The Majestic

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For the theatre in Singapore, see The Majestic, Singapore.
The Majestic

The Majestic poster
Directed by Frank Darabont
Produced by Jim Behnke,
Frank Darabont,
Linda Fields
Written by Michael Sloane
Starring Jim Carrey
Martin Landau
Laurie Holden
Hal Holbrook
Music by Mark Isham
Cinematography David Tattersall
Editing by Jim Page
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Release date(s) December 21, 2001
Running time 152 minutes
Language English
Budget $72,000,000

The Majestic is a 2001 American drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey and Martin Landau . Written by Michael Sloane, the film features a supporting cast of Laurie Holden, James Whitmore , Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn and Hal Holbrook. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 21, 2001.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The film is set in the United States during the early 1950s. Peter Appleton (Jim 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. In 1945, he had attended a meeting for a antiwar 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 an opossum 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 after being fished out by Stan Keller (James Whitmore) who takes him to the local doctor named Doc Stanton (David Ogden Stiers). The townsfolk believe him to be Luke Trimble one of the town boys killed in World War II 9½ 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 Stanton (Laurie Holden), starts to restore the "Majestic" theater, an old movie house that had been closed because of 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 (Karl Bury), 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" headed by Mayor Ernie Cole (Jeffrey DeMunn). the town then asks 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 display 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 before the reel change. Moments later, Doc reveals that Harry's lungs have flooded. 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 Ellerby (Daniel von Bargen) and Saunders (Shawn Doyle) confront him publicly after two boys discover his car washed up in the beach. When Sheriff Cecil Coleman (Brent Briscoe) asks if he can help the federal agents with something, the agents present Peter 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 a letter he finds that was written as a sort of "goodbye letter" from the real Luke (voiced by Matt Damon) trying to explain to Adele that he knows he is dying for a real cause inspire Peter to instead confront the committee.

At the hearing headed up by Congressman Doyle (Hal Holbrook) which is televised with the citizens of Lawson also watching, 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 and return Luke's letter. 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. In an epilogue, Peter settles in Lawson, marries Adele, and they have a son.

[edit] Cast listing

[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] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Majestic :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Frank Darabont
1990s
2000s
The Majestic (2001) · The Mist (2007)
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