The Truman Show
Updated: 12/10/2025, 10:17:52 AM Wikipedia source
The Truman Show is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and co-produced by Andrew Niccol, and directed by Peter Weir. The film depicts the story of Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), a man who is unaware that he is living his entire life on a colossal soundstage, and that it is being filmed and broadcast as a reality television show that has a huge international following. All of his friends, family, and members of his community are paid actors whose job is to sustain the illusion and keep Truman unaware of the false world he inhabits. The film's supporting cast includes Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, and Brian Delate. Niccol's original spec script was more of a science-fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. Producer Scott Rudin purchased the script and set up production at Paramount Pictures. Brian De Palma was to direct before Weir signed on as director, making the film for $60 million—$20 million less than the original estimate. Niccol rewrote the script while the crew was waiting for Carrey to sign. The majority of filming took place at Seaside, Florida, a master-planned community located in the Florida Panhandle. The Truman Show held its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 1, 1998, and was released in North America on June 5. The film was a financial success, grossing $264 million worldwide, debuting to critical acclaim, and earned numerous nominations at the 71st Academy Awards, 56th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd British Academy Film Awards, and 25th Saturn Awards. The Truman Show has been analyzed as an exploration of simulated reality, existentialism, surveillance, metaphilosophy, privacy, and reality television, and described as a genre-blending work that features elements of dystopian fiction, meta fiction, psychological drama, romantic comedy, satire, and social science fiction.
Infobox
Tables
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Director | Peter Weir | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ed Harris | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen | Andrew Niccol | Nominated | ||
| American Comedy Awards | Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | Jim Carrey | Nominated | |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Burkhard Dallwitz and Philip Glass | Won | |
| Australasian Performing Right Association Awards | Best Film Score | Burkhard Dallwitz | Nominated | |
| Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Foreign Film | Peter Weir and Scott Rudin | Won | |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Best Actor – Drama | Jim Carrey | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor – Drama | Ed Harris | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress – Drama | Laura Linney | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Scott Rudin, Andrew Niccol, Edward S. Feldman, and Adam Schroeder | Nominated | |
| Best Direction | Peter Weir | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Ed Harris | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Andrew Niccol | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Peter Biziou | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Dennis Gassner | Won | ||
| Best Special Effects | Michael J. McAlister, Brad Kuehn, Craig Barron, and Peter Chesney | Nominated | ||
| British Society of Cinematographers Awards | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Peter Biziou | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Peter Weir | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Jim Carrey | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Andrew Niccol | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Burkhard Dallwitz | Won | ||
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Screenplay | Andrew Niccol | Nominated | |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence in Costume Design for Film | Marilyn Matthews | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Jim Carrey | Won | ||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Peter Weir | Nominated | |
| Empire Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| European Film Awards | Best Non-European Film | Peter Weir | Won | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Foreign Film | Won | ||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Director | Peter Weir | Won | |
| Fotogramas de Plata | Best Foreign Film | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Jim Carrey | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Ed Harris | Won | ||
| Best Director | Peter Weir | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Andrew Niccol | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Burkhard Dallwitz and Philip Glass | Won | ||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature | Lee Smith, Karin Whittington, Rick Lisle, Peter Townend, Tim Jordan, Andrew Plain, Nicholas Breslin, and Maureen Rodbard-Bean | Nominated | |
| Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation | Peter Weir and Andrew Niccol | Won | |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Jim Carrey | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | Film of the Year | Won | ||
| Director of the Year | Peter Weir | Won | ||
