EdTV
Anyone who's ever watched even one episode of MTV's "The Real World" has seen this before. Of course, the cutthroat TV executive who pitches the idea to her boss tries to weasel out of this comparison by claiming that "The Real World" is edited, while her proposal is broadcast live, no cuts, no breaks, no edits. The distinction is academic. After all, the reason MTV edits down six months of taping into about 6 hours worth of show is because day-to-day life simply isn't that interesting. I wouldn't even want to see what I did all day today, never mind what you did. Would you watch what you did today on TV? Your "morning constitutional" might grab Springer's audience for a few minutes, but the rest of the day? Not likely.
Actually, EdTV might have had something more interesting to say if it explored the idea of showing what people really do in their private moments when no one is watching, but Ed knows he's on TV. He's less self-conscious than most, so the show begins with him scratching his naughty bits and clipping his toenails, and naturally the ratings go through the floor. Luckily, within the first three days, he falls in love with his brother's girlfriend who happens to be super-cute, and people start to watch this live-action soap opera.
Of course, the fact that Ed is cute in a scruffy sort of way and that his family begins to unravel as revelations and skeletons get dusted off and thrust into the limelight help to keep the audience's attention, which is exactly my point. People want drama. If real life were that interesting, they wouldn't need to fill up their empty evenings with TV. The TV execs who run EdTV know this too, so when Ed's girlfriend bails on the relationship because of the pressure of being a celebrity girlfriend (a USA poll finds 71% of Americans don't approve of her), the execs arrange a slinky model to seduce Ed. Good for the ratings. Good for Ed, too: I'd also put my friends and family through the wringer of America media if Elizabeth Hurley was grabbing my ass.
Still, the movie is at its good-natured best when Jenna Elfman is onscreen as Ed's love interest. Unlike the relentless and inexplicable parade of "Friends" whose popularity somehow holds intact despite their stunningly poor choice in screenplays and average acting ability, she holds her own on the big screen. She hits the right notes as a woman who's been burned in the past, and now has to watch her insecurities projected into every living room in America. Matthew McConaughey is affable and endearing as Ed the video store clerk who gets a shot at fame, so the romance works.
Because the romance is believable, the movie is light, harmless, relatively fun but ultimately forgettable. I was frustrated with the opportunities it squanders to make some critical comments about a subject ripe for the skewering. This could have been an insightful attack on the current American dream: national fame based on no discernable talent is what keeps people volunteering to be on shows like Springer. Instead, its just another romantic comedy, but with a slightly more interesting premise. Hey, it's a Ron Howard film. Good fun for the family and no deep thinking required.
- Jared O'Connor
MOVIES
All Content © 1997, 1998, 1999 Jared O'Connor and Michael Baker