The Majestic Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)December 21st, 2001
THE MAJESTIC (2001). 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Jim Carrey, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau, David Ogden Stiers, Jeffrey DeMunn, James Whitmore, Gerry Black, Hal Holbrook, Bob Balaban, Alan Garfield. Screenplay by Michael Sloane. Directed by Frank Daranbont. Approx. 2 1/2 hours. Rated PG.
Once upon a time in America, the nation went a bit askew. Those chosen to represent us turned on many of their citizens like mad dogs unleashed.
The communist witch hunts of the late 1940s and early '50s represent an ugly page in our history. Those hearings were more concerned with headlines and headhunting than ferreting out "reds" from our society.
Many innocent lives were ruined; some people even died before this wholesale madness subsided.
Upon the backdrop of this climate of paranoia sits The Majestic, a beguiling and stirring drama that will send chills down your spine and bring a tear to your eye.
Jim Carrey stars as Peter Appleton, a young screenwriter on the launchpad to success. His first screenplay, a B-movie entitled "Sand Pirates of the Sahara" has just been filmed, and the studio is ready to promote him to "A" film projects when the blacklist cloud derails his career.
Cited by a congressional committee as an alleged communist, Appleton's contract and latest project are canceled by the studio.
The devastated Appleton gets drunk and decides to take a long drive to get away from it all. Up the California coast ,he has a car accident and loses his memory. Found unconscious on a beach, he is taken to the nearby town of Lawson where he is mistaken for Luke Trimble, a local World War II hero reported missing in action and presumed dead.
Lawson's residents are overjoyed, especially Harry Trimble (Martin Landau), who never gave up hope for the return of his long-lost son.
Together Harry and Luke decide to help revitalize the town - which lost 62 young men to the war - by reopening its only movie house, The Majestic.
Amidst all of this clamor, "Luke" rekindles his romance with childhood sweetheart Adele Stanton (Laurie Holden).
If all this sounds rather quaint and corny, so be it. Watching a 2 1/2-hour movie in which no blood flows, nothing explodes nor implodes and no one uttering "mother __" is refreshing. The film revels in Capraesque sentimentality.
Screenwriter Michael Sloane and director Frank Darabont have created a small-town fantasy in which everyone gets along and neighbor helps neighbor. The white headstones in the local cemetery, with the U.S. flag fluttering overhead, symbolize the town's sacrifice for which the residents exhibit a mixture of pride and sorrow.
As Peter/Luke, Carrey seems to be walking around in a daze most of the time, understandably, since he cannot remember anything about himself or his past. As the townspeople continually reinforce the idea of his identity as Luke, Carrey grows more comfortable, loosening up, even breaking into some boogie-woogie on the piano.
The beautiful Holden, familiar to fans of TV's The X-Files, plays the catalyst trying to rekindle Peter/Luke's memory. In her film debut, Holden presents a self-assured, intelligent and idealistic young woman.
Martin Landau gives a standout performance as Luke's father. Landau brings an emotional intensity to his supporting role.
The Majestic's shortcoming rests in its presentation of the red-baiters - the various congressmen and FBI agents involved in the witch hunt. They are cartoonish, thus when Peter finally stands up to them, the outcome is inevitable.
At one point when trying to convince Luke to help him reopen the dilapidated Majestic, Harry tells him, "In a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it."
That describes this warm, fuzzy film. Let it embrace and roll over you like a cool breeze on a summer day. You won't regret it.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
