EDtv

I’ll be candid with this review. Originally EDtv was given a "B," but marked down to a "C+" for the blatant product placements of soft drinks, fast food, even home appliances. I’m not sure what bothers me more: the capricious imaging of cigarette smoking and drinking in movies aimed at younger audiences, or having to endure endless plugs for Pepsi in the midst of what otherwise might have been a fine film.

From the beginning, EDtv has been compared with the much better The Truman Show. Both films make statements about the intrusive nature of media in our daily lives.

EDtv follows the life of a 31 year-old video store clerk in San Francisco named Ed Perkurny (Matthew McConaughey), selected by a low rent cable network to be the subject of a 24 hour a day show. Cameras follow his every move from waking in the morning until he sleeps at night. Truman, on the other hand, was unaware his life was being spent in a television studio.

The performances in EDtv are good. Directed by Ron Howard, McConaughey is enjoyable as Ed. It’s the supporting cast, however, that really shine. Woody Harrelson, who bares a physical resemblance to McConaughey, plays Ray, Ed’s older ne’er-do-well brother. Jenna Elfman is Shari, who starts out with Ray but ends up in a televised relationship with Ed.

The real scene stealer is a standout performance by Martin Landau as Al, Ed’s stepfather. Every appearance he makes on camera with his deadpan humor seems to brighten up the picture. To tell the truth, I’d rather see them make a movie about Al.

The movie’s subplot features Ellen DeGeneres as the producer and Rob Reiner as the slimeball television executive who will stop at nothing involving Ed so long as it registers a high rating. For all its preachiness, why then did Ron Howard stoop to all of the shameless product placements? It seems so hypocritical, but then again, this is Hollywood after all. What else is new?