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Review

EDtv is no Truman Show -- oh, wait, yes it is. Similar in premise though not in accomplishment, Howard's lively though unremarkable comedy has video store clerk McConaughey having his every move televised for the amusement of his home viewing audience -- 24 hours a day. Whereas Jim Carrey's Truman was an innocent dupe, Ed is a willing participant, that is until it starts to interfere with the romance with his brother's girlfriend. Good fodder for TV, though. EDtv sometimes drags between the often very funny scenes of Ed's latest TV melodramas, which are lapped up by fans across the nation. It can be said that this is much funnier than The Truman Show, but then the latter was never meant as a comedy; Howard's film is paced as such and does offer a number of good laughs on Ed's 15 minutes of fame. The ensemble is very effective; McConaughey is quite appealing with his aw-shucks, average-guy bit, and Harrelson has a few good scenes as his brother. However, it's DeGeneres who gives the film's best performance as the series' producer. You often find yourself rooting more for her than for Ed. That's show biz.