Despite how singular the film seems, there are a surprising number of movies like The Truman Show that explore the differences between reality and fantasy, whether that’s on television, in dreams, or something even more fantastical. One of the best movies in Jim Carrey’s eclectic filmography, The Truman Show follows the titular every-man. He’s so every-man, in fact, that people around the world tune in to watch every moment of his ordinary life to relate, snoop, and empathize. The catch is that Truman has no idea any of this is going on.
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The term “Truman Show” has even become something of a shorthand, to describe situations where people’s lives are being filmed or watched. It can be with the subjects knowing, like in Nathan Fielder’s brand of off-beat comedy shows, or it can be without anyone aware of their involvement in a production, like in Amazon’s bizarre and hit Jury Duty. It can be fictional as well. Plenty of movies have dabbled in the psychological filmmaking of The Truman Show and what they uncover about free will and the human experience is always fascinating.
10 EDtv (1999)
A More Comedic Take On The Self-Reality Show
EDtv PG-13Comedy Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Ron Howard Release Date March 26, 1999 Cast Matthew McConaughey , Jenna Elfman , Woody Harrelson , Sally Kirkland , Martin Landau , Ellen DeGeneres Runtime 122 minutes
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In EDtv, the television network True TV plans to film a new reality show that follows a normal person’s life 24/7. They land on Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey), a normal guy who doesn’t seem to have anything interesting about him. After a slow start, however, it turns out that there’s quite a bit of drama in Ed’s life and, as things get more complicated, Ed increasingly wishes he could get himself off the air and start improving his life.
Related The Real Meaning Of The Truman Show Explained
The Truman Show is an epic satirical science fiction drama that weaves a multilayered narrative, involving philosophical and sociological undertones.
The movie came out only a year after The Truman Show and was criticized for how similar it was to that earlier film, with suggestions that EDtv was aping the Carrey movie (via RottenTomatoes). However, there is a real intelligence to EDtv and there’s much more humor here than in The Truman Show. It also provides another angle of the concept, exploring what kind of person would volunteer to be filmed 24/7.
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9 I Saw The TV Glow (2024)
A Terrifying Ride About Not Knowing Who You Are
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8.6/10 I Saw the TV Glow PG-13DramaHorror
I Saw the TV Glow is a horror film by writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, released in 2024. A young man named Owen is introduced to a late-night TV show that reflects their reality. As the two begin to bond over the series, it suddenly is canceled, causing Owen’s view of reality to shatter.
Director Jane Schoenbrun Release Date January 18, 2024 Cast Justice Smith , Brigette Lundy-Paine , Danielle Deadwyler , Fred Durst , Helena Howard , Ian Foreman Runtime 100 Minutes
I Saw the TV Glow is a lo-fi horror movie that confronts the terror of not knowing one’s identity until it’s so late in life, that it’s even more frightening to acknowledge reality. In the film, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) are two social outcasts who bond over the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like TV show “The Pink Opaque”. The longer they watch, the more they become convinced that something is seriously wrong in their own lives.
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I Saw the TV Glow is like if Truman suspected he was on a reality show, but then all the obstacles he faced forced him back to his fake home where he pretended he never had any suspicions. While I Saw the TV Glow wrestles with issues involving gender identity and coming out as a trans person, both films suggest how dangerous it is to keep someone inside a box, with a literal television being used to make the point.
8 The Matrix (1999)
Artificial Intelligence Decides The Fates Of All Mankind
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9.5/10 The Matrix RActionAdventureSci-Fi
The Matrix, directed by the Wachowskis, stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker who discovers that reality is a simulated construct controlled by intelligent machines. Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss co-star as Morpheus and Trinity, who help Neo navigate and ultimately challenge the artificial world. The film blends action, philosophy, and groundbreaking visual effects, establishing itself as a pivotal entry in the science fiction genre.
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*Availability in US Director Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski Release Date March 31, 1999 Cast Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , Gloria Foster , Joe Pantoliano Runtime 136 minutes
The Matrix franchise has several surprising similarities with The Truman Show, starting with the first film in the franchise, The Matrix. Just like Truman, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is living a normal, boring life, when one thing changes everything he knows about the world, and he’s yanked out of the Matrix. Like Truman noticing stage lights falling from the sky, Thomas (or Neo) notices tiny things that clue him into the false reality he’s living in.
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One of the greatest action and science fiction movies of all time, The Matrix changed the way action was filmed and influenced entire genres afterward. Both main characters have to trust in a world they don’t know and don’t see when it becomes obvious they’d be safer in the fake universe. Both characters then bravely march forward, not letting fear get in their way to freedom.
7 The Game (1997)
A Mysterious Thrill Ride About One Man’s Public Birthday Party
The Game RDramaMysteryThriller
Directed by David Fincher, The Game is a mystery thriller released in 1997. Michael Douglas stars as Nicholas Van Orton, an investment banker brought into a mysterious game by his brother hosted by the wealthy. As the game continues to integrate into his life, he begins to see the cracks in the facade of the group’s game, ultimately revealing a dark conspiracy at the center.
