THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Expla...

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed

Welcome to the Heavy Spoilers show, I’m your host Paul, and in this video, we’re breaking down… The Truman Show.

THE TRUMAN SHOW: DISSECTING THE CLASSIC

The movie is now celebrating its 25th anniversary and a brand new 4K Blu-ray of it has just been released. After picking it up, I just had to break down this film as there are so many deeper layers to it I’d not picked up before. It’s one of those movies that was ahead of its time and it predicted several things about the next two decades. This includes the rise of reality TV and also how much our privacy started being put out there. All of it was done in the name of entertainment which people now do freely with social media and YouTube.

So yeah, lots of things I want to analyze along with all the hidden details that you might have missed in it. This includes the little hidden cameras like the one on his wedding ring.

In the flashbacks, we can see his dad wearing this during the voyage in which he apparently drowned, and Truman taking this also explains why he never takes it off.

We’ll also be talking about how you can spot the clothes in the show being worn by the watchers and this is because it’s all for sale. It’s all to make money and it’s all exploiting a human that a corporation owns.

Now this darker ideology was laced way more through the original script with the idea being created by Andrew Niccol.

Originally titled The Malcolm Show, the first draft was more of a science fiction thriller set in a city akin to New York. Truman was an alcoholic, and his wife was also pregnant with the child being the one who would carry on the show. There were also staged crimes which Truman refused to intervene in, with the cast and crew often questioning why he didn’t. In the end, he came face to face with Christof and all the actors who’d played his friends and family. Lunging at Christof, he then tried to strangle him, unleashing the rage that the revelation brought. We closed out with him being reunited with Sylvia, but it was a far more downbeat portrayal of how Carrey plays it.

They also went with several directors as well, and Brian De Palma was initially in negotiations. This then went through Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam, David Cronenberg, Barry Sonnenfeld, and Steven Spielberg before Peter Weir finally signed on.

Deciding on a more light-hearted tone, he ended up looking to Jim Carrey, who was too looking to be taken more seriously as a dramatic actor. Though the actor commanded a fee of $20 million at the time, he dropped this down to $12 to be part of the film. His schedule was also pretty complicated too, with him working on both The Cable Guy and Liar Liar. Weir ended up delaying production for a full year because he felt that Carrey was perfect for the role.

Niccol also rewrote the script twelve times, and a lot of inspiration was taken from Michael Jackson.

Weir said the singer’s life had been turned into a show and that they wanted to document what it would be like if that was taken literally.

Depicting the life of Truman, they settled on that name because he’s the True-man in a world full of actors. The surname Burbank was also taken too because the entire show’s shot in Burbank, California. In fact, if you look at all the names in the film, these actually pull from real-world things.

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed
THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed

Marlon’s named after Marlon Brando, and his offscreen wife’s called Rita after Rita Hayworth. Truman’s wife Meryl’s named after Meryl Streep, and his upcoming love interest’s also called Vivien Leigh.

Truman’s dad’s called Kirk after Kirk Douglas, and his mum Angela’s, Angela Lansbury.

Sylvia’s show name is Lauren Garland, with the surname of course being a reference to Judy.

These all being actors is well…because they’re all actors, and the locations in the town also carry this too.

Barrymore Street’s named after Drew Barrymore, and Welles Park is a nod to Orson Welles. James Stewart Street… well… yeah, you know that with Lancaster Square being Burt Lancaster.

Now the movie opens with Christof talking about Truman’s appeal and why the world’s become fascinated with him. He says that people became bored with actors and special effects and they craved something that was actually authentic. Inadvertently predicting reality TV, we’d see as this became something that was a phenomenon in the naughties. Even today, the shows are still popular, but the audience has become more sophisticated. Deep down, we know that it’s manufactured too, which this movie also somewhat predicted.

Interestingly, Dennis Hopper was originally in the role, but he walked off after the first day. Jack Nicholson was then offered the part but turned it down due to being friends with Hopper. They also offered it to Jonathan Pryce, who’d played a similar part

in Tomorrow Never Dies. He was on holiday though, so couldn’t get the script because this was back before stuff was done through email like it would be now. In the end, they settled on Ed Harris, who’s only 12 years older than Carrey. Realizing a 12-year-old couldn’t be a television executive that adopted a newborn baby, the makeup department had a challenge on their hands.

However, they made Truman look younger and Christof look older by having things like wire-rimmed glasses and dark muted clothing.

In the end, I really think it works, and you totally believe that Harris is old enough to be like this.

