The Majestic (2001) Reviews

• 6.6/10? What absolute bull. Don't believe the low rating.

  ninjagaiden0072007-03-28

  I heard bad things about this movie. I heard it wasn't well written and that Jim Carrey was a bad actor in it etc. DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT! It's not true. This movie is absolutely amazing. Jim Carrey did an excellent job at acting serious. He was 100% serious in this movie. He didn't try any facial expressions or noises he was 100% serious. He did an unforgettable role. He's even more serious than The Truman Show. The story is well put together and well written. Carrey losing his memory after a car crash in the river. The town people think he's someone that went to war and who has come back. Carrey must try to remember who he is. The people they know who he is are looking for him and will cause a lot of trouble if he doesn't find out quick. Fantastic, sweet and dramatic story. I recommend it to anyone. It is to be enjoyed by anyone. 10/10

• I liked it too although I'm not usually a Jim Carey fan

  mjtaylor_communications2004-11-21

  This DVD came in my last batch from Netflix, and I wondered why I had ever chosen it. Finally on a rainy Saturday, I put it on and was enchanted and moved. Jim Carey was great as were all the cast. The story seemed so very timely in light of recent national events. A land where dissenting voices are labeled unpatriotic and people of intellect and wide-ranging analysis are dismissed as elitist is positively frightening. "The Majestic" shows how we can get back to being our best selves and fulfill our promise as a nation that now seems so bleak to some of us. Caring about each other, our community, that is how we really come alive and make a difference. Building and striving for what is possible and making it safe to express and fulfill dreams gives me hope that we really can get back to where we belong if we'd only stop being so self-righteous, rude, and intolerant. I grew up in the party of Eisenhower but never felt that opposing ideas were unpatriotic. We need to be kinder to each other, recapture the courtesy of a lost era, be thoughtful and intellectually curious to be sure that we come up with the very best ideas and solutions we can in today's world. "The Majestic" is a wonderful reminder of what ordinary people can do when we come together and work to achieve something that uplifts a whole community. I heartily recommend it.

• Finally,a Jim Carrey movie I like.

  SmileysWorld2002-06-26

  I have been a big fan of Jim Carrey since his "In Living Color" days. I always felt he had a bright future ahead of him,as talented as the man is.I very much looked forward to the man's film career beginning, but sadly,at least for me anyway,his big screen efforts have left a lot to be desired.Most of Carrey's films have been ridden with oversexed dialog and toilet humor.Finally,a much more toned down Carrey gives me something to smile about.His efforts in The Majestic are simply amazing. The slapstick humor is put aside,very delicately,and what we have is a very appealing fictional story,with Carrey making an excellent romantic and dramatic lead.If you go into the watching of this film looking for the outrageous hairdo of Ace Ventura,the hideous green mask,or anything of the like from his previous films,this will be a big disappointment to you,but if you go into it with an open mind about what he can accomplish dramatically,you will be most pleased.Things are looking up for Jim Carrey.Also,Martin Landau is great as always in a supporting role.Thumbs up!

• A throwback film in the Frank Capra style

  royjaruk2004-07-18

  That comment sums up the movie. If you happen to like Capra-esquire movies, you will adore The Majestic. If you think they are silly, sentimental and simplistic, you won't. It's just that simple. The movie plot runs on two levels. Jim Carrey, playing straight, is Peter Appleton, a B-movie screenwriter in 1951 Hollywood who is trying to break into A-pictures when he is accused of being a Communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee. As the witch hunt begins to unfold, he has a traffic accident that ends with him and his car falling into a river. He is carried out to sea only to be washed up on the beach below Lawson, California - with no memory of who he is, his past life, or how he got there. He is promptly mistaken for Luke Trimble, a local hero missing and presumed dead by the entire town, who like 62 other Lawson boys gave his life for his country in World War II. Lawson's sacrifice was recognized by President Roosevelt declaring the town a national monument and sending a bronze sculpture to commemorate its dead. However, the town's losses have caused Lawson to lose its heart and its way. The reappearance of 'Luke,' and Peter's actions taken in another man's shoes, revitalize the town beginning with Luke's father, Harry (Martin Landau, in a great role) and The Majestic, the theatre owned by the Trimbles, which Harry had closed in 1942 presumably on learning of Luke's death. While Adele, the doctor's daughter (and Luke's fiancée) tries to restore 'Luke's' memory, Peter and Harry refurbish and reopen The Majestic, and bring life back to the town. All is going well in 'Luke's' life... until the investigators for the HUAC show up with a subpoena a couple of days after Harry's death - on the day of Harry's funeral, in fact - and coincidentally after Peter's regaining his memory. Peter's agent also shows up. He has news. It has occurred to the HUAC that in Peter's case, perhaps they are mistaken; but they have to save face. All Peter, a man who has never had much in the way of personal convictions, has to do is stand up at an HUAC hearing in Los Angeles and read a prepared statement in which he abjures his membership in the Communist Party, apologizes for his error, promises to mend his ways and name names, and all will be forgiven. He'll get his life back. His A-list film, which the studio shelved, will go back into production. He'll get everything he ever wanted. But Peter has a problem. It's Luke, you see. He was not just a local hero. He was a Hero with a capital H, and Peter has been him for a few months, as Adele points out to him; and when Luke reaches out from the past to touch Peter, Peter is ready to listen. If you are a Capra fan, you can guess the ending and will approve. If you aren't, you'll say this is a mixture of schmaltz and hokum with just a dash of idealism and SO not realistic. And if you say that, I say you're wrong. Capra could have made this picture, with Jimmy Stewart as Peter/Luke, June Allyson as Adele, Edward Arnold as the head of the HUAC, and a whole bunch of MGM's "old reliable" character actors in the supporting roles. The movie is a throwback to a more innocent time when people still believed in heroes and dared to dream about more than just maintaining the status quo. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8; and I wish Carrey would make more movies like this. He's a better straight actor than he is given credit for. This is one of the movies you can tell will stand the test of time, and as such you should add it to your collection and your list to the 200 Greatest American Movies.

• A film-writer accused of being a communist loses his memory in an auto accident and ends up in a small town where he is thought to be a missing-in-action World War II hero.

  mdrebeck222006-04-26

  This is one of my favorite Jim Carey movies and I have watched it over and over. It really shows his versatility as an actor, not just a comic, and I loved the plot. An old fashioned movie with no bad language, sex or violence. It was extremely well cast and I really liked the old gentleman who lived in the basement of the theater and was so dignified. Every time I see him with his "Dog" I get a lump in my throat. Jim Carey plays such a caring role and his relationship with Harry is so warm and believable.The way he gets the town to rally around the Majestic is fun and wonderful. The woman who plays his lady-friend is beautiful and I wish I could see her in other movies. One of my favorite all time films.