THE MAJESTIC

In this cute little movie directed by Frank Darabont, we meet Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey  Bruce Almighty, Ace Ventura), a movie writer for B-movies living in the 1950's during the war where McCarthy-ism sprung forth upon America. He is blacklisted among others as a communist sympathizer and loses his job. Down in the dumps, one faithful night he goes for a ride and gets into a car accident. He is discovered that morning by an old man and is taken in a sweet little town. Struck with amnesia, he is accidentally mistaken by the townsfolk as a lost war hero and is instantly accepted within their confines, ultimately changing theirs and his own life. But what will happen when he eventually gains his memory back?
    I love this movie so much because it brings to mind the old Frank Capra movies from the fifties telling the story of the average Joe brought about into a large situation where the character comes of age and self-discovery. Jimmy Stewart was usually the star in those movies, but in this one, Jim Carrey takes the wheel, so to speak. Jim Carrey, hitting it big on whacky physical comedy movies goes off-type in this movie and stuns me as he portrays a simple shy character is gets into this situation. He shines on-screen and proves he's not just a comedian but an excellent actor as well. He manages to pull of emotional scenes of depth and tears without fail and never goes over the top. He's a character we can root for, and he chose this part well.
    This could have been made in the fifties by Frank Capra because it displays the very ideals shown within the stories director Capra brought to life and made so famous. Movies that try to live up to his stories often fail by being to cliché or too sentimental, but Screenwriter Michael Sloane and director Darabont get the formula just right. Carrey is excellent in the lead role supplying both vulnerability and wit as he attempts to find his place in a town he doesn't remember. Often times in the movie, the government is on his tail suspecting him of being a communist. They represent not only villains but corruption into this small innocent town. On the throws of war ourselves this country sough a number of pro-war movies, but this dares to blame the government and challenge their hypocrisy. Michael Sloane is able to give a great message through the story displaying how the government tends to put our rights on hold for the sake of war. The climax of the movie is the best part as Carrey's character must go up against the government attempting to prove his innocence. It's an excellent epic scenes that kept me plastered to the screen. The movie is shiny and glows on the screen with excellent landscapes within this small town. We also get great supporting characters who help this movie move along with great roles from Martin Landau, and Ron Rifkin to name only a few. Look for a hilarious cameo by Bruce Campbell and a voice cameo by Matt Damon.

The movie is almost too mushy at times which keeps this movie from truly spreading its message. A lot of the scenes sappy and mushy, it almost made it unbearable at times to stand, but it never goes too over the top. Also, the story is too contrived and tends to become cliché and predictable often going from one plot device to another. The last five minutes of the film is also very mushy and cliché, going for the more trite happy ending. Fans of Jim Carrey may find this movie disappointing because he goes more for acting skill rather than jumping around and making funny noises.

I love this movie and people who love Frank Capra movies will love it, too. Jim Carrey goes for originality and skill and continues to amaze me. Memo to fans of Jim Carrey: Give this movie a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

• The voices of the unseen studio executives during the first screenwriting scene (and the one later in the film) are all famous directors, including Garry Marshall, Paul Mazursky, Sydney Pollack, Rob Reiner, and Carl Reiner (although Carl is more famous for his comedic acting). All of these directors are also known their occasional acting forays.
• 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.