Now the cast names come in, and I love the way this plays out with it giving us the idea that these are real people. We see interviews, talking heads, and the title card popping up while Truman looks in a mirror pretending to be an astronaut.

Now this itself contains some symbolism in it as he later on ends up drawing an astronaut in it. Astronauts of course leave their world behind and travel into new ones like Truman at the end. The mirror’s edges also create a box around him, and he’s finally heading out of this into a different life.

I kinda feel like this was told to him by someone else and he’s just repeating it as part of his catchphrase. Now why this is is because the show’s broadcast 24/7 so it would need a universal greeting due to all the different time zones. Some people watching this would be seeing it at night, but this covers all the bases and means that it works for everyone.

From here, he then goes out to his neighbor who’s bin we can see has a camera on it. Later on, when he pops up to check Truman in the car, we can see he positions this to get a better angle.

From this point, a skylight comes crashing down, and we see as Truman goes to check it out. On the posts, we can also see cameras there too, pointing in every direction so there’s always constant coverage.

Now this light has a really cool detail on it as we can see that the sticker says the word Sirius. Sirius is actually the name of a star, and this was likely one of the ones used to light up the dome’s sky.

The cover-up on this is instantly brought up with us getting this message over the car radio.

This is just them doing things to try and explain what’s happened so that he stays stuck in this fake reality.

Keeping Truman stuck in the dome is of course central to the show’s success and throughout the movie, they try several things to make him scared to leave.

I kinda feel like this message of a plane might make him scared to get in one and therefore he never feels like he wants to leave the island.

Truman also works in insurance and thus he’s someone who has to constantly sell something that talks about danger. I’m guessing that this would cause him to be more fearful in life as he spends his day talking about ways that people get injured or die.

THE TRUMAN SHOW: HIDDEN GEMS AND PRODUCTION SECRETS

And you might notice that most of the songs in the movie are classical pieces. This is because they’re all in the public domain and therefore the show wouldn’t have to pay for any of their usage.

There is one song we’ll talk about later on that isn’t but even this has been altered in a certain way.

Cut to a newsstand where we see Harold buying a paper. Now this character actually gets a nod later in the movie when we cut to a collage up at Sylvia’s. We can see that she’s reached out for help from other cast members, including this news vendor who sadly didn’t go through with it.

At this point, Truman rushes through the street, which is where we see as he’s stopped by the twins who constantly appear throughout the film. These are used to stall him in front of the Kaiser Chicken advert and help add some product placement to his morning stroll.

As we learn, the show airs without commercial interruptions, so they have to integrate the products into every scene.

In the wide shot, we can also see a camera on the top as well as a little drain underneath the wall.

Now I dunno you, mate, but if you know about construction then you’ll know you don’t put a wall up over a drain like this. This would be completely off from the way the pipes are and having half a drain here shows that this building probably isn’t real. Instead, I think they just stuck up this wall so it looked like a real place when in reality its probably a fake building.

Now the twins here were actually on-set security guards who Weird watched getting along with the cast and crew. In the end, he decided to give them a part and I love how they kinda bring a sort of surreal feeling to the meeting. I’ve got twins myself but you know what I mean, just seeing them looking exactly alike adds a feeling of it being almost like they’re clones or something.

They’re not, but you know what I mean, just don’t let my sons see this.

Now at his office, we see as Truman desperately tries to find Sylvia and even cuts eyes out of women’s magazines to try and make a collage of her.

My son does that too.
We also see as his boss tests him to see if he’s willing to go off the island and him turning this down reassures them that he’s not trying to leave.

However, his heart longs for the sea, which we actually see right next to his desk nameplate. To the left, we have a boat and to the right is a lighthouse, which foreshadows the journey that he makes at the end.

Going out to the ferry, even the dialogue here is used as a way to play upon the fears that he has of the sea.

One way or return?
We also see as the camera rotates and the blinds open, showing they’re controlled electronically by its movement.

Littering the dock with a sunken boat, this causes crippling fear in him that keeps him stationary. It’s such a smart way to keep him stuck on the island and it’s something he has to overcome in order to escape.

Cut to his wife arriving home from work, which is when she drops an advert, which… yeah, hilarious.

Now we can see Truman also digging in the garden using a trowel to move about the dirt. Later on, when he digs out the basement, we can see this tool in the hole carrying across from this.

I do kind of wonder if he was planning this all along and slowly digging his way with this Shawshank style.

Something about his life is just so manufactured, and you do wonder if he’d start to suspect just by how fake it all is.

