1999, 2 hrs 2 min., Rated PG-13 for sex-related situations, partial nudity and crude language. Dir: Ron Howard. Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Ed), Jenna Elfman (Shari), Woody Harrelson (Ray), Ellen DeGeneres (Cynthia), Elizabeth Hurley, Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Adam Goldberg.

First off, it's NOT The Truman Show. In EDtv, Ed volunteers under contract with lots of money offered to have his life shown for 24 hours a day over a month (which becomes three). True TV, a network that needs a gimmick because it's ratings are in the toilet, chooses Ed, a video store clerk from Texas who lives in San Francisco, and whose wardrobe is more appropriate for the homeless and a family whose idea of a good supper is KFC and Mountain Dew. And, wouldn't you know it, every important thing that could ever happen to Ed in his entire life just happens to play out in a couple of months on national television?

There are some hilarious scenes in this enjoyable movie about the voyeur in all of us. It started a bit slower than I would have wanted in establishing the story (some of which I blame on the audio being a bit low in the theater, and the lack of music in the film at this point), but director Ron Howard does deserve kudos for blowing past the minor details of the show that could have bogged it down even more.

I was a bit perplexed that when Ed's family was still wavering on whether to take up the offer, the final voice of reason that pushed Ed into accepting was Ray, the big brother who had no common sense, was a big goofball and only wanted to use Ed for publicity in starting a fitness center.

I adore Jenna Elfman. In EDtv, she plays Shari, the girlfriend of Ed's older brother Ray, who becomes Ed's girlfriend on live television (no spoiler there if you've seen any ad or trailer for the movie). Shari has a tough time adjusting to having USA Today run polls showing that 75% of Americans believe she's not the right girl for their star. But I don't believe that because it's impossible to dislike Elfman in any role or in any outfit, even her UPS digs.

A couple of quick takes:

• What's up with Ed's wardrobe? And the beer necklace? What a bum.
• Ellen DeGeneres is back to being funny, rather than forcing us to deal with her lifestyle. I like her, and look forward to her being a comedian again, instead of a crusader.
• Harrelson is really annoying, no matter if on purpose or not. He needs to lay off the hemp.
• Fun to see Reiner play the bad guy.
• Landau, Kirkland and Hopper passable as the parents with too many skeletons in the closet.
• Adam Goldberg has a likeable turn in a minor role as Ed's best friend--I'm hoping that he can get a substantial role soon in a major motion picture, instead of these supporting-supporting characters.
• The scene where the crowd cheers Ed when he has a chance to have sex with Elizabeth Hurley is very humorous, but was eerily close to a bit from NBC's "Just Shoot Me" when Finch (David Spade) is going up for a romantic rendevous with a model.
• The finale is a bit unreal and forced, but ultimately satisfying.

Where EDtv really reels you in is if you think what would happen if your life was on national television 24 hours a day. Would you do anything different? I wonder if Turner would let another network's cameras in the building when I worked, or if I would travel more to make it interesting? I'd make sure I went to church frequently to set a good example, and be really careful about language and subject matter of conversations, especially gossip. I think my life would be fairly boring, to tell the truth, and ratings would plummet. But hey, I'm not Ed. His life has some interesting episodes and I think you'll have some hearty laughs.