| Screenwriter of the Year | Andrew Niccol | Won | ||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Production Design | Dennis Gassner | Runner-up | |
| Movieguide Awards | Grace Award | Jim Carrey | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Movie | Nominated | ||
References
- "The Truman Show"https://web.archive.org/web/20210130033654/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-truman-show-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnzu3otqy
- AllMoviehttps://web.archive.org/web/20210420010157/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-truman-show-v161628
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1998/film/news/truman-suit-retort-1117477740/
- How's It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show, Part 1
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/the-truman-show-writer-darker-script-1235528928/
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-the-cleveringup-of-america-1199351.html
- SNL'shttps://variety.com/1994/voices/columns/snl-s-farley-crashes-filmdom-119056/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1994/film/news/tristar-acquires-female-bounty-hunter-project-118435/
- S1MONE'shttps://web.archive.org/web/20080412211543/http://www.splicedonline.com/02features/aniccol.html
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/article/1998/06/05/jim-carreys-serious-turn-truman-show/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-22-ca-29730-story.html
- The New York Times
- The Truman Show: The Shooting Script
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rep-matt-gaetz-wants-you-to-know-who-he-is-and-his-plan-is-working/2018/02/20/2dfce71e-126a-11e8-8ea1-c1d91fcec3fe_story.html
- How's It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show, Part 2
- American Cinematographerhttps://theasc.com/articles/this-is-your-life-the-truman-show
- Faux Finishing, the Visual Effects of The Truman Show
- Vanity Fairhttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/06/truman-show-anniversary-jim-carrey-peter-weir-laura-linney
- The New York Timeshttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E0D71539F932A15756C0A96E958260
- Trumanhttps://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/new-truman-villain-harris-1117435072/
- Screen Ranthttps://screenrant.com/the-truman-show-jim-carrey-cast-fastest-response/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-09-ca-46744-story.html
- sabotagetimes.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190805071652/https://sabotagetimes.com/tv-film/at-home-with-dennis-hopper
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-truman-show-ed-harris-1234994300/
- "The Truman Show"https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/333464/the-truman-show/#notes
- The Florida Times-Unionhttps://www.staugustine.com/photogallery/LK/20191205/PHOTOGALLERY/120509985/PH/1
- Special Effects: The History and Technique
- Australian Musicianhttps://web.archive.org/web/19991007023953/http://www.australianmusic.asn.au/mag/autumn99/burkhard.html
- philipglass.comhttps://philipglass.com/recordings/truman_show/
- Music, Narrative and the Moving Image: Varieties of Plurimedial Interrelationshttps://books.google.com/books?id=eTGbDwAAQBAJ&q=Truman
- Empirehttps://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/the-truman-show-25-years-later/
- Journal of Communication Inquiryhttps://doi.org/10.1177%2F0196859900024001002
- Radio Timeshttps://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-m4t5bv/the-truman-show/
- Popular Mechanicshttps://web.archive.org/web/20080331141336/http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/reviews/4256186.html?page=7
- Film Criticismhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/44019392
- The International Journal of Psychoanalysishttps://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1745-8315.2008.00030.x
- Cannes Film Festivalhttps://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/the-official-poster-of-the-75th-festival-de-cannes
- SuburbiaNation: Reading Suburban Landscape in Twentieth Century American Fiction and Filmhttps://books.google.com/books?id=7fAYDAAAQBAJ&q=Truman
- The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journalhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/jung.1.2000.19.1.37
- www.britishschoolmilan.comhttps://www.britishschoolmilan.com/principal-blog/article/~board/principal-blog/post/the-edge-of-the-world-the-truman-show-and-widening-horizons
- Speed 2https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/speed-2-shifted-in-sked-scramble-1117435175/
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/article/1997/10/17/its-show-time/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1997/tv/news/peacock-buys-par-pic-pack-111786719/
- Runaway Bride
- www.45worlds.comhttps://www.45worlds.com/dvd/disc/097363311232
- www.45worlds.comhttps://www.45worlds.com/dvd/disc/097363311270
- www.dvdtalk.comhttps://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/17233
- www.dvdtalk.comhttps://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2779trum.html
- Geek Vibes Nationhttps://geekvibesnation.com/jim-carreys-classic-the-truman-show-celebrates-its-25th-anniversary-with-a-4k-uhd-blu-ray-this-july/
