Die Truman Show

Dieser Film und Memento sind wahrscheinlich die originellsten Hollywood-Filme der 90er Jahre. Eine ausgezeichnete Idee, die in einer perfekten Symbiose der gedanklichen Tiefe und der riesigen Emotionen umgesetzt wurde. Ein Film, bei dem ich jeden Aspekt bewundere. Ich verstehe, dass er nicht jeden bezaubern muss, so wie mich persönlich z. B. der angeblich geniale Film American Beauty nicht bezaubert hat. (15.05.2003)

Touching, funny, poignant - all together and perfectly executed. I don't know how Americans, as a TV nation, viewed it, but given the decent box office returns, they probably liked it. I would love to play this movie for the soap opera addicts to enjoy as well. You can see them in the perfectly staged shots of loyal TV viewers - the two old ladies hugging couldn’t have been better. But they might not get it... "What is Lima doing again? Change the channel, this is awful." (21.07.2002)

It’s been long since a film thrilled me this much. Funny, poignant, original; perfect, really. The premise exploits the contrast between utopia (Truman’s artificial but safe and carefree life) and anti-utopia (the TV mogul controlling human lives from an almost god-like position while people watch it without complaints). Although both have a common basis: the absence of the right to be freely happy or unhappy, they have two very different causes: Truman is denied this right from above, while the viewers don’t give a toss about it, for them it’s enough that Truman is enjoying this right, even though he doesn’t actually have it, which puts us in a vicious circle where nobody is free, but nobody cares. How much this situation reminds us of our world, that’s up to each one of you. The Truman Show offers a lot of food for thought in an entertaining package, and I love it. 100% (28.12.2008)

Spoiler ... Ein Film, dessen Hauptthema unsere eigene Betrachtungsweise ist. Das Ganze lediglich auf das Phänomen von Reality-Shows oder der Boulevardpresse zu einzuschränken, wäre oberflächlich. Vielmehr zielt Niccols Drehbuch darauf ab, wie wir uns selbst als Subjekte konstruieren, wie wir unsere eigene Wahrnehmung der Realität, unsere eigene Identität bilden. Peter Weir hat dies mit Finesse aufgezeigt und spielt gewissermaßen mit dem Betrachter, ist durchweg ironisch. Der Schluss zwang mich zu einer triumphalen Geste - wenn jemand dies als Happy End betrachtet, so ist er Opfer seiner eigenen Truman Show geworden. Das hier ist die Realität in jener Form, wie wir sie kennen und annehmen ... Die Pointe des Films liegt nicht darin, dass Truman seinen Exit findet, sondern eben darin unser Ausgang noch lange nicht in Sicht ist. "Wir akzeptieren die Realität der Welt, wo wir präsentiert werden. So einfach ist das." Die gesamte Truman Show basiert auf diesem Prinzip, welches sich (soweit möglich) in ihrer Form widerspiegelt. (25.10.2011)

Making a movie about a reality show that follows somebody’s life from the moment of his birth is an idea worth a million. And with somebody of Weir’s caliber in the director’s chair, it’s worth two. It succeeds in sucking you into the life of Truman Burbank which is suddenly crossed by another storyline (the subject of which is obvious, but it’s till a spoiler) after about two hours of the movie. It’s funny, but at the same time chilling how everybody apart from Carrey performs like straight out of a telenovela, casually interjecting advertising slogans and so on. This is a really emotionally charged movie. And it has a wonderful soundtrack from Glass and the movie becomes ever more powerful every time you watch it again. Who wouldn’t root for Truman in his quest for freedom? So I say to you, Truman, if we never see each other again: “Good afternoon, good evening and good night!" (15.08.2004)

A wonderfully conceived and cleverly crafted story, thanks to the advertisements during the broadcast, weather changes, and the shining sun, excellently directed by Peter Weir and perfectly acted by Jim Carrey. The guy whom I have always admired for his countless facial expressions delivers a stellar performance in a poignant drama wrapped in a sharp satire. A must-watch for all paranoids. (19.01.2007)

Original, with a polished screenplay, smart, humorous, and brilliantly acted. Along with Man on the Moon, probably Jim Carrey's best film. A film denouncing the phenomenon of reality shows and any manipulation of people, as well as a consumerist lifestyle built on commerce and pervasive advertising. However, Peter Weir has not made a bad film, this is the pinnacle of his work so far. Overall impression: 95%. (14.06.2006)

Die Truman Show war seinerzeit eines der faszinierenden großen Kinoerlebnisse, die über die Grenzen der Medien hinausgingen. Damals verschlangen wir Artikel in Cinema und waren mit dem Format der Reality-Show nicht vertraut, aber wir wussten, dass Jim Carrey einen weiteren Meilenstein überschritten hatte. Dieses Gefühl ist geblieben, und auch nachdem man sich mit dem Format vertraut gemacht hat, kann man Die Truman Show bewundern. (05.07.2021)

At the end of the 1990s, America woke up and became aware of itself. A great and complex satire of society and simultaneously an intriguing film full of scenes with verve, with a main character you will support with clenched fists. When you see it in reverse order, at least it beautifully highlights why reality TV became so successful among the lower middle classes. The foolishness of a life story, other than one's own, was actually completely identical. (27.04.2015)

Peter Weir is truly a director with capital D and here he has created one of the most original films of all time. Such a range of emotions, so many fantastically written and even better acted characters and, last but not least, a story that you might hate at first, but will gradually come to love and by the end you will never want to see another film again – something like this really doesn't just fall out of the sky. And the ending was simply perfect in every way and immediately ranks among the best I've seen so far – I didn't know whether to rejoice, cry or just stare and enjoy what was happening in front of me. All I know is that The Truman Show is one of those films that made FilmBooster possible and that people will continue to watch for a long time, and that will always leave the same unrepeatable impression on them. MY APPLAUSE!! (05.06.2012)