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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Truman Show, The
Paramount Pictures


8.8

based on 30 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 56 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA 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)

GENRE(S):	Fantasy
WRITTEN BY:	Andrew Niccol
DIRECTED BY:	Peter Weir
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: January 26, 1999 Video: January 26, 1999 Theatrical: June 5, 1998
RUNNING TIME:	103 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

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.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

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

100

Washington Post Rita Kempley

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

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.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

An original, inspired piece of work.

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.

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.

100

Newsweek Jeff Giles

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

100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A beautifully sinister and transfixing entertainment-age daydream.

100

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A sunny-looking movie about the darkest paranoia.

100

Film.com Sean Means

A brilliant and daring film.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Adventurous, provocative, even daring.

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]

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.

Time Richard Corliss

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

Film.com Tom Keogh

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

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

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

USA Today Mike Clark

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

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.

Slate David Edelstein

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

Dallas Observer Peter Rainer

The film is a nightmare but an oddly comforting one.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

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

Film.com Robert Horton

A smart, engaging movie.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

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

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.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

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

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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

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

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.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 56 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve gave it a10:
Great movie. In my opinion, Jim Carrey's best performance and one of the most underrated films of all time. Very emotional ending, which gets me just about every time I watch it.

Jared B. gave it a2:
This film, in my opinion, was nothing more than a steaming pile of garbage. Jim Carrey should have stuck to what he does best, and that is, of course, comedy. He simply doesn't work as a dramatic actor. The rest of the cast sucks, too. The only thing that saves this from being a total disaster is Peter Weir's directing ability. But, even he was hampered by the terrible script.

Jeff S. gave it a10:
This movie is amazing and anyone who thinks oherwise is wrong... Jim Carey was amazing in it. The movie was easy to understand and follow.

maxim gave it a10:
The Best Movie of 1990s. Jim Carrey gave a performance of his lifetime.

Fred B. gave it a9:
A brilliantly made movie, with fun, suspense and even a little action. Jim Carry does a great job selling the role and is supported by great actors/actresses.

Shane K. gave it a10:
My favorite movie. This film silences even the harshest Jim Carrey critics. This man was robbed of an Oscar nomination for his performance in this movie. Great supporting performance by Ed Harris as well. This movie will really make you think and you won't be shy of things to talk about after you watch it. This is quite simply the most original movie I have ever seen. The greatest film of the 90s.

Mick G. gave it a10:
Jim Carey's is an all around actor. Awesome movie.

Truman Show, The Paramount Pictures

Truman Show, The
Paramount Pictures