Rating: 
Summary: Loved Carrey but couldn't buy the story
Review: When I was as a kid, one of my favorite movies was an epic Western called "Little Big Man". In one scene, an old Indian chief tells Dustin Hoffman's character that it's a good day to die. They go up to the sacred mountain, and the chief lays down to die. After a few hours, it's obvious that he isn't going to pass on, so he gets up. Dustin asks him why he didn't die, and the chief shrugs his shoulders and replies, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't." I have always remembered that line and applied it to many situations in life. Movie magic doesn't work in "The Majestic". Though it's well intentioned and aims to be uplifting, I found it laborious to sit through it. It isn't just that it's long, although some judicious editing might have helped. It's that the story, the style and the feel are totally bogus. It looks back longingly at an America that never existed. The movie recalls the 1940s Hollywood version of the small town life, not the real thing. The result is an oddity, sort of a fiction based on a fiction. Peter Appleton [Jim Carrey] is an up and coming screenwriter in post-W.W.II Hollywood. Senator Joe McCarthy's infamous House Committee on Un-American Activities is in the midst of a witch hunt in Hollywood, looking for Communist conspirators. [This much of the movie is true.] Peter, who attended a few Communist party meeting in college because he was chasing some girl, is caught up in all this. Thinking his career is now ruined, he gets very drunk one night. He decides to go for a drive and winds up crashing his car into a river near a small California town. He is saved but has amnesia. The town lost a large number of sons to the war, and Peter looks so much like one of them that even the missing man's father thinks he is his son miraculously returned. Peter suspects he isn't the guy, but, since he has no memory, plays along. He helps the man reopen his old movie theater and generally helps the town's citizens rediscovery joy and hope. Meanwhile, the Feds are looking for Peter to make him testify before the Committee. I do like Jim Carrey, whose performance is excellent. If his fans can not accept him in a serious role, that does nothing to lessen the fact that he is a fine dramatic actor as well as a great comedian. His turn in "The Truman Show" was one of the acting highlights of 1999. The movie has been compared to the works of Frank Capra and Preston Sturges, two great directors from the 1930s and 1940s. I suggest that those making the comparisons go back and watch some of these old movies again. Capra often used a sentimental approach, but this was back in the days when addressing social injustices was a trickier matter than it is today. His movies were born of a sweet naivete. "The Majestic" seems simply manipulative. Sturges had an acerbic wit. His characters were smart and quick-witted. He made his best social commentaries through laughter. "The Majestic" is none of these things. Ironically, the movies that post-WWII Hollywood is most famous for are not the happy, warm ones, but the ones that were gritty, realistic and/or full of dark overtones. Post 9/11, it's proving to be much the same. "The Majestic" was a major boxoffice flop.
Rating: 
Summary: Peter & the Majestic
Review: Jim Carrey is not one of my favorites & as a matter of fact, I usually find him overacting. But like in Truman, he outdid his stereotyped performance & I believe he deserves some recognition in this film as well. The film is a pure/clean entertainment, a feel good movie, a happy-ever-after film. It embarked on the Lawson folks' hopes & dreams. Pete a.k.a. Luke & the Majestic theater both embodied the full recovery of a town or a nation from a down-trodden path with full glory & both have filled up the gaps & bitterness in the townspeople's hearts. A very simple film...nostalgic...endearing...
