Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Ron Howard
Written by: Emile Gaudreault & Sylvie Bouchard, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau, Ellen DeGeneres, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley
Produced by: Brian Grazer, Ron Howard

The Nutshell

A video store clerk gets put on TV 24 hours a day, earning him instant fame and his family a loss of privacy.

The Review

    What if you could have your entire life beamed out to audiences world-wide 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Sounds intriguing at first, doesn't it? You would of course be getting paid handsomely by the television studio. The question is, what happens if something horrible happens while you are being televised? What if your girlfriend dumps you? What if a friend dies? All of a sudden things might not appear so rosy and fun anymore.

    On the flipside, what if you were flipping channels, bored, and you came across such a television show? You might occasionally find it boring (who wants to watch a guy eating toast?), but what if the instant you turned of the television, you missed something big. What if his wife comes over and admits to cheating on him? Wouldn't you be amazed that you were watching something real, something private? These were the questions in Ron Howard's head when he decided to remake the amusing French film Louis 19, Le Roi Des Ondes (Louis 19, The King of The Airwaves). Howard's films usually somehow centre on a family, and this is no exception. While the Ed of EdTV is the film's focus, his entire family eventually goes through changes. Howard decided also to use his film to lightly slam the media for their intrusive behaviour.

   The TrueTV network has ratings problems. Executive Cynthia Topping (DeGeneres) pitches the 24/7 real life show concept to her boss Whitaker (Reiner). Whitaker needs a hit and gives it the green light. Enter Ray Pekurny (Harrelson) and his brother Ed (McConaughey) as possible candidates for the show. The network picks Ed and the show is promoted and begins.

    At first awkward on camera, Ed slowly gets used to the camera's constant presence. At first ratings are low. It isn't until brother Ray drunkenly embarrasses his girlfriend Shari (Elfman) that things get interesting. Ed and Shari wind up falling in love and EdTV gains real tension and drama. The American public become glued to their TVs, with Howard using many shots of various average people reacting to the show's events, a la Truman Show.

     Ron Howard's message about the media is obvious and clumsy. Reiner's Whitaker is not simply a greedy executive, but a ruthless, unfeeling bastard. The media doesn't just screw Ed with his contract's fine print, they threaten to destroy his entire family and his girlfriend.  To Howard's credit, instead of a sappy, manipulative ending where the American people rise up in defence of their new star, throwing down the oppressive media titans, we are given a witty, clever end that is superior to the rest of the plot.

    As is usually the case for a Howard film, the cast is impressive. Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley, Ron's brother Chris Howard all have smaller characters who each add a piece to this amusing story. Martin Landau and Sally Kirkland are both funny and touching as Ed's parents. Woody Harrelson is a bit two-dimensional as Ray, the only character that seemed miscast in the film. The stars of the film are Matthew McConaughey and Jenna Elfman as Ed and Shari. Elfman is best known as Dharma of Dharma & Greg on television, and in Shari is given a role perfect for her. Shari is luminous, somehow brightening every scene she is in. Her scenes with Ed make you forget all that nonsense about the media and television, and force you to focus on the strength of their chemistry. As Ed, McConaughey gets his biggest role yet. While he starred in A Time To Kill, the role did not suit him. He was unconvincing compared to his Ed Pekurny. Ed is like that guy in high school who would talk to anyone, no matter what their social status was. You love him instantly just from the far away look in his eyes and that Southern accent.

    EdTV occasionally gets a bit silly, and Howard's media warnings give the film a manipulative feel, but the end result is a funny look at what would happen if your life was televised, every day, combined with a lovely romance. If anything, this film will make some people wary of signing a contract with anyone who works in television.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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