The 1998 film The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey, has been added to Amazon Prime Video in the UK. Fans have hailed the movie as a "masterpiece" and "easily one of the best movies ever".
A carefully choreographed sham
The film tells the story of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), who believes he is living in an idyllic American town with a supportive family and not a care in the world. Unbeknownst to him, his daily life and everyday interactions are a carefully choreographed sham on a vast soundstage populated by an army of actors.
Since his birth, Truman has been filmed secretly around the clock, with billions tuning in to follow the drama of his life play out in an exploitative - and wildly popular - reality TV show. The film also stars Ed Harris as Christof, the creator and overseer of Truman's hollow reality, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, and Paul Giamatti.
Critical acclaim and fan praise
The movie was directed by Peter Weir from a screenplay by Andrew Niccol, and was critically acclaimed. Decades on from its release, it's seen as a prescient exploration of the perils of reality television and the voyeurism of social media.
Fans have taken to review aggregator platforms to lavish praise upon the drama. One writing on Rotten Tomatoes called it the "best movie I've seen in forever, easily one of the best movies ever". Another wrote: "'The Truman Show' epitomizes strong and original storytelling on screen. This film is emotionally engaging, didactic, witty, dramatic and Jim Carry has the best performance."
A fan writing on IMDb gave it a perfect score, writing: "If you can't give something 10/10 to, what can you? This is an excellent film in so many ways. It's heart-warming, inspiring and tear-jerking at times. I was going to give it a 9, but this is exactly what movies should be about: originality, ambition, great directing & acting, and an immersion into a world built up within it. Truman Show has all those qualities. This is something that has never been done before."
Availability and streaming
Another fan, writing back in 1999, said: "Had the chance to watch this movie only now, but I was completely stunned by how good this movie was. When I'll think back on the classics of this decade (the 90's) like The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile I'll be adding this movie too."
A third said: "The best movie I ever watched. Every time the ending plays I cry in tears. This movie changed me. Give this movie a try."
The Truman Show was added to Amazon Prime Video in the UK on Friday, August 21. It's also available to stream on Paramount+.