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*Availability in US Director David Fincher Release Date September 12, 1997 Cast Michael Douglas , Sean Penn , Deborah Kara Unger , James Rebhorn , Peter Donat , Carroll Baker , Armin Mueller-Stahl Runtime 128 Minutes Budget $70 Million
David Fincher’s The Game follows a selfish and extremely wealthy investment banker, Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), who on his 48th birthday receives a voucher for a “game”. The mysterious company’s “game” involves infiltrating every aspect of Nick’s life, ruining it, and putting him into extreme situations at every turn. It’s not until the last moments of the movie, when he finally gives in, that the true nature of Nick’s game is revealed.
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Just like Truman who grows unhinged after his “wife” begins reciting an advertisement in the middle of an argument, Nick grows increasingly unstable as everything he thought he knew collapses around him, literally at some points.
One of the messier Fincher movies, The Game, is still a probing look at what people consider real and what they consider fake. Just like Truman who grows unhinged after his “wife” begins reciting an advertisement in the middle of an argument, Nick grows increasingly unstable as everything he thought he knew collapses around him, literally at some points.
6 Pleasantville (1998)
Life On Television Doesn’t Seem All That Bad
Pleasantville PG-13ComedyDramaFantasy
Pleasantville is a drama that explores themes of change and self-discovery, as two modern teenagers find themselves transported into a 1950s television show. The movie delves into social issues and individual freedoms, highlighting the contrast between the idealized past and the complexities of the real world. With its unique premise, Pleasantville offers a thought-provoking narrative on the impact of transformation on a seemingly perfect society.
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*Availability in US Director Gary Ross Release Date October 23, 1998 Cast Tobey Maguire , Reese Witherspoon , William H. Macy , Joan Allen , Jeff Daniels , J.T. Walsh , Paul Walker , Don Knotts , Marley Shelton , Jane Kaczmarek , Giuseppe Andrews , Jenny Lewis , Marissa Ribisi , Denise Dowse , McNally Sagal , Paul Morgan Stetler , Kevin Connors , Natalie Ramsey , Justin Nimmo Runtime 124 minutes Expand
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While The Truman Show depicts a “possible” version of someone being stuck in a TV show, Pleasantville provides a fantastical way someone could be, and the show it depicts is positively lovely. The film follows two siblings, David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) whose constant fighting leads to them being transported to the black-and-white TV show, Pleasantville. There they show the TV people that there is more to life than rote monotony.
As David and Jennifer explore more about Pleasantville, the new things they introduce first create an existential crisis in the people they meet as they realize they’re on a TV show. Soon, though, new color is literally brought into their lives as they explore all there is to be a human. While Truman is glad to leave his world, the people of Pleasantville are happy to stay. All that matters is it’s their choice.
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5 Inception
Dreams And Reality Can Be Hard To Separate
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8.1/10 Inception PG-13Adventure Sci-FiThrillerAction
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 Sci-fi action film Inception follows a thief who enters the dreams of others to steal information and, after being caught, is given a chance to clean his slate by performing an untested concept – implanting an idea within another mind. An ensemble cast is brought together by former target Saito, who seeks to implant the idea of destroying his own company into his father’s mind. In a complex labyrinth of dreams and untested theories at the forefront, survival is not guaranteed in this psychological heist where the stakes are high, and nothing is what it seems.
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*Availability in US Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 16, 2010 Cast Tom Hardy , Elliot Page , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Cillian Murphy , Ken Watanabe , Marion Cotillard , Leonardo DiCaprio Runtime 148 minutes Budget $160 million
Inception has the idea of reality and unreality as the core tenet of its complex and breathtaking story. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a professional thief, but his targets are people’s minds. He completes his capers via “inception”, a technique that involves infiltrating the dreams of another person and either taking their ideas or, in the case of “inception”, planting his own. One of Nolan’s signature mind-bending action films, it also shares some similarities with The Truman Show.
In both films, the idea of who is really who, and what is a fake and what is real is constantly called into question. Inception goes a step further by bringing the audience along for the ride, never showing its hand about what’s real and what’s not. The audience ends up feeling like Truman himself, unsure how deep or shallow the story is.
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4 Beau Is Afraid
A Surreal And Horrifying Trip In The Limelight
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9/10 Beau Is Afraid RComedyHorrorSupernatural
Beau Is Afraid (formerly known as Disappointment Blvd.) is a new supernatural horror/comedy film from Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar.) Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular Beau in his older years, as a young man with a strained relationship with his mother. After her death, his return home is marked by strange supernatural occurrences.
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*Availability in US Director Ari Aster Release Date April 21, 2023 Cast Joaquin Phoenix , Nathan Lane , Patti LuPone , Amy Ryan , Kylie Rogers , Parker Posey , Stephen McKinley Henderson , Hayley Squires Runtime 179 minutes Budget $35 million
The grotesque part of reality TV: being filmed constantly, and having every move observed and directed, Beau is Afraid is the opposite side of the coin of The Truman Show. Ari Aster’s third movie, Beau is Afraid, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Beau, a beleaguered, frightened, and anxious man. Beau lives alone, away from the world, until an even more terrifying force draws him out: an invitation from his mother asking him to visit.
