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Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
We're obviously a nation besotted with celebrity, fame, and
seeing ourselves on TV. If you doubt it, watch the crowds that gather
outside NBC in Rockefeller Center every morning to wave and mug for
the "Today" show cameras. "ED tv" is about a goofy, ordinary guy from
Texas - Matthew McConaughey - who is catapulted to instant success
when his photogenic face is spotted by "True TV" producer Ellen
DeGeneres, who is determined to air someone "live" on cable 24
hours-a-day. From video store clerk to TV star in days...is that the
new American Dream? Unlike "The Truman Show," in which Jim Carrey was
the unwitting dupe, or "Pleasantville," in which two teenagers get
stuck in a '50s sit-com, the star of "ED tv" succumbs to the
aphrodisiac of fame, volunteering to give up his dignity for the
spotlight. After discussing it with his family (Woody Harrelson,
Martin Landau, Sally Kirkland) McConaughey gamely allows cameras
installed in his apartment to record his every move (except in the
bathroom) and tries to ignore the three-man crew dogging his steps -
until he falls in love with his brother's girl-friend, Jenna Elfman
(who resembles a wannabe Renee Zellweger). Only when she resents the
constant intrusion does McConaughey realize what celebrity and the
sacrifice of privacy really mean - but, by that time, the audience has
become addicted to watching his "life" unfold. Written by Lowell Ganz
and Babaloo Mandel ("Parenthood," "City Slickers") and directed by Ron
Howard ("Ransom," "Apollo 13"), "ED tv" is a relentlessly
entertaining, cleverly comical satire of our American obsession with
the limelight. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "ED tv" is an
engaging, delightful 8, focusing on people who are considered special
just for being famous.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
