The Truman Show

#138 at the time of writing.

Rewatched this recently with the family, and we all loved it. It's a high concept idea: An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show. Endearingly goofy (albeit a departure from the silliness of Jim Carrey's previous films), accessible and fun - punctuated by some emotionally involving moments of drama.

I remember watching this movie when it first came out, then shortly afterwards watching EDtv, which is similarly about a person's life being a reality TV show. But The Truman Show has so many more iconic moments, no wonder it has better weathered the test of time.

Apparently, some people have delusions that their life is a staged reality show, and this condition has been called the Truman Show delusion. After hearing about the condition, Andrew Niccol, writer of The Truman Show, said, "You know you've made it when you have a disease named after you."

According to IMDb trivia, the film is studied in Media Ethics courses - and I can see why. Truman's friends, coworkers, even his wife are actors - some muddy ethical ground that is provocative food for thought.

(My ten-year-old daughter commented after watching this movie that it was "just like Free Guy" - and she's kind of right! In Free Guy - great movie - an NPC discovers his whole life is a video game. An opportunity for a double feature?)