There’s actually a medical condition which is known as Truman syndrome in which people believe that there’s a show that’s built around their life. I’m sure all of us at some point have suspected it too, and I think that’s why this film feels so relatable. Just something about it kind of hits home with everyone, and it’s obviously steeped in paranoia and feeling like the world is fake.

Let me know below if you’ve experienced it too, and I have to admit I’ve felt that way as well. Then I realized that for 8 hours a day, I sit in a room making YouTube videos, so I don’t know how interesting that would be to watch.

Anyway, from here, we cut across to Marlon, who’s about to drop the best ad that you’ve ever seen.

Later on, when he goes looking for Truman, he also leads with these cans in the shot so that they get focus on them. Throughout the movie, we often cut to the Truman Bar, which also happens to sell this beer. Everything is leading to that, and like them, we gotta pay some bills too.

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Anyway, Truman talks about leaving his job and getting off the island, and Marlon’s used as a way to show how good his life is. The movie kind of asks the question if you’d want to actually leave this life because everything in it is keeping him from danger. It’s very much an idyllic utopia distant from crime where someone basically has everything they need.

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed
THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed

However, what Truman wants are some real connections, and we see as he remembers what happened to his dad. Later on, the actor ends up returning, and it’s kind of like the dead star in a soap who comes back 20 years later. Now as Truman sits on the beach, we see as a lightning bolt strikes up the sky. Slowing this down, we can actually see that the moon lights up too, which is something that wouldn’t happen in real life. This hints that it’s actually fake, and we learn later on that it’s where the command center is.

After doing a rain man, Truman goes to Meryl and talks about how he wants to go on an adventure. Whereas the trappings have been fear-induced before, here we see as they’re kept as financial burdens.

We have a mortgage.
All this stuff is something that ends up holding you back, and it’s also used as a way to keep Truman in place. He’s unhappy at his job, unhappy in his marriage, but these burdens are things that have stopped him from leaving.

Now as Meryl stands up,

we get a good look at her dressing gown, which we can see is grey with white flowers on it. Later on, we see one of the old women viewers rocking this too, showing that it’s an item of clothing that the show sells.

Cut to some security guards.

This is a technique that they often use in shows when showing a sex scene would cause the rating to go up.

From here, we cut back to the news vendor and see a front page that’s made to keep him on the island. The headline reads ‘who needs Europe’ and talks about a neurologist moving to Seahaven. This sells the idea that the grass isn’t greener, and they hope it’ll keep him locked in place.

Coming face to face with his dad on the street, he’s snatched by security, and then Truman’s stalled. Man’s hit with joggers, and then a bus escapes, taking him away before Truman can ask questions. Also, I love how you can see the little dog running off in the background who’d just been held by the woman at the newsstand. She was the one who grabbed Truman’s dad and obviously just put the dog down so she could go after him.

Now as Truman chases after it, he’s stopped by a taxi, and on an archway, we can read a Latin saying.

This says Unus Pro Omnibus, Omnes Pro Uno, which translates to One for all, all for one. It actually originates from The Three Musketeers, but in this film, it has another meaning. All for one talks about the town being built up for this one man, and one for all is about how Truman provides entertainment for all.

Now at this point, we cut to Truman’s mother, who tries to downplay the idea he’s just seen his dad.

Still, though, he looks through his old photos before it’s interrupted by Meryl advertising more stuff.

Genuinely, the best moment in the movie for me that and just cracks me up seeing Truman’s reaction.

Sitting with Sylvia’s sweater, we go back to when they first met and see how Meryl ended up being forced upon him. Even when it comes to love, he didn’t have a choice, and his entire life’s been forced down a narrow path.

This is actually a cover of T-Rex’s 20th Century Boy but it’s been changed into a ’50s rock song to further fit the aesthetic of the show. All the clothes the civilians wear have this generic ’50s style to them, and it keeps things more in line with what’s seen as a more wholesome time in America.

Now in the library, Truman finally meets Lauren, and we see as her face lights up like she’s talking to the most important person in the world. It’s such a good performance, and you instantly see her struggling to hold back and stay in line with the show while also following her heart.

As they walk out, we can also see a stand of library books with what I counted to be four atlases. I’m guessing these were put here so he could discover the world through books instead of him feeling like he actually had to go.

Running off into the night, this is the first time he’s truly free, and you can see why he’d obsess over the feeling that Sylvia brought to him. She also tries to tell him about the truth, which is when her quote unquote father arrives.

Escorting her off without raising the alarm, he tries to play it off that she’s crazy.

