The Movie Guys: ‘EDtv’ takes on television with laughs and insight

Friday, March 26, 1999 | 11:46 a.m.

Synopsis: The NorthWest Broadcasting Company's flagship cable channel, True TV, has suffered a catastrophic slide in its ratings in the two years that they have been on the air. So, in a desperate attempt to boost the station's ratings, the network cultivates a novel idea -- putting one ordinary person's life on cable TV 24 hours-a-day! Each and every second will be true. After numerous auditions, they choose a thirtysomething guy from San Francisco, Ed Pekurny. Within a week, this unambitious video store clerk becomes the blockbuster hit of the season.

Jeff: I know what your thinking: "EDtv" is "The Truman Show" all over again. I've seen this story. Wait, believe me, that was my thinking when I first saw the ads for "EDtv." Now that I've seen the film, I'm happy to say that director Ron Howard has created an entirely different film.

Yes, some of the same themes are present in "EDtv" -- about the invasion of privacy, the role of the media and how it controls our daily lives, how anyone can have their 15 minutes of fame in the midst of a communications revolution. The major difference between the two films is that Truman Burbank lived on a massive sound stage and had been on TV since birth; and Ed of "EDtv," is an average Joe who chooses to be on television. "The Truman Show" had a "Twilight Zone" appeal, and "EDtv" has a totally different feel, one of realism.

Dave: If a comparison has to be made, the film is more like MTV's "The Real World" meets "Road Rules" than the Jim Carrey original of last year. As Jeff briefly mentioned, the lackadaisical Ed Pekurny (a wily Matthew McConaughey) agrees to have his life televised 24-hours-a-day after he is approached by a program director (Ellen DeGeneres) at the ailing cable network, True TV. Soon, the charismatic Ed reaches national celebrity status and he begins to enjoy the spotlight, until his family and love affairs are exposed for his fans and critics to bash.

The show starts out as a low-budget production, with a three-person crew following him day and night, and local advertisements displayed on the bottom of the screen. Once he's a national phenom, cameras are mounted throughout his home, a crew is hired to maintain quality, and big money ads (such as Pepsi, Yahoo! and KFC) replace the small-time, local businesses shown before. What is ironic is that this novel idea really doesn't seem that far-fetched anymore.

Jeff: That's it, Dave. "EDtv" could happen (and has happened to a degree), and its realism makes it so intriguing. But I would like to mention that while "EDtv," on the surface, may seem the same as "The Truman Show," it is different because of one important item: the wonderful romantic comedy that Howard has woven into the film. "EDtv" is a love story. Ed wants to see his newfound girlfriend Shari (Jenna Elfman) whom he stole from his brother, Ray (Woody Harrelson), on his show, right on national television.

Yes, that's Ed's gimmick, being the star of his 24-hour TV show, but it's his daily interaction with Shari, his family and friends that makes Ed a likable fellow. It's like Jerry Seinfeld and his show: The appeal wasn't Jerry; it was George, Kramer and Elaine -- the people in his everyday life who were wild and over-the-top. The film is set in a sitcom-style atmosphere, and the characters who pop in and out of his life are over-the-top and unpredictable: People such as Ed's mother (Sally Kirkland) and Martin Landau (in a fabulous performance) as Ed's wheelchair-bound stepfather. Plus Howard's regular cast member -- and good luck charm -- brother Clint, as a video director. But suspiciously missing was his father, Rance, who usually makes an appearance in all of Howard's films.

Dave: Howard has never made a film centered around the world of television, considering that the first half of his own stardom was based on some of the most popular TV programs ever. Plus, he has always had the good fortune to be surrounded by strong talent, including scriptwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel ("Parenthood," "Splash").

The comic relief and the literally goofy performances by its cast make up for any similarities to "Truman" of which "EDtv" may be accused. But, Jeff, not only is this movie a love story, it is the realization of the average American family unit. Once Ed's extended family members arefaced with their own lives when revealed to the country, they see things the way the viewers see them, leaving them vulnerable to harsh reality.

Howard delivers a complementary slap to today's media blitz and all its glory, calling attention to the underhanded motives of the media, yet coloring it for what it is, and that is what defines one's "15 minutes of fame." "EDtv" is a look at ourselves and our obsession with celebrities, the media, and yet it also comments on the strength of family and true love. "EDtv" is the surprise hit of the spring season.

Viewpoint

OK, we admit it. We really bombed this year in our Academy Award picks. Hey, who didn't? We only picked three winners during the 6 1/ 2-hour telecast (we include the preshow coverage). Besides, for the fourth time in the last 40 years, Best Picture and Best Director didn't go hand-in-hand.

The whole evening was full of surprises right from the start, with James Colburn winning Best Supporting Actor and Dame Judi Dench winning Best Supporting Actress. Dench only had eight minutes of screen time -- the shortest in Academy history. The underdogs were winning, and by the middle of the night, anything could happen -- and did.

For the third time in its 71-year history, the Academy awarded its Best Actor Oscar to an actor in a foreign film, Roberto Benigni for "Life is Beautiful." We think he gave the most heartfelt and joyous acceptance speech in years. And Best Actress winner Gwyneth Paltrow ("Shakespeare in Love") accepted her award with overwhelming emotion. The only controversy surrounding Elia Kazan was when comedian Chris Rock suggested not putting him next to Robert De Niro backstage, because he "hates rats." His comment was received with a cold shoulder from the audience (at home, too) and was out-of-line.

Cool tributes to singing cowboys Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, singer/Oscar winner Frank Sinatra, director Stanley Kubrick and producer Norman Jewison, who received the Irving G. Thalberg Lifetime Achievement Award, rounded out a memorable evening. Even fellow film critic Gene Siskel was remembered by host Whoopi Goldberg, giving him a final thumbs up. It was the final Oscar telecast of this century, and one that Hollywood will be talking about for years to come.

Movie Buzz

Disney Does "Domu": The Japanese comic book "Domu" will be turned into a live-action horror film by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The comic, a cult favorite in Japan, focuses on an apartment complex that seems cursed when residents end up dying in gruesome suicides. It turns out that a lonely old man with deadly psychic powers is responsible. He ultimately does battle with a little girl who has the same powers. "Domu" will be written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro ("Cronos," "Mimic").

"2001" in 2001: It's considered one of the greatest science fiction films of all-time. Now, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" may return to theaters on New Year Eve's Eve 2000 in accordance with the late director's wishes. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has kept its master print of "2001" in "pristine condition" since it was restored in 1982. There are no plans to restore any cut footage to the sci-fi classic.

The high cost of movies: A recent poll of adults 18 and older shows that only 37 percent had seen a movie during the previous month, only 1 percent had seen all Oscar-nominated films and a whopping 61 percent had not seen even one. In the poll, conducted by the Los Angeles Times, almost two-thirds said they thought ticket prices were too high, while 43 percent said that the main reason they go to the movies less frequently is the expense. Recently, several theater chains in New York City raised their general admission ticket prices to $9.50. The average cost nationwide is $7.25.

Name That Flick

"The ship's company will remember that I am your captain, your judge and your jury. You do your duty and we may get along, but whatever happens, you'll do your duty." Our winner this week is Penelope Wells, who was the first to call and correctly guess that it was spoken by Charles Laughton in the 1935 MGM classic "Mutiny on the Bounty." Way to go, Penelope.

For this week, what actor said this and in what film: "You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're banging them together"? Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call The Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026, or e-mail us at movieguys5@aol.com. Be sure to spell your name and leave your daytime phone number and if you're the first correct caller/ e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read. See you next week.

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