The Truman Show

"On the air. Unaware."

1998 1h 43m EN

🙌

8.2

BANGER

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

8.2

IMDB

★8.2TMDB · 20,961🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●90Metacritic★8.2IMDB · 1,356,843

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a picture-perfect seaside town, an insurance salesman begins to realize that his entire existence may be staged and observed by a vast unseen audience as part of a long-running real-time reality TV show.

“On the air. Unaware.”

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Cast

Jim Carrey
Truman Burbank
Laura Linney
Meryl Burbank / Hannah Gill
Noah Emmerich
Marlon / Louis Coltrane
Natascha McElhone
Lauren Garland / Sylvia
Holland Taylor
Angela Montclair / Alanis Montclair
Ed Harris
Christof
Paul Giamatti
Simeon
Brian Delate
Walter Moore / Kirk Burbank

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Andrew Niccol, Joe Griffith
Languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

340+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Weir, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Burkhard von Dallwitz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William M. Anderson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Weir directs. Peter Biziou behind the camera. Burkhard von Dallwitz scores. William M. Anderson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish, Japanese, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Italian.
5340+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Peter Weir, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Burkhard von Dallwitz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor William M. Anderson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Jim Carrey and Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "On the air. Unaware.".
11IMDB entry: tt0120382 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1220,961 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
13Classified under 13 themes, including "escape", "paranoia", "dystopia", "dark comedy".
14Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Biziou
Original score: Burkhard von Dallwitz
Editing: William M. Anderson
Production design: Dennis Gassner
Costume design: Marilyn Matthews
Makeup / hair: Brad Wilder
VFX supervisor: Craig Barron
Sound: Martin Oswin
Stunt coordinator: Pat Banta
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $264,118,712
Return: 440% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Truman Show (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 90/100
IMDB rating: 8.2/10 · 1,356,843 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 42 wins & 69 nominations total

Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
European Film Award for Best Non-European Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Peter Weir

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Evan Zuqenshi2014-10-14
★ 8/10
"The Truman Show" dares to question the reality. It's original, complex, and philosophical. It manages to make you feel truly frustrated and claustrophobic. Perhaps many of us can relate to Truman as we live in a time of routines. We often live our lives without giving a second thought to the simplicity and meaninglessness of life itself. Our limited perspectives keep us from seeing. The lies we are told keep us from the truth. If we could push the boundaries of our reality, what are the odds that we'd face what Truman faced in the end? It was a joy to watch "Jim Carrey" as "Truman", it is yet another proof that Jim isn't just a comedian.
tmdb324926002017-07-15
Truman...One of my favourite films. It's just hilarious. The whole concept that this man thinks he is living in the real world. Very well done to the Director and Writers!
Dsnake12018-05-07
★ 9/10
On the surface, The Truman Show is about a man who has lived his life trapped inside of a bubble. He tries the entire movie to pop the bubble, and he eventually does. Under that layer, though, is a complex theme. Does Truman really enjoy his cell? He seemed to for years. At the same time, he struggled with memories, but don't we all? As the viewer, we're left to determine the morality of the happiness of millions versus the freedom of one. We're also left to consider whether Truman's cage was better than his freedom. A child born into a system that doesn't have a great track record or a life of relative safety with no knowledge of the cage. The viewer also has to determine the sturdy nature of reality. What is reality besides our perception of it? What's real to Jim or to Bob? Are the things that are real to them real to me if I've never seen or heard about them? Beyond the philosophical questions the movie poses, the film itself is solid. Jim Carrey pulls off the part wonderfully. He's more than just a comedian, although he can bring the humor the instant the scene needs it. The supporting cast fell right in line. The pacing may be a little slow early on for many viewers, but that is remedied once the action begins to pick up. If you want something light and silly, go watch something else by Carrey.