Film

EDtv (1999)

Director: Ron Howard

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Ed (McConaughey) is a big-grinned lunk, overshadowed by his loud brother (Harrelson). But when Ed's chosen to star on a 'live' 24-hour TV soap, he's faced with a new problem: as the centre of attention, he loses all control. Shadowy media figures will do anything to increase ratings, and his bids for freedom only increase the viewers' oppressive interest. Forever doomed to be mentioned in the same breath as The Truman Show, what this most obviously lacks is the cruel suspicion at the heart of Weir's comedy that it's the hero, not the world, who has the problem; that his revelations about 'being watched' may well be the result of paranoid meltdown. Ed never doubts himself to the same extent and thus our emotions aren't quite as engaged. On the plus side, there's Ed's bristling, white trash family (Hopper makes a great appearance as his long lost dad). Even better, we have crunchy, plausible Elfman as the love interest whom audiences initially warm to, then reject a few weeks down the line. Unfortunately, this isn't pushed far enough. Having wined and one-lined us on Simpsons-style savvy, the film turns a touch hypocritical.

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