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Jim Carrey, Bob Balaban, Martin Landau, Gerry Black, Brent Briscoe ... see more see more... , Karl Bury , Jeffrey DeMunn , Catherine Dent , Amanda Detmer , Shawn Doyle , Allen Garfield , Hal Holbrook , Laurie Holden , Brian Howe , Ron Rifkin , Chelcie Ross , David Ogden Stiers , Daniel von Bargen , James Whitmore , Matt G. Wiens , Bruce Campbell , Susan Willis , Cliff Curtis , Garry Marshall , Paul Mazursky , Sydney Pollack , Carl Reiner , Rob Reiner , Matt Damon , Earl Boen , Frank Collison , Bill Gratton , Ken Magee , Larry Cox , April Ortiz , Michael Sloane , Mario Roccuzzo , Bob Wells , Scotty Leavenworth , Csilla Horvath , Kevin DeMunn , Julie Richardson , Grant Vaught , Ginger Williams

Director Frank Darabont created this Frank Capra-inspired drama based on a screenplay by his friend and one-time schoolmate Michael Sloane. Jim Carrey stars as Pete Appleton, a screenwriter in the Hol... read more read more...lywood of the 1950s. Pete's on top of the world with his first motion picture "Sand Pirates of the Sahara" just released to theaters and his romance with a beautiful starlet (Amanda Detmer) heating up. However, his triumph turns to dismay when he's called before the commie-hunting House Un-American Activities Committee and advised by a studio lawyer and his agent to play ball with the witch hunters. Depressed by the film industry's weak-kneed reaction to the hearings, Pete gets drunk and drives his car north along the California coast, where he crashes from a bridge and wakes up on shore the next morning suffering from amnesia. Wandering into the nearby small town of Lawson, Pete is mistaken for Luke Trimble, a lost hero of World War II who, like most of the area's young men, never returned from the war a decade earlier. "Luke" has soon reunited with both his father (Martin Landau) and his one-time girlfriend (Laurie Holden), and finds that his reappearance has given the citizens of Lawson an emotional boost that's sorely needed. When he refurbishes and reopens his family's decrepit movie theater, the Majestic, Luke revitalizes Lawson just as his memory of his true identity begins to reassert itself. Sloane's original script for The Majestic (2001) was entitled The Bijou. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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59% liked it

56,016 ratings

Critics

42% liked it

137 critics

PG, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Release Date: December 21, 2001

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DVD Release Date: June 18, 2002

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Stats: 2,111 reviews

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Craig Richards with Jim Carrey in "The Majestic" Laurie Holden The Majestic (2001) Laurie Holden The Majestic (2001) The Majestic Laurie Holden and Jim Carrey on The Majestic (2001) The Majestic The Majestic The Majestic
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Flixster Reviews (2,111)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    August 9, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Sometimes your life comes into focus one frame at a time.

    Good movie, not bad. I often wondered how Jim Carrey would handle a drama and now I know. I kinda enjoyed this trip through nostalgiatown as Carrey rejuvenated a town with his infectious personality. Heavily dramatic at ... read moretimes but always with an undercurrent of jollity running through it. If you wanna see Jim Carrey in a whole different way you go see this one.

    Peter Appleton is an ambitious young screenwriter working for HHS Studios during Hollywood's Golden Age, 1951 in particular. "Ashes to Ashes" is about to be released, and he's dating the attractive movie star, Sandra Sinclair. Just when everything seems to be going his way, it is discovered he (unwittingly) attended a Communist meeting during college when pulled there by his girlfriend at the time, and thus heavy suspicion settles over him and he'll have to stand before Congress. Afraid of what might happen if they don't, HHS cancels Appleton's contract and aborts the release date of the film. Appleton promptly begins to wallow in self-pity and spends nearly an entire night at a bar, then drives intoxicated through the streets of the California course until plummeting into a stormy river and getting knocked unconscious. Washing up on the beaches of a small town called Lawson. Although the people there are pleasant and likable, the town is depressed and lifeless due to having lost 62 of its sons in World War II. One of them, Luke Trimble, was missing in action; and miraculously, Peter bears a striking resemblance to the black and white photos, close enough to fool even Luke's father, Harry. However, thanks to the blow to the head and the alcohol, Peter has suffered amnesia and decides he must be who they think he is. Besides, it's not a bad life: Luke's beautiful lover, lawyer Adele Stanton, is all over him, the town has suddenly come back to life with excitement, and he and his "father" rebuild a movie palace Harry used to run, the Majestic. Unfortunately, Peter's memory returns in time for G-men to track him down.
  • SirPant
    June 14, 2011
    SirPant
    A pure feel-good film, typical of Frank Darabont who was obviously highly influenced by Capra. The Majestic is quite cheesy but deliberately so I believe, the 50's are depicted the Hollywood way, by memories of people to young to remember, not false but very sugar-coated. This is... read more one of the few Jim Carrey films I've enjoyed, I wish he'd play it straight a little more often. The supporting cast is also very strong, I particularly enjoyed the Bruce Campbell cameo that I was unaware of and rather pleasantly surprised by. It's all a bit of nonsense really at the end of the day but it's very easy to watch, makes you feel good and it does invoke the same magic that the films it's influenced by do. Frank Darabont really doesn't make enough films considering his talent and success.
  • moonrivers
    May 25, 2011
    moonrivers
    A tribute of sorts, to Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart, to those who gave their lives in combat, to small town America, to Hollywood, and, what the hey, to the movies that may've touched our lives. Martin Landau practically steals the movie.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 22, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    although heavily criticized, i really like this film. emotional, mature, and full of great performances, this is a feel good film that draws attention to the majesty of film, and thats never a bad thing.
  • skeletonking101
    January 14, 2011
    skeletonking101
    it was done fantastically
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 31, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    B
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    March 23, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Sometimes your life comes into focus one frame at a time."

