Edtv suffers by the inevitable comparison to the similar and superior "The Truman Show" (1998). Frankly, I'm surprised that a director of the caliber of Ron Howard would be involved in the making of this clone. This will definitely not go down as one of his greatest films.
The story involves a cable network called True TV deciding to televise the daily life of an everyman to the nation. A cast of talented people is largely wasted. To theirs and Howard's credit they, for the most part, almost carry it off. Unfortunately, the story degenerates into the Hollywood formula boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back formula, complete with the contrived happy ending.
Matthew McConaughey stars as Ed and is one of the reasons that I didn't like this film. He is not believable as the main character and goes through the entire film looking like he needs a bath and a shave, and dressed as though he picked his clothes out of the laundry hamper. Woody Harrelson is wasted as Ed's brother. He has little to do after the first half hour. I think he would have been much better in the lead role than was McConaughey.
Of the rest of the cast, Ellen Degeneres as the producer and Rob Reiner as the network executive are good, as is Martin Landau in a limited role. I would have liked to seen more of the Landau character. Dennis Hopper turns up all too briefly as Ed's long lost father and Sally Kirkland is over the top as his mother. Jenna Elfman plays the heroine and Elizabeth Hurley sizzles as the actress trying to seduce Ed for her own gain.
In the end, EDtv is too much like but not near as good as "The Truman Show".
The story involves a cable network called True TV deciding to televise the daily life of an everyman to the nation. A cast of talented people is largely wasted. To theirs and Howard's credit they, for the most part, almost carry it off. Unfortunately, the story degenerates into the Hollywood formula boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back formula, complete with the contrived happy ending.
Matthew McConaughey stars as Ed and is one of the reasons that I didn't like this film. He is not believable as the main character and goes through the entire film looking like he needs a bath and a shave, and dressed as though he picked his clothes out of the laundry hamper. Woody Harrelson is wasted as Ed's brother. He has little to do after the first half hour. I think he would have been much better in the lead role than was McConaughey.
Of the rest of the cast, Ellen Degeneres as the producer and Rob Reiner as the network executive are good, as is Martin Landau in a limited role. I would have liked to seen more of the Landau character. Dennis Hopper turns up all too briefly as Ed's long lost father and Sally Kirkland is over the top as his mother. Jenna Elfman plays the heroine and Elizabeth Hurley sizzles as the actress trying to seduce Ed for her own gain.
In the end, EDtv is too much like but not near as good as "The Truman Show".