The Truman Show (1998)

Jim Carrey: Truman Burbank

Photos 

41 more photos

Quotes 

• Truman : [repeated line; frequently in the show]  Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

• Christof : I know you better than you know yourself.

  Truman : You never had a camera in my head!

• Truman Burbank : Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!

• [Truman attempts to leave his town and a convoy of cars pulls in front of him to block his exit] 

  Truman Burbank : Blocked at every turn. Beautifully synchronized, don't you agree?

  Meryl : You're blaming me for the traffic?

  Truman Burbank : Should I?

  Meryl : Truman, let's go home.

  Truman Burbank : You're right. We could be stuck here for hours. It could be like this all the way to Atlantic City. Let's go back. I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me.

  Meryl : Truman, can you slow down?

  Truman Burbank : Yes, I can.

  Meryl : Truman. Truman, that's our turnoff.

  Truman Burbank : I changed my mind. What's New Orleans like this time of year? Mardi Gras, woooooo! Ha ha ha ha ha! Hoo hoo hoo! Whoooohoo! Look, Meryl! Same road, no cars. It's magic! Hahaha!

  Meryl : You let me out, Truman. You're not right in the head. You want to destroy yourself you do it on your own.

  Truman Burbank : I think I'd like a little company.

• Truman Burbank : Was nothing real?

  Christof : You were real. That's what made you so good to watch...

• Truman : [Sailing in the artificially-roughened winds and seas - he shouts to the sky]  Is that the best you can do?

  [Christof, in the "moon room", whips around to face the screen, shocked] 

  Truman : You're gonna have to kill me!

  [sings] 

  Truman : What do ya do with a drunken sailor? What do ya do with a drunken sailor? What do ya do with a drunken sailor ear-lye in the mor-nin'!

• Truman : [to an unseen Christof]  Who are you?

  Christof : [on a speaker]  I am the Creator - of a television show that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions.

  Truman : Then who am I?

  Christof : You're the star.

• Truman : [after scaring the two control room directors by seemingly talking to them, then easing them by seeming to revert back to his eccentricity, while they look at their notes temporarily]  That one's for free.

• Meryl : [brandishing the "Chef's Pal" kitchen multi-knife to keep him away from her]  Truman! You are scaring me!

  Truman : No. You're scaring me, Meryl. What are you gonna do? Dice me, slice me or peel me? There's so many CHOICES!

• Marlon : Where the hell's Fiji? Near Florida?

  Truman : [pointing to golf ball]  See here?

  Marlon : Yeah.

  Truman : This is us...

  [guides finger halfway around ball] 

  Truman : and all the way around here... FIJI. You can't get any further away before you start coming back.

• Meryl : [holding up a jar of cocoa, slipping into advertising mode]  Why don't you let me fix you some of this Mococoa drink? All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua. No artificial sweeteners.

  Truman : [looking around]  What the hell are you talking about? Who are you talking to?

  Meryl : I've tasted other cocoas. This is the best.

• Truman : I hereby proclaim this planet Trumania of the Burbank Galaxy.

• Truman : The early bird gathers no moss! The rolling stone catches the worm!

• Travel Agent : Where would you like to go?

  Truman : Fiji.

  Travel Agent : When?

  Truman : [pats his suitcase]  Today.

  Travel Agent : [types on her computer]  Oh, I'm sorry, but we don't have another flight for a least a month.

  Truman : A month?

  Travel Agent : It's the busy season.

• Marlon : Look at that sunset, Truman. It's perfect.

  Truman : Yeah.

  Marlon : That's the big guy. Quite a paint brush he's got.

• Truman's Mother : [looking through a photo album]  Here's us at Mount Rushmore. Do you remember, Truman? When Dad was still with us? That was quite a drive, you slept the whole way there.

  Truman : [looking closer at the old photo of himself as a boy with his parents in front of an inaccurate mock-up of Mount Rushmore]  It looks so small.

  Truman's Mother : [quickly turning the page]  Things always do when you look back, darling.

• Truman Burbank : Lauren, right? It's on your book.

  Lauren : Lauren. Right. Right.

  Truman Burbank : Well, I'm Truman.

  Lauren : Yeah. I know. Look, Truman, I'm not allowed to talk to you. You know.

  Truman Burbank : Yeah, well, I can understand, I'm a pretty dangerous character.

• Truman : [He's trying to leave town in his car, with Meryl. He's gone through various obstacles including traffic jams and a forest fire. Now he's hearing a warning siren; suspiciously]  What now?

  Meryl : [they're coming up to Seahaven Nuclear Power Station. Police, firemen and men in radiation suits are blocking the road]  Truman, it looks like a leak at the plant.

  Policeman at Power Plant : [walking up to the car window]  Back up, back up. Leak at the plant. We had to shut her down.

  Truman : Is there any way around?

  Policeman at Power Plant : [shakes head]  Whole area's been evacuated.

  Meryl : Is there anything I can do?

