Jim Carrey, Ed Harris and Laura Linney in the Peter Weir movie ‘The Truman Show’

The Truman Show (1998) movie by screenwriter Andrew Niccol became a psychological comedy after producer Scott Rudin acquired the script. Originally planned as a science fiction thriller with the potential for Brian De Palma directing, Peter Weir directed the well-performing movie about a fictional television show starring the fictional Truman Burbank.

(From left, Noah Emmerich as Louis Coltrane, playing Marlon and Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank in the Peter Weir movie The Truman Show).

Truman Burbank, portrayed by Jim Carrey, was adopted and raised by the fictional television show that introduced him to us at his birth. A fictional city named Seahaven Island was built for him and the show under an enormous dome that was, in the world of the movie, visible from space. Within the movie, Christof, the show’s creator and primary decision maker for what happens in a heavily fictionalized world, is in charge of the major day-to-day life of the world around Truman. Ed Harris portrayed Christof.

(From left, Paul Giamatti as Simeon and Ed Harris as Christof in the Peter Weir movie The Truman Show).

Part of the notion of the show informing what we see was the desire to keep the fictional show going for as long as possible. The storylines introduced to make this happen, as run in the movie by Christof, takes the further step of keeping internal continuity for Truman with his work, his friends and his family. Much of the humor for the backstory existed in this space, in addition to the portrayal of Truman himself by Carrey.

(From left, Holland Taylor as Truman Burbank’s mother, Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank and Laura Linney as Hannah Gill, acting as Meryl Burbank in the Peter Weir movie The Truman Show).

The notion of family, friendships and work were central to the day-to-day that were the point of The Truman Show. Noah Emmerich, for example, portrayed the actor Louis Coltrane playing Truman’s close friend Marlon. The actress Hannah Gill, playing Truman’s wife, Meryl Burbank, was portrayed by Laura Linney. When the sensibility of Truman Burbank as an adult kicked in, the two storylines combined in some humorous and marginally scary ways included the aid of Truman’s television show mother, portrayed by Holland Taylor.

(Natascha McElhone as actress Sylvia, playing Lauren Garland, in the Peter Weir movie The Truman Show).

Besides the fact that the curiosity of the character of Truman was tethered to a healthy dose of reality that was possibly late blooming, the fact that the movie The Truman Show inserted calls to the human character of a real person (ostensibly Truman) were crucial. To engage The Truman Show with the somewhat suspended sense believability needed, offered the familial appeal for the movie that allowed the movie both critical and audience appreciation as confirmed here. Bringing this home were the roles of actress Sylvia playing Sylvia, as portrayed by Natascha McElhone, and Walter Moore, playing Truman’s father Kirk Burbank, portrayed by Brian Delate.

(From left, actor Jim Carrey and director Peter Weir in the Peter Weir movie The Truman Show).

The Truman Show movie and television show of the same name within the movie were both aware of themselves and their tenuous hold of reality to suggest the psychological question “How does it end?” This question, in a sense, moves beyond the imagined television audience and Truman Burbank, or even us and Truman Burbank, into a question about Truman Burbank and show creator Christof. How will their relationship end, or in this case begin in a mutually aware way? That the story moves beyond into this direction with an overcoming of fear as the central metaphor / stand-in for Truman and Christof is, in the end, where I find the movie works best. My grade for The Truman Show as directed by Peter Weir is 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, April 16, 2022

Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer in the Rob Reiner movie ‘This Is Spinal Tap’

The first movie directed by Rob Reiner was the satirical comedy of a fictional band coming to the United States from the England named This Is Spinal Tap (1984). The fictional band is fronted by stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, with the film’s director in the role of a reporter covering the band. Airport Friend, a supporter of Matt Lynn Digital, has declared his appreciation for the humor of this movie.

(From left, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel and Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

Rob Reiner stars as Martin ‘Marty’ Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap on their American tour. Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls and Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins portray the band that portrays the odd pretensions of a band that cannot decide who they are. The comedy begins with a revelation that the band cannot settle on a name or style, though do come to America in support of their so called Smell the Glove tour.

(From left, Tony Hendra as Ian Faith and Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

Ian Faith, as portrayed by Tony Hendra, begins the tour as the band’s manager. Owing to low ticket sales prompted in part from a sexist album cover for the album that the tour is intended to promote, tensions between the band and Faith increase due to both issues. After the distributor unilaterally releases the band’s album with an all-black cover, sales don’t improve. The hypocrisy of the situation hits a new low when autograph sessions for the album fail to draw fans.

(From left, Rob Reiner as Martin ‘Marty’ Di Bergi, Fran Drescher as Bobbi Flekman and June Chadwick as Jeanine Pettibone in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

The girlfriend of band singer David St. Hubbins, a devotee of yoga and astrology named Jeanine Pettibone, aims to inject herself into the band’s costumes and stage presentation at this point. This leads to Nigel Tufnel sketching plans for a Stonehenge theming for the band on a napkin, labeling the dimensions in inches rather than feet. When props meant to replicate the life size Stonehenge yet coming in at less than one-third the height of a human being, the joke is on the band. Jeanine Pettibone was portrayed by June Chadwick.

(From left, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls and Gloria Gifford as the airport security officer with the security wand in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

A collection of errors continues to plague the band from here, with smaller and smaller tour venues, equipment errors and ultimately members and band managers leaving the band. To those that get or will get the humor of saying that the movie ends with a bang, let me say that I salute you. My rating for This Is Spinal Tap as directed by Rob Reiner is 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, March 9, 2022