All of us, if only for a moment, have wondered what it would be like to be famous. Now, we need wonder no more. In EDtv, director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Ransom) takes a self-reflecting and often hilarious look into the not-so-private life of the celebrity. But the beauty here is that the celebrity here is not really a celebrity; he's just an everyday Ed Pekurny. When Northwest Broadcasting Company's (NWBC) flagship cable channel, True TV (a station devoted to Real TV-like documentary programming) falls so low in the ratings that they find themselves playing catch-up to stations like the Gardening Channel, programming director Cynthia Topping (played charmingly by Ellen DeGeneres) decides that it's time for a drastic change. So, in a last-ditch effort to boost ratings and save her job, Topping suggests putting an ordinary person's life on live cable TV. It's all live, 24- hours a day, with no script and no editing. It's the ultimate in True TV! Once the project gets the green light from station executive Jim Whitaker (Rob Reiner), Topping sets out to find her star. She eventually settles on Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey), a handsome yet lazy video store clerk who just happened to be in a San Francisco bar where True TV conducts their talent search. Within days, however, Ed is propelled to superstar status, as EDtv becomes a huge hit across the country. Unfortunately, it isn't a picnic for Ed. His blossoming relationship with his brother's camera-shy ex, Shari, (Jenna Elfman) begins to fall apart due to the lack of privacy in Ed's life. Consequently, Ed's relationship with his brother and the rest of his family crumbles. It gets so bad that Ed is not even allowed at his estranged father's funeral because of the television cameras that accompany him everywhere he goes. It is at this point that we begin to question just whether being a celebrity is all that it's cracked up to be. At first glance, EDtv seems suspiciously similar to last year's hit The Truman Show. At least that's what I thought when I first saw the previews. But the two films are actually very different. In fact, Ron Howard pokes fun of the supposed similarities by casting Harry Shearer as a talk-show host (virtually the same role he had in The Truman Show). It's true that they both deal with putting the lives of people on television, but in all actuality the two films deal with two very different questions. The Truman Show looks at the ethical questions involved with putting someone on TV who does not choose to be there, and subsequently is all about the effects this has on the main character. However, EDtv is an exploration of the loss of privacy that results from being a celebrity, and how that effects not only the life of the celebrity and the lives of those around him. As Ed's best friend, John (played by Adam Goldberg) puts it, in one of the best lines in the movie: `With no privacy, there is no dignity.' McConaughey pulls off the innocence and charm that Ed puts in front of the camera quit nicely, but it's the supporting cast that really puts EDtv into high gear. Elfman puts just the right touch amount of emotion into her role, avoiding the selfish sob-queen stereotype that would have been all-too-easy to fall into, and Woody Harrelson is hilarious as Ed's self-absorbed big brother Ray, who sees Ed's good fortune primarily as a golden opportunity to promote his gym. Degeneres gives undoubtedly one of the best performances of her career as the programming director whose die-hard commitment to boosting ratings and keeping her job suddenly seem trivial when it becomes obvious that Ed is no longer enjoying all the attention he is receiving. And the supporting cast of EDtv phenomenal as well. Martin Landau as Ed's Lark-ridden stepfather and Clint Howard (Ron's brother, making his token cameo in a Ron Howard-directed film) as the show's pathetic director, make excellent contributions and keep the laughs coming. But EDtv is as smart and well-made as it is funny, and the message is clear: being a celebrity ain't all that it's cracked up to be. Perhaps after seeing this movie some audience member won't want to become famous anymore. As for me, I'd rather see for myself.