You’re not the first.
Still, though, love at first sight can’t be defeated, and this also explains why Truman’s desperate to move to Fiji.

Fiji, we’re moving to Fiji.
We learn that he married Meryl on the rebound, and since then, he’s longed to be back with her.

In a way, I also kind of feel bad for Meryl because she’d know that he’s, in fact, obsessed with this other woman.

Now the next day, the radio goes haywire and plays the security feed, including him almost running over a woman.

The radio DJ rattles off about driver safety, and we also see a reaction to his dad’s appearance. On a newspaper, we catch the headline talking about cracking down on the homeless, adding a reason to why he got escorted off.

In the top left, we can also see its number 10,765, which is roughly around 30 years. At the Truman bar, we get a shot when we cut to the TV and can also see that there’s a 30th-anniversary badge up on the wall.

This dates Truman’s age and also gives us an idea of how long this guy’s been stuck in this prison for.

I feel like the movie’s sort of a metaphor for a mid-life crisis in which someone wants to break free and do something different.

We also see all the actors repeating too, including the guy who walks in the turnstile who popped up earlier. Going off track Truman starts seeing if he’s actually in the spotlight. Everything’s an act but no one can break character and the background extras play into this too, We can catch a guy walking around picking up litter but if you look closely you’ll see that he’s not really grabbing anything.

Truman then heads to a bench and we cut to a couple who are played by both Robert and Daryl Davis. Huge shoutouts to Numerous Lemon on Reddit for pointing out that these two founded Seaside, which is the location where they shot the entire movie. They agreed to it being used as a set, and as a thank you, got to cameo in the movie.

Catching a man from the newsstand before spying on him, he basically goes prototype Bruce Almighty and stops traffic while also running into a building. Watching people get into an elevator, these are later shown to be behind the scenes with the actors from the other doors standing behind it, getting food.

This is something Meryl later has to cover for, and the story is the elevator malfunctioned.

As he’s thrown out, we see the building is Omnicom, with the word potentially being linked to Omniscient. Huge shoutouts to WoodenBook on Reddit for that one, and it could hint at how Truman has an all-knowing presence around him.

Running to Marlon’s store, we see him loading a vending machine. Knowing he has to look like he’s doing something, you can see him taking bars out when Truman has his back turned so he can then put them back in to make himself look busy.

About the shop, we also see a woman with a red and white hat, and later on, this is an item that’s shown to be something viewers can buy by the same model. Going back to the beach, we see Marlon selling how good it is.

“Look at that sunset.”
Now in reality, it’s impossible for the sun and moon to be as full as that in front of the Sun. Marlon also calls it the big guy, likely referring to it being where his boss Christof is at.

With his mother, we also see a photo album of some of his early memories. These include Truman dressed as a clown and behind bars. This symbolically shows us Truman’s a clown who’s solely alive to entertain, and the bars he’s behind are the prison that he lives in. Now this photo album’s been brought out to make Truman think he’s actually left the island before. They do this by focusing on a picture of Mount Rushmore, but if you look closely, you’ll see it’s just a crudely made set.

Meryl then points out her bridesmaids and says,

“Jean, Jodie, Joanne.”
Huge shoutouts to mike23pizzo on Reddit for pointing out that they’re all non-descript brunettes whose names start with a J. This means that Meryl won’t struggle to remember them and can just rattle off names that begin with a J.

Putting on the TV, we see a movie picked out especially for Truman.

Though he slumps into his life of acceptance again, he quickly snaps out of it when he catches a photo of Meryl crossing her fingers on their wedding day. The jig is up, and he realizes that she wasn’t doing it sincerely, and I think that this is the defining moment in the movie. It’s also one of the first things I remember figuring out as a kid, and maybe this one detail sent me on the life of becoming a loser.

“I’ll cross my fingers for ya.”

Cut to a shot where we see how quick it turns from night to day, highlighting that the sun itself is controlled by Christof. Now due to them living in a dome, Truman’s never actually experienced natural sunlight. Thus he’d have a vitamin D deficiency, which we see they make up for in the next shot. As Truman sits and tunes his radio, we can catch a massive tub of it to the left-hand side.

After hearing Meryl’s story, he follows her to work where we see him going deep into the set. Love how there’s a group of people in wheelchairs trying to stop him and an orderly as well. No one wants to drop the act, though, and rather than letting Truman know, they have the surgeon actors start.

Cut to the travel agent where we see a very, very big airplane risk poster and a member of staff with a handkerchief around her neck. Typically, this is something actors have put on when makeup artists are doing up their faces, showing she’s just had it done quickly because he arrived at the shop.

