a movie that's been as highly built up as the truman show , with reviews boasting , " the film of the decade ! " 
and " a breakthrough ! " 
can only be leading up to letdown . 
that's no doubt -- it seems any movie with critical acclaim makes you think you're going in for the ride of your life , that you'll end up changed on the other side , and you come out of the theater going , " eh . . . 
 * that's * what all the fuss was about ? " 
so , naturally , the truman show was building up to what was going to be a dissapointment . 
and i convinced myself , as i nestled into my uncomfortable movie theater chair , actually to try not to enjoy it . 
let me tell you , that is an impossibilty . 
the truman show is truly " the film of the decade " and " a breakthrough " and more . 
and you will come out changed on the other side . 
such a movie comes around only once in a lifetime , where you find yourself feeling everything that the character is feeling , and this , friends , is it . 
jim carrey shows that he doesn't need to talk out of his butt to entertain us ; that he can be as dramatic as any of hollywood's leading men . 
the film has a difficult premise to tackle , trying to set us up thirty years into the " truman show's " run , but tackle it it does , and perfectly . 
with flashbacks actually being flashbacks on the television show , you get the sense that you are viewing a * real * prime-time hit . 
and the way the camera constantly takes the forms it would in the " real " truman show is clever and well-done . 
people , rejoice ! 
this is the first oscar-worthy film of not only this year , but of the last five years . 
not since " schindler's list " has a movie captured human spirit and true despair so well . 
this is a classic in the making , and ( to borrow a line from esquire's review ) it stars jim carrey . 
nothing in his career to date and nothing he can do in the future will ever be able to top his role as truman burbank ; mark my word . 
for , as i said , this is the movie of a lifetime and the role is of the same calibre . 
forget special-effect ladden summer fodder . 
drop your romantic comedies in the trash . 
toss your thrillers and teen flicks on the pile . 
you need nothing more than " the truman show " to carry you through the summer , or for that matter , the year . 
oh ! and in case i don't see you , good afternoon , good evening , and goodnight .