"EdTV" is Hollywood's remake of the 1994 French-Canadian hit "Louis 19: le roi des ondes". I'm not going to compare the two films. The only reason I mentioned it is to set the record straight that "EdTV" (1999) is NOT a ripoff of "The Truman Show" (1998) since the screenplay was bought years earlier.
"EdTV" is a somewhat Orwellian comedy/drama about an everyman named "Ed" who falls victim to society's hi-tech voyeurism. Ed becomes the pawn of a bunch of network suits who broadcast (and do their best to ruin) his entire life to the thrill of millions of viewers. I think it would've worked better as a no-holds-barred satire (like the movies "LIVE", "ROBOCOP", "AMERICAN DREAMZ" or the masterpiece "BRAZIL", but director Ron Howard opts to take the kinder, gentler approach which ends up watering down the message & its impact on us.
Not only that, but today the story isn't as edgy as it might have been back in the 90s when reality TV was just budding, and we didn't know where it would lead. Today's audiences might think "what's the big deal?" and to be honest I found myself thinking that a few times during the picture. But I do remember the 90s and the whole reality-TV phobia which fueled such stories as this, and that's what made it an entertaining film for me. If you remember the 90s and your first reactions to the new phenomenon called reality TV, you might enjoy it too.
At times the film teases us with challenging philosophies, in particular there's the intriguing line: "Ed is the apotheosis of a prevailing American syndrome. It used to be that people were famous for being special. Now they're considered special merely for being famous. Fame has become a moral good in this country: It's its own virtue" Unfortunately, the film never follows up on such thoughts and instead runs back to predictable drama, such as the girlfriend who can't deal with cameras invading her life, or the cliché about Ed being hounded by brainless fans all the time. These plot devices undermine the power of a film like this, reducing the film to passing entertainment instead of something more thought-provoking.
The whole film struck me as being a very "Ron Howard" production, which means a shiny, polished presentation and a predictable Disney-like story with no real surprises or tension. It dazzles us with a great star-studded cast and a lot of gloss (the budget was an estimated $60 million... five times as much as 1999's Academy Award winner "American Beauty").
But I was much more impressed with the relatively obscure films "LIVE" (a satire about a reality show where the contestants play Russian roulette), "CASI DIVAS" (a great Mexican comedy/satire about a nationwide search for new talent), and an unknown comedy gem called "SPECIAL" about an ordinary chump who takes an experimental drug and becomes... uh... special. These 3 films deliver entertainment but more importantly they carry a lot of weight behind what they're telling us. "EdTV" had a few noteworthy scenes, such as the funeral confrontation between the two brothers, but these scenes were deleted from the final release and can only be seen on the DVD extras. The result is a somewhat breezy and entertaining but unimportant film.
"EdTV" is worth the price of admission, and it kept me entertained from start to finish. But if you want a little more substance to feed your brain, try to check out the other films I mentioned above.
"EdTV" is a somewhat Orwellian comedy/drama about an everyman named "Ed" who falls victim to society's hi-tech voyeurism. Ed becomes the pawn of a bunch of network suits who broadcast (and do their best to ruin) his entire life to the thrill of millions of viewers. I think it would've worked better as a no-holds-barred satire (like the movies "LIVE", "ROBOCOP", "AMERICAN DREAMZ" or the masterpiece "BRAZIL", but director Ron Howard opts to take the kinder, gentler approach which ends up watering down the message & its impact on us.
Not only that, but today the story isn't as edgy as it might have been back in the 90s when reality TV was just budding, and we didn't know where it would lead. Today's audiences might think "what's the big deal?" and to be honest I found myself thinking that a few times during the picture. But I do remember the 90s and the whole reality-TV phobia which fueled such stories as this, and that's what made it an entertaining film for me. If you remember the 90s and your first reactions to the new phenomenon called reality TV, you might enjoy it too.
At times the film teases us with challenging philosophies, in particular there's the intriguing line: "Ed is the apotheosis of a prevailing American syndrome. It used to be that people were famous for being special. Now they're considered special merely for being famous. Fame has become a moral good in this country: It's its own virtue" Unfortunately, the film never follows up on such thoughts and instead runs back to predictable drama, such as the girlfriend who can't deal with cameras invading her life, or the cliché about Ed being hounded by brainless fans all the time. These plot devices undermine the power of a film like this, reducing the film to passing entertainment instead of something more thought-provoking.
The whole film struck me as being a very "Ron Howard" production, which means a shiny, polished presentation and a predictable Disney-like story with no real surprises or tension. It dazzles us with a great star-studded cast and a lot of gloss (the budget was an estimated $60 million... five times as much as 1999's Academy Award winner "American Beauty").
But I was much more impressed with the relatively obscure films "LIVE" (a satire about a reality show where the contestants play Russian roulette), "CASI DIVAS" (a great Mexican comedy/satire about a nationwide search for new talent), and an unknown comedy gem called "SPECIAL" about an ordinary chump who takes an experimental drug and becomes... uh... special. These 3 films deliver entertainment but more importantly they carry a lot of weight behind what they're telling us. "EdTV" had a few noteworthy scenes, such as the funeral confrontation between the two brothers, but these scenes were deleted from the final release and can only be seen on the DVD extras. The result is a somewhat breezy and entertaining but unimportant film.
"EdTV" is worth the price of admission, and it kept me entertained from start to finish. But if you want a little more substance to feed your brain, try to check out the other films I mentioned above.