Getting a bus to Chicago, we see the shocked faces when he first gets on and a kid pointing out to their parent who he is. The driver ends up stalling it, and I love how you can see sweat running down his face as he apologizes to Truman because he just managed to stop him.

Sitting in his car, he points out the looping civilians, showing the surveillance system and extras that they have set up to make the street seem busy.

As he reverses out of the car, we see the further indoctrination in the state’s motto with it simply saying it’s a nice place to live.

Driving out with Meryl, we see as he

‘s starting to go stir-crazy from being trapped in this prison. Now he just wants to go wherever he can because he wants to get out.

“I’ve never been there.”
Blocked by traffic, this ends up clearing out when it seems like they’re heading home. Getting to the bridge, we then see a sign in the bottom right saying you’re now leaving Seahaven. If you look closely at the bottom, you can also see it has the text ‘are you sure it’s a good idea?’

Forcing Meryl to steer, they make it across where forest fire warnings hint at what security measure they’re just about to hit before the pair reach the nuclear plant. This is having a meltdown, with them pulling out all the stops to make it seem convincing. After the officer says,

“You’re welcome, Truman.”
He knows something is up, though, and heads into the forest. Before getting caught, you can see that the trees are planted in rows and lines, creating what looks like a corridor. This obviously would never happen in nature and shows that the forest is artificial. As for it and the plants’ purpose, I actually have an idea, and I think that this part of the island has its practical uses.

The trees would help to provide oxygen inside the dome, and the power plant could provide the electricity. Back home, I also love the way the cop on the left acts, and he’s just peering in and trying to check Truman out. You have to realize that this would be like seeing someone famous like Santa Claus in real life, but I, I actually met him. Just the way he does his little hat tip too, like you can tell this is an actor trying his hardest, and it’s so funny watching how the extras act around him.

Cocoa ad.
Now this ad being delivered while Meryl is having a clear breakdown just shows the demands that people have to stick to with commercials.

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Meryl breaks character and then asks for help before Marlon’s sent in as a last-ditch attempt.

“It’s not professional.”
Taking him to the bridge, we get a line that shows how the actors take breaks from a show like this.

Getting a peak behind the curtain, it’s at this point that we see Christof and co feeding lines to Marlon. I love how we have him saying that he’d never lie to Truman while we see him putting up a facade of being his friend with lines being fed to him.

Really exemplifies how manipulative and messed up this whole thing is, and at this point, his father returns from the dead.

He’s the one who started all this, and thus the hope is that getting him back will make Truman remain in the fantasy.

Now during this bit, we cut to the reactions of the world, including a Japanese family. Up on the wall, they have some pictures with text in them which translate to the words Everyday Truman.

He is very much seen almost like a religious figure, and this is shown in the ‘love him, protect him’ t-shirts we see security wearing. Now it’s at this point that we see the happiness that the creative team have from the con juxtaposed with Sylvia being furious. She’s seeing Truman stuck in this box that represents the prison he’s in and over the top of this used to sell ads. He’s being completely exploited and not seeing any of the money himself, with Truman basically being a slave that was born into servitude.

Cut to Harry Shearer playing Mike Michaels, who’s about to interview Christof. Around the world, we see people getting ready and can catch how much Truman’s integrated into people’s lives. At the bar, there’s a woman with a top on with his face in an Andy Warhol style, and a home with several collages and drawings of him and the characters up on the wall. The girl has a Meryl doll, and while the baby cries away, the mother ignores it because she’d rather watch this guy growing up on TV than her own child.

Christof appears like a god looking over the city, seeing all.

Now why he’s the perfect villain for this is because he’s the opposite of Truman and whereas he knows nothing, Christof knows everything. It’s also said,

“You guard your privacy.”
Showing that he realizes how important privacy is yet benefits off Truman’s being exploited.

Surrounding him are countless TVs, which is how he’s able to monitor all. It gives the idea that he can see absolutely everything, and on top of this, his ability to control the sun and weather makes him a god.

Throughout his life, we see how people have tried to infiltrate the set, and at one point catch a guy parachuting in telling him he’s on TV. It’s likely that Sylvia was involved in this as we can later catch the same sign-up at her home.

We also see how they’ve manufactured ways to keep him on the island.

In the end, they manipulated him to the point he’d have a lifelong fear of water, which is what cost him his father.

Then we get my favorite line in the movie.

“Amnesia.”
Just playing up the soap trope of how they bring back dead characters, and hearing this always makes me laugh a bit.

