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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Truman Show, The

EMAILPRINTParamount Pictures

Truman Show, The reviews
90
8.7 User Score:

Movie Info

Genre(s): Fantasy

Written by: Andrew Niccol

Directed by: Peter Weir

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 5, 1998
DVD: January 26, 1999

Running Time: 103 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for thematic elements and mild language

Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, and Ed Harris

Twenty-nine years ago, a baby boy was adopted by the OmniCam Corporation to become the subject of the most popular television show of all time. His name is Truman Burbank. (Paramount Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Variety Todd McCarthy

A gemlike picture crafted with rare and immaculate precision.

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100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Delicately subversive, hypnotically sardonic, full of terror, banality and wafer-thin lyricism.

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100

Washington Post Rita Kempley

One of the smartest, most inventive movies in memory, it manages to be as endearing as it is provocative.

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100

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

That rare cinematic experience-a movie so close to pure perfection that it seems a shame to spoil it by even reading a review beforehand.

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100

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

An original, inspired piece of work.

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100

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Weir's offbeat directing makes the most of Andrew Niccol's inventive screenplay, which includes large doses of surprisingly sardonic satire aimed at today's entertainment trends.

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100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

I enjoyed The Truman Show on its levels of comedy and drama; I liked Truman in the same way I liked Forrest Gump--because he was a good man, honest, and easy to sympathize with.

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100

Newsweek Jeff Giles

A miraculous movie. It will rattle both your head and heart

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100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A beautifully sinister and transfixing entertainment-age daydream.

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100

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A sunny-looking movie about the darkest paranoia.

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100

Film.com Sean Means

A brilliant and daring film.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Adventurous, provocative, even daring.

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100

TNT RoughCut Graham Verdon

An exhilarating, fascinating story about the amazing and horrifying depth we are sinking toward as we strain to raise the entertainment bar another notch.

100

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

The Truman Show is a reminder of the Beckett theme. The screenplay by Andrew Niccol starts from something like Beckett's abstraction and reifies it with details of contemporary culture, then moves on into fantasy. [June 29, 1998]

90

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

The Truman Show is one of the films for which the '90s will be remembered, and it is not to be missed.

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90

Time Richard Corliss

Hollywood's smartest media satire in years--and a breakthrough for Jim Carrey.

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90

Film.com Tom Keogh

Achieves a kind of beauty through its overlaying enigmas, and Carrey.

88

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The result is a rarity on any screen: intelligent fun.

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88

USA Today Mike Clark

Funny... and the payoff is the most provocative Hollywood concoction in a while.

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88

San Francisco Examiner G. Allen Johnson

A crowd pleaser that caters to our horror of totalitarianism, our love of personal freedom, our belief - justified or deluded - that knowledge is a powerful tool and that access to information is a God-given right.

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80

Slate David Edelstein

A sharp-witted, visually layered, gorgeously designed, meticulously directed piece of formula pablum.

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80

Dallas Observer Peter Rainer

The film is a nightmare but an oddly comforting one.

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80

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Carrey is a genius at registering the rage behind television's sunny smile, while Laura Linney excels as his wife.

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80

Film.com Robert Horton

A smart, engaging movie.

80

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Warm, affecting and refreshingly shtickless, he (Carrey) occupies center stage here through sheer, beguiling force of personality.

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75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

An appealing, offbeat, one-hundred minute diversion for those who really are tired of monsters tearing down buildings and action heroes saving the world.

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70

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A cool indictment of television's near-irresistible pandering to the inner peeping tom.

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70

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Undeniably provocative and reasonably entertaining, The Truman Show is one of those high-concept movies whose concept is both clever and dumb.

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70

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

The film is unfortunately about little more than its potentially mind-boggling plot and structure.

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67

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

It's unusually provocative and challenging for a Hollywood movie and, surprisingly, allows the audience to piece things together without too much external direction.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 79 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

lol riffic gave it a10:
All you tools that don't have the brain power to understand the simples plot of The Truman Show should go back to your tool racks and rust. And for all you kids crying about there not being action in the move, it's because IT"S NOT AN ACTION MOVIE!

Frank gave it a10:
All you kids that get lost and confused in the movie should go back to school. The movie was excellent, and the cinematography and script is outstanding. And to all you people that got bored of it because there was no action, IT'S BECUASE IT ISN'T AN ACTION MOVIE! Gtfo the internet and go back to your hole you trolls.

Joey gave it a10:
A masterpiece. In the beginning you feel lulled into a false sense of security about the crafted world Truman is placed in. From a wonderful start to a very emotional ending, the Truman Show is by far one of my favorite movies ever. The last few reviews seem to be posted by the same 12 year old, though. Don't take them seriously. This is a brilliant and original film.

Grace gave it a10:
One of the best movies I've ever seen. Jim Carrey actually plays a character instead of just Jim Carrey. It's clever and even though it's old, it's awesome.

Shokz gave it a9:
The problem, it seems, is that the only low scores come from people that have failed to grasp the plot and / or only enjoy watching things blow up. If you're too simple to understand the film then feel free to pass through without rating.

[Anonymous] gave it a5:
I did not like the move. There was no action. It was a fake world that was made for one person. He was looking for an old girl friend. The best part of the movie is when his wife threaten to kill him with a knife-cheese grader-potato peeler.

Taylor R gave it a6:
I liked to movie, but it had some weird parts. I liked what the movie was about. I didn't like the picture color of the movie. I didn't like how they were being mean to Truman. It was weird how they trapped him in his own world. Also, I didn't like how his wife is mean and a freak.

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