The Majestic
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| The Majestic | |
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 The Majestic poster |
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| Directed by | Frank Darabont |
| Produced by | Jim Behnke, Frank Darabont, Linda Fields |
| Written by | Michael Sloane |
| Starring | Jim Carrey Bob Balaban Jeffrey DeMunn Laurie Holden |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | David Tattersall |
| Editing by | Jim Page |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | December 11, 2001 |
| Running time | 152 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $72,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Majestic is a 2001 film, written by Michael Sloane, and directed by Frank Darabont. It stars Jim Carrey, Martin Landau, Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden and Hal Holbrook.
It was released by Warner Brothers on December 11, 2001.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in the United States during the 1950s. Peter Appleton (played by Carrey) is an up-and-coming young screenwriter working on B-Movies who hopes to work his way onto the "A" list. Unfortunately, he is accused of being a Communist, like the real world accusations of the Hollywood blacklist. It turns out that in 1945, he had attended a meeting for a Communist organization in college known as the "Bread Instead of Bullets" club, a meeting which he reveals that he attended for a girl. In an instant, his new film (which he hopes will get him onto the "A" movies) is pushed back for a few months, the credit is given to someone else and his contract gets dropped.
His career in ruins, he gets drunk at a seaside bar and has a car accident while trying to avoid hitting a possum on a bridge. When he wakes up, his memory lost (probably because of what the DSM-IV terms as a Dissociative Fugue), he is in a small town called Lawson. The townsfolk believe him to be Luke Trimble, one of the town boys killed in World War II 9 1/2 years before, and embrace him as a symbol of hope. "Luke" is at first mildly hesitant to embrace this life but he eventually settles in to "his old life", and with his "father" Harry (Martin Landau) and his "girlfriend" Adele (Laurie Holden), starts to rebuild The Majestic, an old movie theatre that had been closed due to post-war hard times.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Congressional committee member Elvin Clyde (Bob Balaban) is convinced that Appleton's disappearance is proof that he is an important Communist operative. No one in Hollywood knows about Appleton's accident, since he was alone and miles away. Clyde sends two federal agents to search for Appleton. Back in Lawson, not everyone believes that "Luke" is back. Bob Leffert, a one-handed soldier who knew the real Luke and did not like him (claiming that Luke rubbed him the wrong way) not only is convinced that Peter is not Luke, he also believes that this stranger is setting the town up for more heartbreak.
A few days later, the town throws a welcome home party for "Luke," and they ask him to play the piano, which he used to do when he was a kid. But instead of playing one of the classics he was taught to play, he eventually falls into a roadhouse boogie tune, much to the dismay of the town's music teacher. On his way home, he runs into Bob, who confronts him about the suspicions he has had about "Luke," even punching Peter in the face when he makes a comment about how the war must have changed him. Finally Peter, Harry, Adele and the rest of the townsfolk succeed in rebuilding The Majestic. In the events, Peter also convinces the town to finally build a memorial that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had commissioned for after the war, but that the town did not have the heart to put up.
Unfortunately, from that point, things take a turn for the worse. Peter regains his memory when the Majestic shows a movie he wrote, Sand Pirates of the Sahara. At the same moment, Harry has a heart attack. At Harry's death bed, Peter lets him die believing that he is still Luke, and breaks down in tears when Harry passes away. Immediately after the funeral, he tells Adele that he is not Luke. Adele says that she had a feeling that he wasn't. To make matters worse, the whole town discovers the truth when federal agents confront him in front of the whole town (after two boys discover his car washed up in the beach) and they present him with a summons to appear before Congress.
That night at the Majestic, Peter's lawyer advises him to "admit" and then denounce his past associations with the Communist Party, and presents him with a list of named "Communists" that he could read before the court to clear his name. Initially, Peter reluctantly agrees to this plan, but an argument with Adele and his own respect for the real Luke inspire Peter to instead confront the committee. At the hearing, Peter makes an impassioned speech about American ideals, which wins the crowd over. Fearing a political backlash, the lawmakers let him go free. Peter then returns to Lawson, fearing an unwelcome reception but eager to again see Adele. To Peter's surprise, he receives a hero's welcome from the town's citizens, who have come to respect Peter as an individual, especially in light of his decision to stand up to Congress.
[edit] Critical reaction
The movie was not particularly well received by the critics (for example, Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times commented that it was a "derivative, self-satisfied fable that couldn't be more treacly and simple-minded if it tried"). This movie is often cited as one of Jim Carrey's biggest flops during his time when he wanted to be known as a serious actor (although he would get praise for his performance in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). A notable exception to this trail was Roger Ebert, who praised the film and its ideals:
- "It flies the flag in honor of our World War II heroes, and evokes nostalgia for small-town movie palaces and the people who run them... Frank Darabont has deliberately tried to make the kind of movie Capra made, about decent small-town folks standing up for traditional American values. In an age of Rambo patriotism, it is good to be reminded of Capra patriotism--to remember that America is not just about fighting and winning, but about defending our freedoms."[1]
[edit] Cast listing
- Jim Carrey - Peter Appleton
- Bob Balaban - Elvin Glyde
- Jeffrey DeMunn - Mayor Ernie Cole
- Hal Holbrook - Congressman Doyle
- Laurie Holden - Adele Stanton
- David Ogden Stiers - Doc Stanton
- Martin Landau - Harry Trimble
- Brent Briscoe - Sheriff Cecil Coleman
- Daniel von Bargen - Federal Agent Ellerby
- Shawn Doyle - Federal Agent Saunders
- Earl Boen - Newsreel Announcer (voice)
- Bruce Campbell - Roland the Intrepid Explorer
- Cliff Curtis - The Evil But Handsome Prince Khalid
- Michael Sloane - Kindly Old Professor Meredith
- Matt Damon - Luke Trimble (voice)
- J. Edgar Hoover - Himself (archive footage, uncredited)
[edit] External links
- The Majestic at the Internet Movie Database
- Warner Brothers' DVD official site
- The Majestic at Rotten Tomatoes
- McCarthyism and the Movies