Now we learn Truman was adopted by the corporation, and the only reason he was chosen was because he was born on the due date.

Christof promises that if Truman truly wanted to escape, that he would be; he says he prefers the cage. As we know, that isn’t true, and we learn that they are doing further things to keep him in place. This includes introducing a new love interest and having the world’s first on-air conception. Having a child will keep him further trapped in the prison, and the baby will probably be born into this life as well.

We watch as Truman sleeps, with viewers also using him as a way to comfort themselves to sleep too.

Bringing up the music as Christof strokes the screen, we see the piano being played by Philip Glass.

Glass composed a lot of the music in the film, including the piece he plays here.

The next day, Truman does the astronaut bit, but he does this at the end to show he might be aware.

THE TRUMAN SHOW: IMPACT AND LEGACY

However, it seems like he’s happy to be back in his own loop, with him going through a lot of the things he did at the start.

We see as his new love interest is teased, and everything looks like it’s going to be okay.

However, there’s clear suspicion from the other people involved, and from here, we cut to Paul Giamatti with a newspaper. This is actually open on the LA Times Job Listing page, showing that he was starting to look at other places due to Truman getting suspicious.

Faking that he’s asleep in the basement, he does a Shawshank to dig out of his own prison, which is when the town goes into high alert. Marlon’s sent over, and in front of the map of Fiji, he’s headed out, showing that this represents his dreams.

Marlon breaks the camera and speaks directly to the camera, forcing Christof to cut transmission for the first time.

The extras and cast mount up and head out, and we see some of them like the new travel agent, his neighbor, the new girl at work, and his parents.

The sun gets brought up, and everyone moves to the first position to try and start the day like normal. But Truman is gone, with him facing up to his fears and heading out onto the sea.

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed
THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Easter Eggs, Making Of & Things You Missed

The boat he sails on has the name Santa Maria, which is named after the one that belonged to Christopher Columbus. This is what he had when he went to the new world, signifying his travel out to a new one.

We see as they send the cast out after him, with the bus driver being unable to drive the boat because he’s an actor. Left with nothing else, the weather program is accessed, which localizes a storm over the boat.

It’s such a good way to test the character and show what he’s really made of. People around the world unite behind him because he is what they love, not the show itself, and it reveals the monster Christof really is.

He’s happy to kill Truman if he has to because he wants complete control over his life. Either way, the show would end with Truman leaving or dying, but he’d rather that he controlled what happened to him than breaking free of his grasp.

It’s classic controlling behavior, but Truman survives it and comes out on top, which I think is when Christof realizes that he has to let him go.

Now I love the literal fourth-wall-breaking moment as Truman hits the edge of the dome, and we see that the sky is fake.

Going up the stairs, Christof finally speaks to him, sounding like the voice of God. The stairs themselves sort of look like a stairway to heaven, and outside will be the life he gets after his life here. He tells him the truth but also tries to get him to stay in the world by promising him a life without fear.

He strokes the screen and pleads that he stays and wants him to remain in the show. Asking him to respond, we then get the perfect line to end the film with.

Now what makes this so incredible is that Christof expects some big rousing speech or to stay behind and remain with them in the fake world. Rather than giving in and doing something that’s going to give Christof what he wants in his return or the perfect ending, he just drops a dumb catchphrase and robs Christof of getting that final thing he can broadcast.

Now, in doing this, it also works as its own quotable too, and it works as a big F you. It’s genuinely the perfect way to close out the film, and I can’t think

of a better way that they could’ve ended it. We close out with people deciding to watch something else, and it just sums up how shallow reality TV is and our attachment to it.

Now, obviously, this even predicted that before the boom in the industry, and it’s hard to deny how much The Truman Show got right. It’s easily one of the best films from the past 25 years and took Jim Carrey from a comedic actor into a completely new one. When I think back on his career, this is one of the best performances for me, and it won several film awards.

I still think it was pretty underrated at the time, though, but it’s picked up a major following since its release.

I really hope you’ve enjoyed us going back through these films, and hopefully, you’ve got some new stuff to appreciate it when you go back and check it out.

Huge thank you for checking out the breakdown, and make sure you’re subscribed for more classic movie breakdowns. We have been releasing these videos early for members, so if you want to check them out before anyone else, then please click the join button. Costs about 99 cents a month and makes a big difference to the channel.

Now our next video is going to be Apocalypse Now, and MT’s also working on a Spider-Man breakdown as well. Lots of things coming down the line, and hopefully, I see you over there at them.

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