EDTV
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
How would you feel if "USA Today" took at a poll, and 71% of America
felt you weren't good enough for your lover? It happens to poor Shari
in Ron Howard's funny new comedy, EDTV. She feels pretty awful, as you
might imagine, but her boyfriend, Ed, tries to cheer her up by
reassuring her of his affection for her. His declaration of love,
however, is interrupted when he realizes that the readers have a
suggested a pretty exciting list of alternative women for him.
After a couple of supercilious roles in CONTACT and AMISTAD, Matthew
McConaughey, as the Texas hillbilly ED, redeems himself by proving that
he really can play an average Joe. In a lookalike role as Ed's
obnoxious, extroverted brother Ray, Woody Harrelson gets to ham it up,
but Jenna Elfman, as Shari, upstages both of them. Elfman provides the
sweet center of Howard's cinematic bon-bon, and her role is the closest
that Howard comes to creating a sympathetic character. Most of the
roles are played for pure comedy without feeling the need to overlay
them with any pretense at deeper meanings.
The best part of the film is the bright and accessible script by the
comedic writing team of Michel Poulette and Lowell Ganz, who
collaborated before with Howard on the enormously successful SPLASH and
PARENTHOOD. "We're getting our butts kicked by the Gardening Channel,"
television producer Cynthia (Ellen DeGeneres) complains. "People would
rather watch soil." Her solution is a 24-hour cable show featuring a
single man, sort of a real-time version of the PBS series about the Lou
family from the1970s. In a nationwide survey, Ed, a 31-year-old video
store clerk, is chosen as the "lucky" guy to be the star of "TrueTV."
Ed's debut is anything but auspicious. As his beer-can dancing clock
wakes him, he sticks his hand in his sweat pants so that he can scratch
his crotch. As the head of the network, Whitaker (Rob Reiner) senses a
disaster in the making. When a sleepy Ed finally gets up enough energy
to fix himself some pop tarts, Whitaker sarcastically calls it an action
sequence. Filled with incredibly boring minutia -- Ed's lack of skill
as a toe nail clipper, for example -- the show looks like it may not
last the week, if that far.
Whitaker never lets his underlings forget who is in charge. "You know
how I know I'm right?" he tells Cynthia in the parking lot as they stand
beside their respective cars. "Because I'm driving the big car, and
you're driving the little one."
It is the introduction of Shari, who starts off as Ray's girlfriend,
into the story that saves Ed's show from instant oblivion. With love
and conflict in the storyline, the show hooks America from college
campuses to tattoo parlors. Ed becomes such an enormous celebrity --
"He's a Spice Girl. He's a Beanie Baby" Cynthia proclaims -- that he
needs security and police escorts wherever he goes. To ground this
notoriety, Shari plays a sweet UPS driver, who hates the publicity as
much as Ed laps it up.
Even talk shows get in the act. "Fame has become a moral goal in this
country," one pipe smoking intellectual pontificates on the air. "It's
its own virtue."
In contrast to the-girl-next-door, Shari, Elizabeth Hurley plays a gold
digging model who comes on to Ed. She breaks off her kisses to pose for
the cameras.
The mystery in the story is whether Ed will ever be able to quit, and,
if so, how? An even bigger one is whether the writers will be able to
do it in a way that audiences feel satisfying. Suffice it to say that
the ending undoubtedly passed all of the test screenings with flying
colors. With Ron Howard as the director, you can be sure that you'll
leave with a satisfied smile on your face.
So then we have that one final question. How does this movie differ
from THE TRUMAN SHOW? EDTV never tries to be anything more than a
diverting little comedy. THE TRUMAN SHOW aimed much higher and
succeeded. It was funny and insightful with very serious themes whereas
EDTV just wants to entertain you. Both achieve their goals.
EDTV runs 2:00. It is rated PG-13 for mature themes and some profanity
and would be fine for kids around 11 and up.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
Web: www.InternetReviews.com
Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: EDtv is a fun film directed by Ron Howard, who does another good job. It's similar to The Truman Show but also very different. EDtv is more realistic then the Truman show, and more funny while the Truman Show goes more for the dramatic route. A tv show gets the idea to show an ordinary guy's life broadcast 24 hours a day. It's one of those things that you can't seem to look away from because you want to see what will happen next. Matthew McConaughey plays Ed,and has one of his best roles of his career. Jenna Elfman plays Shari, the poor girl that gets humiliated after she falls for Ed and her relationship is broadcast to everyone. Polls are taken across America on whether she is good enough for Ed! There are some other fine performances here by Martin Landau, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson and even Ellen DeGeneres was tolerable. There are some real funnt scenes here, like the big setup of Ed getting ready to have sex for the first time on tv with Elizabeth Hurley, who seems more interested in being on camera then being with Ed. Poor Shari has to witness this on tv after she leaves Ed. Well, I know I could never have my life broadcast to millions of people, but who knows, maybe someday some tv exec will actually do it. After all, with all the webcams on the net these days, someone will want to do it. EDtv is worth renting, so go pick it up.
I give EDtv 4 out of 5 stars
Review written August 20, 1999