- ultrahd.highdefdigest.comhttps://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/116994/thetrumanshow4kultrahdbluray.html
- screen-connections.comhttps://screen-connections.com/2023/04/26/the-truman-show-4k-uhd-release-details/
- Media Play Newshttps://www.mediaplaynews.com/the-truman-show-headed-to-4k-ultra-hd-july-4-for-25th/
- Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culturehttps://www.cinelinx.com/movie-news/blu-crew/the-truman-show-comes-to-4k-uhd-this-summer-for-its-25th-anniversary/
- The Truman Showhttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120382/
- The Numbershttps://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Truman-Show-The-(1998)
- The Truman Showhttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/truman_show
- The Truman Showhttps://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-truman-show
- Ebert, Rogerhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-truman-show-1998
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20080317005853/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie980623-6%2C0%2C6333826.story
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-27-ca-57823-story.html
- Entertainment Weeklyhttp://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/01/100-greatest-characters-of-last-20-years-full-list/
- Berardinelli, Jameshttp://preview.reelviews.net/movies/t/truman.html
- Chicago Readerhttp://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-audience-is-us/Content?oid=896501
- Meek, Tomhttps://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=1057
- "The 71st Academy Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners"http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/71st-winners.html
- "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1999"http://awards.bafta.org/award/1999/film
- "Best Cinematography in Feature Film"https://bscine.com/media/uploads/awards/bsc-cinematography-feature-film.pdf?v
- "Chicago Film Critics Awards - 1998–07"https://web.archive.org/web/20131017115907/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=58
- "5th Annual Chlotrudis Awards"https://chlotrudis.org/awards/past-awards/1999-5th-annual-awards/
- "1st CDGA (1999)"https://www.costumedesignersguild.com/awards-archives/1st-cdga-1999/
- "Broadcast Film critics name 'Saving Private Ryan' best film"http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9901/26/broadcast.film.awards/
- "The 51st Annual DGA Awards"http://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1990s/1998.aspx
- "1999 Empire Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20000816064656/http://www.empireonline.co.uk/features/awards99/index.html
- "1998 FFCC AWARD WINNERS"http://www.floridafilmcritics.com/2013/11/16/1998-ffcc-award-winners/
- "The Truman Show"https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/truman-show
- "1999 Hugo Awards"https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1999-hugo-awards/
- "The 24th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards"http://www.lafca.net/Years/1998.php
- "1998 Award Winners"https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1998/
- "3rd Annual Film Awards (1998)"http://www.oftaawards.com/film-awards/3rd-annual-film-awards-1998/
- "Film Hall of Fame Productions"http://www.oftaawards.com/film-hall-of-fame/film-hall-of-fame-productions/
- "1998 Awards (2nd Annual)"https://ofcs.org/awards/1998-awards-2nd-annual/
- "International Press Academy website – 1999 3rd Annual SATELLITE Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20080201175700/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards1999.shtml
- "Past Saturn Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20081219234921/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html
- "1998 SEFA Awards"https://www.sefca.net/winners#/1998
- "WGA Awards: Previous Nominees and Winners"https://web.archive.org/web/20160307145015/http://awards.wga.org/wga-awards/previous-nominees-winners2
- "The 20th Annual Youth in Film Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20161128203408/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms20.htm
- ACMIhttps://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/truman-show-25-pt-1-prescient-cautionary-film/
- Vanity Fairhttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/06/truman-show-anniversary-jim-carrey-peter-weir-laura-linney?srsltid=AfmBOoo9LssIMG1UHne55C3aCeJuneKEfrQGI5J4tC30d7yJY_q2HaTb
- "'Barbie' filmmaker Greta Gerwig wants to embrace the mess"https://apnews.com/article/greta-gerwig-interview-barbie-ed61b918097f2fc43e024f4872a7225e
- SYFY Official Sitehttps://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/wicked-how-oz-epic-channels-the-truman-show-pleasantville
- SYFYhttps://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/free-guy-composer-grand-theft-auto-truman-show
- Newsweekhttp://www.newsweek.com/truman-syndrome-when-life-tv-show-88185
- The British Journal of Psychiatryhttps://doi.org/10.1192%2Fbjp.193.2.168
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/fashion/28truman.html
- 3 News NZhttps://web.archive.org/web/20130729015858/http://www.3news.co.nz/NZ-filmmaker-Andrew-Niccol-adds-to-medical-lexicon/tabid/418/articleID/291046/Default.aspx
- ScreenRanthttps://screenrant.com/truman-show-tv-show-remake-andrew-niccol-pitch/
- CBRhttps://www.cbr.com/truman-show-writer-pitches-series-adaptation-sequel/