    Set in 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.

    <
    ... read moreb>REVIEW
    In the tradition of Frank Capra comes this enchanting fable, an ode to small town values, American ideals, and even movies themselves. I have long been a fan of Frank Capra, his movies are timeless, but often deemed old fashioned. Few even try to imitate him today. The director, Frank Darabont, for the most part succeeds. Some have complained that the film is too long. Others were unimpressed, perhaps because they had their standards too high (this film did come after the top notch films Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile). This film has a solid cast, Carrey gives a surprisingly earnest performance, and Martin Landau is heartbreaking. As an added bonus, we even get Bruce Campell in a small cameo. I really enjoyed this film, and I think if you go in with an open mind, you will too.
  • thmtsang
    December 16, 2008
    thmtsang
    More serious role for Jim Carrey. He is a Hollywood scriptwriter who is involved in a car accident where he loses his memory. He is marooned in a small town where he is mistaken for a long lost war hero. Interesting plot.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 13, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    It was that memorable, but it was alright.
  • barrys
    April 20, 2007
    barrys
    It was good, not the best by Jim Carrey. The story is interesting, but the plot although its good, it has a very slow rythm and begins to bore after a while. Jim Carrey's performance is good, could be better. One thing that its really awesome about the movie is the photography, I... read more really got amazed by the landscapes in the film.

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Critic Reviews

Rex Reed
January 3, 2002
Rex Reed, New York Observer

Carrey gets the best role of his own career -- and plays it with tenderness, valor, bravery and deeply moving conviction. I find him positively captivating. Full Review

J. Hoberman
December 25, 2001
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Marks a steep downturn in Jim Carrey's career. Full Review

Desson Thomson
December 21, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Darabont and screenwriter Michael Sloane's misty-eyed tribute may be pleasant in places, but it's too manufactured and deliberate to be persuasive.

Stephen Hunter
December 21, 2001
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It can't fake sincerity. It tries ever so hard, but it doesn't have a single believable second.

Peter Howell
December 21, 2001
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Mr. Carrey may go to both Washington and a version of Bedford Falls in The Majestic, but he is neither the Jefferson Smith nor George Bailey of Stewart's best-loved films. Full Review

Glenn Lovell
December 21, 2001
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

At 2 1/2 hours, this movie is about an hour too long, and this makes an obvious story obnoxious in the extreme. Full Review

Bob Graham
December 21, 2001
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

I think Americans are in the mood today for a sentimental movie about their values, and, frankly, it's wonderful to see people get teary-eyed over the First Amendment. Full Review

Joe Baltake
December 21, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

I think audiences will respond to what seems like the film's 'open heart,' but there's a naggingly insincere and overtly manipulative quality here that leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. Full Review

Joel Siegel
December 21, 2001
Joel Siegel, ABCNEWS.COM

The Majestic, an unabashed homage to Frank Capra. There's a reason even in the 1930's they called his movies 'Capracorn,' but, even though I argued withthe ending, this one got to me. The most Christm...

John Anderson
December 21, 2001
John Anderson, Newsday

I never thought I'd say anything like this, but it makes you long for Ace Ventura. Full Review

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The Majestic Trivia

  • Which of these movies starred Jim Carrey?  Answer »
  • Which actor played in "Simon Birch," "The Majestic," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Batman Forever?"  Answer »
  • in The Majestic wat was the name of the movie the main character made before losing his memory.  Answer »
  • The film that has Jim Carrey in it and it came out in the year 2001?  Answer »
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