Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is a seemingly ordinary guy with an ordinary life until one day he realizes everyone is lying to him. He is living in a virtual reality where everyone acts to him - he is the star of his own TV show 24/7 but doesn't know it. Even his wife talks to him in adspeak soundbites...

Then, one day, his car radio seemingly gives him a commentary on where he is going and he realizes what is going on (that moment in front of the bus will send shivers down your spine).

"The first Jim Carrey movie in which he doesn't try to bring his lower teeth above his nose! A triumph!

"A masterpiece of satire-reality vision."

"I have just realized that I am Truman, are you listening to me out there?"

"Your worst nightmare but with nice weather."

"Where can I get me such a nice house in the suburbs? I am completely prepared to submit myself to a life of passive consumerism if life is that good."

"Not one to watch if you have a water phobia."

A college girlfriend, who loves Truman, gets him alone on a beach someplace and tells him it is all a lie. She is whipped away from him, her apparent father saying they are moving to Fiji. He remembers this through his life (he's now 29 - or day 10,909 of his show...)

One day he sees his Dad in the streets as a bum - he allegedly died in a boating accident (this is a device used to keep Truman from wanting to investigate the outside world, by making him scared of the ocean).

Truman eventually starts to realize how everyone talks to him in advertising speak, his wife leaves him after he threatens to attack her.

He has made a collage of the face of the girlfriend he met at college and he gets into a boat and goes to the end of the world... which is a sound stage... Here he leaves the world he has known to join real reality... There's not a dry leg in the house.

One of those water cooler movies that everyone was talking about when it came out. With the reality TV boom just starting it painted a disturbing picture. Then we all got on with our lives again, addicted to Survivor and Big Brother.

March 8, 2003