greg," which I think is a dumb show. Jenna Elfman has sticks for legs and about fifty-three teeth, but she's cute as all hell, and I wouldn't make her life miserable if I could help it.

It's about time Woody Harrelson played Matthew McConaughy's brother. They are so similar. Harrelson finally redeems his recent performances in Palmetto and The People Vs. Courtney Love.

DeGeneres, Reiner, Martin Landau and a handful of others round out a terrific cast in which there wasn't a single bad performance. While this movie isn't my all-time favorite, I thoroughly enjoyed it.