Ed tv

Ed tv casts Matthew McConaughey as Ed Pekurny, an affable everyman whose life changes dramatically after he’s cast as the star of a 24 hour television program documenting his every move – with Ed’s newfound notoriety increasing substantially after he begins dating his brother’s girlfriend (Jenna Elfman’s Shari). It’s a fine premise that’s utilized to progressively underwhelming effect by filmmaker Ron Howard, as the movie, scripted by Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, grows more and more hackneyed and predictable as it progresses – with the emphasis shifting from Ed’s experiences on the title television show to a series of almost eye-rollingly heavy-handed incidents (eg an evil executive attempts to blackmail Ed into fulfilling his contract). Before it gets to that point, however, Ed tv comes off as a fairly affable comedy that benefits substantially from McConaughey’s charismatic turn as the central character – with the actor’s strong work heightened by an impressive roster of supporting players (including Woody Harrelson, Martin Landau, and Dennis Hopper). The movie also boasts an appealing romance between McConaughey and Elfman’s respective characters, although even this aspect of the proceedings ultimately wears out its welcome (ie the pair’s relationship has been saddled with all the anticipated romcom beats and developments). It’s finally impossible to label Ed tv as anything more than a sporadically effective yet predominantly misguided satire, with the movie, for the most part, paling in comparison to the similarly-themed The Truman Show.

** out of ****