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Director: Ron Howard Screenplay: Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, based on Le Roi Des Ondes Louis 19, written by Emile Gaudreault & Sylvie Bouchard Starring: Matthrew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Ellen DeGeneres, Woody Harrelson, Martin Landau, Sally Kirkland, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley, Adam Goldberg Running Time: 122 minutes Studio: Universal MPAA Rating: PG-13 |
Inevitable comparisons to Peter Weir's The Truman Show started circulating before main stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Elfman and Woody Harrelson were attached to director Ron Howard's EdTV. Surface similarities -- a man's life televised to a global audience, family members with contracts, eventual defiance of authority -- are just that... superficial. EdTV follows a different story arc than The Truman Show's voyage of self-discovery. At its root is a love story and two lives distorted by media invasion.
The Truman Show explored our fascination with the minutiae of another person's life, but its science-fictional premise, smartly scripted by Andrew Niccol, served in a way to distance us from Truman's life. EdTV, while commenting just as much on our voyeuristic society, also addresses those who would seek the fame, in some cases, just to be famous.
The script, by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell, is loosely based on the French film, Le Roi Des Ondes Louis 19, written by Emile Gaudreault & Sylvie Bouchard. It's jokey and given to sitcom moments rather than story. Howard runs with those moments, but doesn't give us much more. They're funny -- Rob Reiner as a network exec saying, "Yes, you're on television" when a hidden camera captures a personal moment; show producer Ellen DeGeneres jumping on a bed, yelling "I am the goddess of television!" when Elfman's character falls for McConaughey while dating his brother, played by Harrelson -- but they feel superficial. The relationship between the two very appealing leads is authentic, but too easily pushed aside to accommodate a guest turn by Elizabeth Hurley.
As a collection of moments, EdTV is fun, but as a statement on the cult of celebrity, it leaves much to be desired.
RATING: **1/2
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