Reviews of The Truman Show, Quiz Show, and
The Running Man
Surviving Survivor
"You see, the public didn't tune in for some great display of intellectual skill. They just wanted to watch the money." - Martin Scorsese, Quiz Show
If being inundated with the endless hype surrounding "Survivor 2" and its final episode wasn't bad enough, new shows such as "The Weakest Link" and "Boot Camp" have sprung up to drown us in more "reality" hokum. Feeling fed up with the seemingly endless reality T.V. craze?
Relax. Even with "Survivor 2" hype blanketing the country and a new "Survivor" already in the works, there are a few alternatives to life in "reality" T.V. land. If you're feeling hopelessly manipulated by $$$-driven "reality" contests and quiz shows, the following three films - The Truman Show, Quiz Show and The Running Man - will provide a welcome antidote to the current reality-T.V. craze.
The Truman Show
Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) gives the finest performance of his career as Truman Burbank, a man trapped in a fake life he believes is real. Every aspect of his so-called "real" life; however, is in fact manipulated by a studio looking to up its ratings. Sound familiar?
Truman believes he is an ordinary man with a normal wife (Laura Linney), a perfect neighborhood and a regular job. But when he starts to discover that he is being manipulated, he begins to rebel, threatening the status of the T.V. show that has covered his life since he was a child.
That's potentially bad news for the show's producer (played superbly by Ed Harris in an Oscar nominated turn), who works to turn this drama into higher rankings for the show. In retrospect, The Truman Show, which scored an Oscar nod for director Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society), is not only a stunning work in its own right but an ominous foreshadowing of the reality-based T.V. shows to come.
Quiz Show
You'll never look at a game show the same again after watching Quiz Show, Robert Redford's Oscar-nominated film about the quiz show scandal that rocked the nation in the '50s.
The film's plot centers around a young lawyer named Dick Goodwin (Rob Morrow) and his investigation of the game show "Twenty-One." A former contestant on the show ?- a working-class, goofy looking Jewish man named Herbert Stempel (John Turturro of O Brother, Where Art Thou and Do The Right Thing) -- claims the show has been rigged, and that he was ordered to "take a dive" by the show's producer, Dan Enright (David Paymer). The reason: His ratings had "plateaued," and the higher-ups wanted to replace him with a clean-cut, good-looking WASP named Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient).
Redford's film is an eye-opening exploration of the corruption that goes on behind the scenes of a game show. You'll marvel at the manipulation that goes on to ensure that a seemingly "real" show maintains high ratings. Overall, it's a beautifully directed, expertly acted and sharply written film, and you won't see things the same after you view it.
The Running ManThe Running Man certainly didn't score any Oscar nominations, but more than a decade after its release in 1987, this Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer still packs a punch in more ways than one.
Arrested on false charges trumped up by a futuristic totalitarian government, Schwarzenegger is forced to participate in a capital punishment show called "The Running Man," on which prisoners can allegedly win their freedom if they can defeat a series of heavily armed killers.
As an action film, the movie is a full-on success, with lots of enjoyable action sequences, classic Schwarzenegger one-liners and memorable cameos by the likes of Jim Brown and Jesse Ventura. As a game-show parody, it's often hilarious, with "Family Feud"-host Richard Dawson tearing gleefully into his role as the host of "The Running Man."
Viewed today, the concept of The Running Man doesn't seem so far-fetched in the light of the current crop of reality-based shows. Although it's less high-brow than The Truman Show or Quiz Show, The Running Man does share one trait with these films: It showcases how far behind-the-scenes T.V. execs will manipulate "reality" to boost ratings and keep viewers interested.
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The Truman Show
Although Carrey does share a few brews with his on-screen bud, this film doesn't have the drinking appeal of one of his raucous comedies.
There's a dash of romance thrown into the mix that could translate well for viewing couples.
Quiz Show
This serious, intellectual film is unlikely to inspire you to binge drinking.
Not much comedy or romance here, but female-favorite Ralph Fiennes might score some points in this department.
The Running Man
Schwarzenegger kicking some serious ass, plently of in-your-face action, and villains named Fireball, Buzzsaw and Subzero. Better make it a case.
See drinking rating above.
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