In both
The Truman Show
and
Beau is Afraid
, the main characters are oppressed by some invisible eye staring down at them.
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In both The Truman Show and Beau is Afraid, the main characters are oppressed by some invisible eye staring down at them. Beau seems more acutely aware of his situation, but Truman seems much more willing to do something about it. Perhaps that’s because Truman’s world is not filled with the horror of Beau’s. Both films also end with the main characters sailing off to somewhere else. For Truman, it’s freedom; for Beau, it’s judgment.
3 Stranger Than Fiction
Will Ferrell Abides The Universe
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) PG-13ComedyDramaFantasyRomance
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) is a drama-comedy that follows Harold Crick, an IRS agent who begins to hear a narration of his life, which leads him to discover that he is a character in an author’s novel. Faced with his impending death, he must navigate his relationship with the author and his own existence. The film explores themes of free will, fate, and the nature of storytelling.
Director Marc Forster Release Date November 10, 2006 Cast Will Ferrell , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Dustin Hoffman , Emma Thompson , Queen Latifah , Tony Hale , William Dick , Guy Massey , Martha Espinoza , T.J. Jagodowski , Peter Grosz , Tonray Ho , Herb Lichtenstein , Stacey Elaine Jackson , Ricky Adams , Christian Stolte , Denise Hughes , Peggy Roeder , Danny Rhodes , Linara Washington , Helen Young , David Pompeii , David Wiegers , Jarrett Sleeper , Larry Neumann Jr. , John Mohrlein , Tom Hulce Runtime 113 minutes Expand
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Stranger than Fiction is stranger than almost every other film. It’s not horrifying, disquieting, or deeply probing, it’s just odd and unique, and all the more sweet and charming for it, much like The Truman Show. Will Ferrell turns to the dramatic as Harold Crick, an IRS agent who likes nothing more than isolation and routine. However, his life soon takes a turn to something much more adventurous, as the narrator says. Surprisingly, Harold also hears the narrator say this and is immediately concerned.
Will Ferrell shows some acting range here he rarely revealed again. In the same way, The Truman Show was an opportunity for viewers to see what else Jim Carrey could do outside of outrageous comedy. Both films have their protagonists subject to some higher narrative and both characters decide that it’s better to live the way they want to, rather than how their story is foretold.
2 Groundhog Day
Phil Connors Learns That Every Day Is What He Makes Of It
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9/10 Groundhog Day PGComedyDocumentaryDramaFantasyRomance
In Groundhog Day, the arrogant weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) finds himself living the exact same day over and over for what feels like an eternity. To cope with his curse, he learns a variety of skills in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and tries to earn the heart of his colleague Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell) while he adapts to the time loop.
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*Availability in US Director Harold Ramis Release Date February 11, 1993 Cast Bill Murray , Andie MacDowell , Chris Elliott , Stephen Tobolowsky , Brian Doyle-Murray , Marita Geraghty Runtime 101 minutes Budget $14.6 million
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In Groundhog Day, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) goes to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for a story that may as well be a punishment: covering the yearly emergence of their famous groundhog. After one day too many days in the small town, Phil wakes up to realize he’s reliving the same day, and he does so over and over and over again. Though it takes him a few tries, Phil finally comes to learn he should use his time wisely, rather than shaking his fist at the cosmos.
Connors and Truman have similar reactions when they begin to see through the never-ending treadmill-like charade of their lives, wavering between anger, contempt, and disbelief at the obvious ridiculousness of their situation. In each film, both protagonists have to partially give in to their situation and accept that if they want to escape, they’ll have to play by the rules their odd universe has laid out for them.
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1 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey Goes Into The Recesses Of His Mind For Love
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8.6/10 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind RRomance Sci-FiDrama
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski, a couple who rediscover their love after erasing each other from their memories. The 2004 drama is written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and includes Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, and Tom Wilkinson in its cast.
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*Availability in US Director Michel Gondry Release Date March 19, 2004 Cast Kate Winslet , Jim Carrey , Elijah Wood , Kirsten Dunst , Mark Ruffalo Runtime 108 minutes Budget $20 million
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry and based on a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, follows Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), two strangers who discover that they both previously dated but erased the memories of one another after a rough breakup to avoid feeling any pain. However, their love for one another seems stronger than their experimental procedure and, somehow, they are drawn back to one another.
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Escaping fate is a theme of both this film and The Truman Show, and even more so, both movies suggest that what people call “fate” may only be the human determinations of others or oneself. Maybe people stick to a path in front of them because they decide they have no choice. In reality, Joel and Clementine can try and fall in love again. Maybe Truman can sail out of his life to somewhere else. “In case I don’t see you…” does not mean he doesn’t know the answer to what’s next, it means he’ll decide that for himself.
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