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ED TV/** ½ (Rated PG-13)
 
Andy Warhol once promised that everyone would get 15 minutes of fame. In Ed TV, Director Ron Howard takes this to the next level by giving us the story of Ed Pekurny. Ed (Matthew McConaughey) is your average person who lives an average life until producer Cynthia Topping (Ellen DeGeneres), working for the fledgling TRUE TV network, creates a show that takes MTV's the "Real World" on step further: uncut, unedited, 24-7. She convinces Ed that he would be the perfect star for the show and thus convinces him to live his life on television.
Along the way, we are offered some obvious commentary on the dangers of contemporary TV celebrity. We see how the omnipresent camera affects the lives of the people around Ed, particularly his brother Ray Pekurny (Woody Harrelson), his girlfriend Shari (Dharma and Greg's Jenna Elfman) and his mother (Sally Kirkland, in a delightful supporting role).
 
Since television likes a love story, particularly a love-triangle, the TRUE TV broadcast focuses on the drama that ensues when Ed falls in love with Shari; all to the cheers of a voyeuristic nation. What makes this story interesting is not the love story itself, but the film's commentary on how the media tends to drive people's actions once they get in the spotlight. Just as Marcia Clark's hair and hemline became fodder for the press during the O.J. Simpson trial, the film inter-cuts to the "real" world. We see Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" telling jokes about the relationship; USA Today offering reader polls as to whether Sherry is good enough for Ed; Ed's brother appearing on "Politically Incorrect" to promote his instant book; and so on. In a scene that mimics the disturbing real life images of people reacting to television coverage of the O.J. Simpson verdict, we see cuts of people around the country cheering when Ed and Shari finally kiss. Their genuine moment becomes just another part of the media circus.
 
The film also scores points for showing the action back at TRUE TV HQ. The producers and network executives are seen plotting Ed's life as if it were just another program. They suggest that he should dump Shari because she does not "test well" and replace her a supermodel, Jill (played by Elizabeth Hurley). Unlike, Shari, who becomes mortified when their lovemaking is captured on camera; Jill is not only willing to make love on the air, she welcomes a staged event including a cheering crowd complete with a tail-gate party.
 
Director Howard even manages to include the role that advertisers play in these spectacles. When Ed innocently asks for a Pepsi, a large truck shows up to his house to deliver a vending machine for his apartment. At the beginning the text under the picture simply shows the time, and Ed's location. However, as the show becomes a ratings hit, this is replaced with sponsor logos for such real companies as a cell phone company and, when appropriate, a condom company.
 
The film makes very valid points as to how the media tends to intrude at the wrong times. When Ed's father dies, he cannot attend the funeral because of the confusion the cameras would cause. Instead, he is only allowed a touching moment with his stepfather outside the cemetery, covered, of course, by the omnipresent camera.
 
All of these points are valid, and Ron Howard is to be commended for showing the reality that last year's "The Truman Show" failed to address. The film is biting in its commentary; it takes no prisoners and gives no quarter. At the same time, this film is no polemic. It offers spectacularly funny and genuine moments between two very gifted actors, Jenna Elfman and Matthew McConaughey. Woody Harrelson delivers his always-welcome performance as the bitter brother who is not used to being outshined by his little brother. The rest of the cast, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Sally Kirkland, all give performances that define what the actor's supporting role is supposed to do; add color without being too overwhelming for the story.
 
My only complaint is that like many auteurs, Ron Howard shot more footage than he needed and simply could not bring himself to make any cuts. The film runs at a very long 2 hours. The film could have lost 30 to 40 minutes without loosing any of the story, or any of its impact.
 
Studio: Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment
Directed by: Ron Howard
Produced by: Brian Grazer and Ron Howard
Screenplay by: Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel
Story based on Michael Poulette's film "Louis XIX: The Roi des Ondes.
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Ellen DeGeneres, Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau, Elizabeth Hurley, Rob Reiner and Dennis Hopper.
Rated PG-13
 
Website: http://www.ed-tv.com