* * * ( out of 4 ) truman ( " true-man " ) burbank is the perfect name for jim carrey's character in this film . president truman was an unassuming man who became known worldwide , in spite of ( or was it because of ) his stature . " truman " also recalls an era of plenty following a grim war , an era when planned communities built by government scientists promised an idyllic life for americans . and burbank , california , brings to mind the tonight show and the home of nbc . if hollywood is the center of the film world , burbank is , or was , the center of tv's world , the world where our protagonist lives . combine all these names and concepts into " truman burbank , " and you get something that well describes him and his artificial world . truman leads the perfect life . his town , his car , and his wife are picture perfect . his idea of reality comes under attack one day when a studio light falls from the sky . the radio explains that an overflying airplane started coming apart . . . but then why would an airplane be carrying a studio light ? the next day during the drive to work , the radio jams and he starts picking up a voice that exactly describes his movements . he is so distracted that he nearly hits a pedestrian . when the radio comes back to normal , the announcer warns listeners to drive carefully . his suspicion aroused , he wanders around the town square looking for other oddities . the world appears to be functioning properly until he enters an office building and tries to take the elevator . the elevator doors open up on a small lounge with people on coffee breaks . a grip sees truman him and quickly moves a paneled door , made to look like the back of an elevator , into place . two security guards grab him and throw him out . truman is really suspicious now . it gets even worse the next day when his wife , a nurse , describes an elevator accident in the building where he saw the lounge . " it's best not to think about it , " she says , trying vainly to change truman's memory . truman becomes determined to see who or what is behind this apparently elaborate hoax at his expense . at every turn he is stopped by an amazing coincidence that just happens to keep him in his own little town . his last hope is to quell his fear of the ocean and sail to the edge of the world . you know by now that truman's life is the subject of a television program . his actions are " real " but everything else is carefully scripted , from the death of his father to the choice of his wife . truman is determined to find out what the big hoax is . meanwhile , christof , the all-seeing creator of truman's world does his best to keep him unaware and happy . it's sort of like westworld told from the robots' point of view , or jurassic park from the dinosaurs' point of view . we root for the captive of the cage-world . our protagonist is counting on " chaos theory " to help him escape his elaborate trap . the story , written by andrew niccol ( writer/director of gattaca ) , introduces some interesting questions , such as the ethics of subjecting a person to this type of life , or the psychological impact of learning that your entire life has all been fake . although these questions came to mind , i don't think the film itself asked them . it certainly didn't address them or try to answer them . i was particularly disappointed that the film didn't deal more with the trauma of learning one's life is a tv show . carrey's performance at the end showed a smidgen of truman's pain , but i almost felt that he got over it too easily for the sake of the film's pacing . earlier in the movie i found myself wondering if it would be better for truman to find out the truth or whether i should root for him to be well . the two seemed exclusive of one another , but weir and niccol didn't see it that way . perhaps it's not fair to criticize a movie for what it isn't , but it seems like there were some missed opportunities here . but on its own terms , the movie is well made . sight , sound and pacing are all handled competently . much of the first part of the movie is the truman show . the scenes are all apparently shot from hidden cameras , with snoots and obstructions covering the corners of the screen . one hidden camera is apparently in his car radio , the green led numbers obscuring the lower part of the screen . the music is well-chosen and scored . the film opens with what sounds like family drama theme music , when truman's world is still beautiful and perfect . when the movie ends , the score sounds more like a frantic , driven , tangerine dream opus , while still keeping the same timbre . philip glass' epic music ( from powaqqatsi ) permeates truman's scenes of suspicion and awakening . ( glass has a small cameo as a keyboardist for the show . ) and the pacing of the story was brisk . there was no unnecessarily long setup explaining the concept behind the truman show , just a few quick title cards , a few interviews , and then right into the show , and the movie . one of the first scenes is of the studio light falling ; there was no token scene of truman's idyllic life before it falls apart , because it wasn't necessary , we pick up the story at the first sign of trouble , and no sooner . there's also no point in the movie where the plot slows down . it's a quick , straight shot to the movie's end . in terms of overall quality , i would compare the truman show to niccol's gattaca . both films are well made with interesting stories set in interesting worlds . but neither film really felt like it capitalized on all the great ideas ; neither film " clicked " and became an instant classic . nevertheless , i look forward to niccol's next film , whatever it may be . check out more current movie reviews at <a href= " http : //www . indra . com/~mmapes/ " >http : //www . indra . com/~mmapes/</a> 
