4. The Truman Show
The Truman Show is one of those high concept ideas that should never translate into a full feature; the idea is too ludicrous and there are just too many ideas for it to explore. And yet Peter Weir, with the help of Jim Carrey in a career best performance, manages to prove that thought wrong, creative a film so enduring it now has its very own syndrome. Thankfully, the majority of the films plot is kept in tact by the DVD cover (thanks in no small part to Weir showing his hand very early on; Trumans life being a TV show is, after all, the set up, not the twist). In fact, some DVD releases have kept the films mystique (although arent quite as ingenious as the theatrical poster), but the copy in my collection and currently offered my Amazon is a different story. Not content with just showing the films final scene, the cover has three shots of the ending edited over each other. It may be telling us this is a good, ultimately happy tale, and while this scene wouldnt mean too much to those who havent seen the film, it is so blatant itd cloud the audiences mind and lead to them expecting to see a fully aware Truman bowing to the world.