  Policeman at Power Plant : No, ma'am.

  Truman : [sighs]  Thank you for your help.

  Policeman at Power Plant : You're welcome, Truman.

  Truman : [stunned whisper]  Truman?

• Meryl : Hi, honey! Look what I got free at the checkout. It's a "Chef's Pal". It's a dicer, grater, peeler, all in one. Never needs sharpening, dishwasher safe!

  Truman : [feigning interest]  Wow. That's amazing.

• Truman Burbank : [observes Sylvia wearing a pin reading "How's it going to end?"]  I like your pin. I was wondering that myself.

• [In the control room, Christof grabs a headset and a monitor to see Truman standing in front of the door to the real world] 

  Christof : Truman.

  [Truman hears Christof's booming voice coming from the sky] 

  Christof : You can speak. I can hear you.

  Truman Burbank : Who are you?

  Christof : I am the creator... of a television show that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions.

  Truman Burbank : Then who am I?

  Christof : You're the star.

  Truman Burbank : Was nothing real?

  Christof : *You* were real. That's what made you so good to watch.

  [Truman turns back to face the door] 

  Christof : Listen to me, Truman. There's no more truth out there than there is in the world I created for you. The same lies. The same deceit. But in my world, you have nothing to fear. I know you better than you know yourself.

  Truman Burbank : [insulted]  You never had a camera in my head!

  Christof : You're afraid. That's why you can't leave. It's okay, Truman. I understand. I have been watching you your whole life. I was watching when you were born. I was watching when you took your first step. I watched you on your first day of school.

  [chuckles] 

  Christof : The episode where you lost your first tooth.

  [smiles] 

  Christof : You can't leave, Truman. You belong here... with me.

  [Truman remains silent, contemplating] 

  Christof : Talk to me. Say something.

  [incredulous] 

  Christof : Well, say something, goddamn it! You're on television! You're live to the whole world!

  [Truman turns back with a familiar smile] 

  Truman Burbank : In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night.

  [false chuckle] 

  Truman Burbank : Yeah.

  [Truman takes a bow and then steps through the door to Christof's astonishment] 

• Truman Burbank : It was Dad. I swear! Dressed like a homeless man. And you know what else was strange? A business man and a woman with a little dog came out of nowhere and forced him onto a bus.

  Truman's Mother : Well! It's about time they cleaned up the trash downtown before we become just like the rest of the country.

• Meryl : [Spinning around the roundabout]  Truman, I think I'm going to throw up!

  Truman : Me too!

• Truman : Can you tell her I had to go to Fiji and that I'll call her when I get there?

• [Truman and Meryl continue to drive away from Seahaven; Meryl spots a "Danger: Fire Hazard" sign] 

  Meryl : What about that sign?

  Truman Burbank : I'm sure they're exaggerating. We'll be fine.

  [Out of nowhere, a massive of fire erupts in the middle of the road] 

  Meryl : [panicked]  What bout that there? Would you believe that?

  [Truman and Meryl drive through the fire, and aside from a lot of smoke pouring in, they are fine] 

  Meryl : Oh. Oh boy. Truman, we're on fire!

  Truman Burbank : It's okay!

  Meryl : We're on fire!

  Truman Burbank : It's okay! It's just smoke! Just smoke. You okay?

  Meryl : [terrified]  YES!

  Truman Burbank : [crazed]  WANNA DO IT AGAIN?

  Meryl : [still terrified]  NO!

• Lauren : [during her forbidden date with Truman, about the show's crew]  We have so little time. They're gonna be here any minute.

  Truman : Who are?

  Lauren : They don't want me talking to you.

  Truman : Then don't talk.

  [They share a long, heartfelt kiss] 

• Sylvia : This, it's fake. It's all for you.

  Truman : I don't understand.

  Sylvia : The sky and sea, everything, it's a set. It's a show. Everybody's watching you. Please don't listen to him. He's going to lie to you. They're watching us now!

  Truman : I really would like to know what's going on.

• Truman : All right. Promise me one thing, though. If I die before I reach the summit, you'll use me as an alternative source of food.

• Truman : Eat me, damn it! That's an order.

• Truman : Maybe I'm being set up for something. You ever think about that, Marlon? Like your whole life has been building toward something?

  Marlon : No.

• Truman : Maybe I'm losing my mind, but, it feels like the whole world revolves around me somehow.

  Marlon : That's a lot of world for one man, Truman. Sure that's not wishful thinking? You wishing you'd made somethin' more out of yourself? Come on, who hasn't sat in the john, had an imaginary interview on Seahaven Tonight? Who hasn't wanted to be somebody?

• Truman : See, this isn't about insurance. This is about the great variable: when will death occur? Could be a week, a month, a year. Could be today. Sunbather, minding his own business, stabbed in the heart by the tip of a runaway beach umbrella. No way to guard against that kind of thing.

• Truman : I guess what I'm saying is that life is - fragile.