The Truman Show (1998)

Directed by

Peter Weir

Genre

drama film, comedy film, tragicomedy, science fiction film, dystopian fiction, dystopian film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 39m

Rated

PG

Rating

8.2 of 10 from 20,443 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A man named Truman lives a seemingly perfect life in a pleasant seaside town. He slowly realizes that his friends, his wife, and even the weather are all part of an elaborate television show broadcast to the world. Truman must decide if he can escape the fabricated reality he has always known.

suspensefulpoignantthought-provokingsatiricalunsettlingwryclaustrophobicwhimsical

What happens

The Truman Show is a 1998 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir, and written and co-produced by Andrew Niccol. It stars Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who is unaware that he is living on a colossal soundstage, and that his life is the subject of a reality television show. The film's supporting cast includes Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, and Paul Giamatti. Niccol's original spec script was more of a science-fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. Producer Scott Rudin purchased the script and set up production at Paramount Pictures. Brian De Palma was to direct before Weir signed on as director, making the film for $60 million—$20 million less than the original estimate. Niccol rewrote the script while the crew was waiting for Carrey to sign. The majority of filming took place at Seaside, Florida, a master-planned community located in the Florida Panhandle. The Truman Show held its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 1, 1998, and was released in North America on June 5. The film was a financial success, grossing $264 million worldwide, debuting to critical acclaim, and earned numerous nominations at the 71st Academy Awards, 56th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd British Academy Film Awards, and 25th Saturn Awards. The Truman Show has been analyzed as an exploration of simulated reality, existentialism, surveillance, metaphilosophy, privacy, and reality television, and described as a genre-blending work that features elements of dystopian fiction, meta fiction, psychological drama, romantic comedy, satire, and social science fiction. In 2025, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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