The Majestic
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| The Majestic | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for The Majestic. |
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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, 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 summary
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, but 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 did for a girl. In an instant, his new film (which he hopes will get him onto the "A" movies) and his contract are dropped. His career in ruins, he gets drunk at a seaside bar and gets into a car accident. When he wakes up, his memory lost(probably suffering from what the DSMIV 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 ago, and embrace him as a symbol of hope. "Luke" 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 (no one knows about Appleton's accident since he was alone and miles away from Hollywood) is proof that he is an important Communist operative, and sends two federal agents to search for him. 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 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 instead jumps into a roadhouse boogie tune. 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. At 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 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] Critic 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"). Its faux Capra-esque quality was also noted by a number of critics. 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 some praise for his performance in the film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind).
[edit] Cast listing
- Jim Carrey (Peter Appleton)
- Bob Balaban (Elvin Clyde)
- Jeffrey DeMunn (Ernie Cole)
- Hal Holbrook (Congressman Doyle)
- Laurie Holden (Adele Stanton)
- Martin Landau (Harry Trimble)
[edit] Trivia
- Laurie Holden's character is inspired to become a lawyer by the film The Life of Emile Zola (1937). Holden's real-life grandmother, Gloria Holden, was one of the stars of this film.
- One of the voices in the two screenwriting conference scenes is famous director and screenwriter Garry Marshall. Other voices belong to Carl Reiner and his son Rob Reiner, actor-director Sydney Pollack and actor-screenwriter Matt Damon.
- The director of "Sand Pirates of the Sahara" is depicted as "Ferenc Arpad". This is Frank Darabont's first and middle names translated into his native Hungarian.
- Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead series, plays Roland the Intrepid Explorer in the movie-within-a-movie Sand Pirates of the Sahara. His nemesis is played by Cliff Curtis.
- The scenes where Peter makes bold statements in the Communist investigation hearing are similar to those in the 2004 Howard Hughes bio-pic The Aviator