Rating: 
Summary: Nice work by Jim Carrey and good clean fun
Review: Jim Carrey has been working hard to change his image as a loudmouth, rubber-faced comic ever since the successful, if tasteless Ace Ventura films. He's proven he can shed that persona in "The Truman Show" and now, "The Majestic." But other than showing a more serious, versatile side of Carrey's considerable abilities, does the Majestic have anything to offer the viewer? This is a film that tries very hard but comes up a bit short on a number of counts. It's a period piece (set in the 50's) but the scenery, tone and costuming are not --quite-- right. Just a shade off, or were they actually were trying exaggerate the style of the times? But that's not the only thing that's a shade out of kilter. The pacing, the drama, and ultimately the climax are just a hair away from successful. The plot (not to give much away) is about a movie screenwriter who must face the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 50's (Senator McCarthy's famous Communist witch hunt). Like many other Hollywood writers and actors, Carrey's character, Peter, must test his strength of character against the threat of blacklisting and losing his livelihood. Problem is, Peter doesn't have any principles. After a night of hard drinking, Peter gets into his car (oops) and drives into a comedy of errors and mistaken identity. But the comedy turns serious, and Peter's past inevitably must catch up with him. The pacing was so slow that I found myself aware of how each scene was being stretched, with nice slow music, to fill--what? More time? This story took so long to develop that I think it took away from The Majestic's punch. The extra footage (scenes edited out of the fim) only served to show that the editors should have cut a wider swath. We stopped watching the extra footage as it actually detracted from the experience. Still, with an admirable performance by a cooled-down Carrey and plenty of wonderful supporting cast members like Martin Landau, David Ogden Stires and James Whitmore, the film is worth seeing, especially if you like Jim Carrey. It's good, clean fun with good values like patriotism, bravery, honesty and sticking up for your principles, indeed HAVING principles in the first place. Just make sure you are feeling laid-back when you watch it.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Film !
Review: Jim Carrey did a wonderful job in this movie, playing Luke, an amnesiac who is not really who people think he is. Like his character in "The Truman Show", this was not a comedic role and shows his versatility as an actor. In the beginning of the movie, he is Peter, a rather sketchy Hollywood screenwriter. As Luke, he assumes an very different persona. The slow pace and the length of this film permit full character development. Viewers really get to know the characters and to care about them and their lives. Especially wonderful in her role was Laurie Holden, an actress who was new to me but who did a magnificent job in the role of Carrey's girlfriend. Her down-to-earth performance was right on target. The Majestic, a run-down movie theater, becomes the rallying point for the townspeople - a symbol of the re-birth of a young man who has returned from the dead and the regeneration of a town which lost over 60 young men in the war. The entire town embraces Luke and rallies behind he and his father as they attempt to resuscitate the defunct theater. This ode to America and its freedoms came as a welcome change. It was a delightful, easy-to-watch, nostalgic movie with a feel-good message, showing patriotic, small-town values. What could be wrong with that?
Rating:
Summary: A "Majestic" Performance by Jim Carrey
Review: In the early '50s, a trip from Los Angeles to Bakersfield would take about eight hours; then they built the Interstate, and now you can make the same trip in two hours. The experience of the journey is basically the same, as you're covering the same ground, only quicker. The main difference is that once you reach your destination now, you can actually appreciate it more because you're not so worn out from the trip itself. Interestingly enough, "The Majestic," directed by Frank Darabont, is set in the early '50s, and uses the pre-Interstate route to take you to the final destination. The thing is, had Darabont opted for the two hour route (which was available), he would have taken his audience to the same place and it would have been entirely more effective. Especially since, once you finally arrive, you realize that you've been there before, anyway. Even so, like visiting an historic landmark, it's worth a look. But be prepared; the journey is long, and it may wear you down a bit. Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is a "B" movie Hollywood screenwriter, but he's working on a project now that just may take him to the "A" list. This is his big chance, and he's going to make the most of it; this is the one that's going to take him to the top. Right in the middle of it, however, there's a glitch-- and it's a big one: The McCarthy hearings are in full swing, Peter's name has been given to the committee, and he's been called to testify. And his movie-- along with his future-- has been put on hold. Shocked and dismayed at having the rug pulled out from under him, Peter gets in his car that night and hits the highway, driving just to drive, to get away, letting the road take him where it may until the sun comes up or he runs out of gas, whichever comes first. Neither of which happens, though, as fate intervenes; he has an accident, and when he comes to he's lying on a beach somewhere, with no idea who he is or why he's there. But there's still some luck left in the hand he's holding, and his name is Stan Keller (James Whitmore), who is out for his morning stroll when he finds Peter, befriends him and takes him into town. And it's there that Peter's life really begins to change, when a man named Harry Trimble (Martin Landau) spots him and mistakes him for his son, Luke-- gone some nine years and thought lost at war. For Harry-- and for the whole town-- it's like a miracle; as if they've all been given a second chance. Because Luke-- thought gone forever-- has come back. Darabont has crafted and delivered a film that initially (for the first forty-five minutes or so) is alive in a Bradburyesque way that is filled with hope and the stuff that dreams are made of. It's the story of a man wronged who not only gets a second chance, but a chance at something seemingly better than what he had before. Something cleaner, somehow; pure. But once Darabont has established the magic, he enters a holding pattern. Peter may not know who he is, but we do, and we know it's only a matter of time before his true identity is revealed. In the meantime, the magic slowly begins to dissipate in the realization that Peter's story is really nothing more than a smoke-and-mirrors act, behind which lies the true purpose of Darabont's film. What we begin to understand is that the Peter Appleton character is nothing more than a vehicle through which a statement can be made about McCarthyism and the injustice it wrought upon the lives of a number of innocent people. "The Majestic" then, is a cinematic hybrid; the offspring of a union between "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Guilty by Suspicion." An interesting concept, to be sure, and fairly well executed by Darabont. But you leave home for a specific destination, only to find you're elsewhere once you arrive. And Darabont takes you there via the scenic route; better had he taken the alternate route, as there is nothing along his route that makes the beginning or the end any more significant, entertaining or noteworthy in any way. The saving grace of the project is Jim Carry, who leaves his rubber face behind this time and gives a performance that is truly "majestic." The most significant aspect of this film, in fact, is that it demonstrates what a gifted, talented actor Carrey is. His portrayal of Peter Appleton is quite natural and unaffected, he exhibits an unusual (for him) amount of restraint while using an introspective approach to the character, and there is a decided lack of pretentiousness in his presentation that makes him entirely real and convincing. It's a performance that should prove to his detractors, once and for all, that there is more to Jim Carrey than "Ace Ventura" or "Lloyd Christmas." As the man who gets the ball rolling by mistaking Peter for his own son, Martin Landau gives an affecting performance, although he could've taken a cue from Carrey in the restraint department, as he tends a bit too much toward melodrama at times. Still, it's an engaging portrayal and does, indeed, effect the desired results. The supporting cast includes Laurie Holden (Adele), Allen Garfield (Leo), Amanda Detmer (Sandra), Bob Balaban (Elvin Clyde), Brent Briscoe (Sheriff Coleman), Jeffrey DeMunn (Ernie), Hal Holbrook (Congressman Doyle), Ron Rifkin (Kevin), David Ogden Stiers (Doc Stanton) and Karl Bury (Bob). "The Majestic" then, is something of a mixed bag; it's an engaging film, but Darabont allows the emotional involvement to waver somewhat during the journey, before successfully reestablishing it at the end. And the outer shell masks the fact that there's also a nut inside, along with the milk chocolate. In the final analysis, however, it's still the magic that is the movies.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Surprise!!
Review: I loved Jim Carrey in "Dumb and Dumber" also "Pet Detective" but I always thought this guy would be great in a drama or romance. Finally here it is, drama and romance all in one movie. I think this movie will catapult Jim Carrey into a class of serious actors or should I say he will be taken seriously as an actor. This is a really great movie that the whole family can enjoy. It has a cast of great actors and actresses. Weather you buy this DVD or rent it, just watch and I think you will be very pleased. Personally I'm glad I bought this movie. Two thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Great sleeper, breakout role for Jim Carrey
Review: When I rented this I thought the concept sounded interesting, and I'm a "somewhat" Jim Carrey fan. What I got I did not expect. This is simply one of the most decent, engaging, and well-acted movies I've seen in years. I just cannot get over the transformation Jim Carrey made to serious drama. You won't find a frame of film where he exhibits the old Jim Carrey faces or mannerisms. He is quite seriously a completely different person in this movie.
To describe it would give too much away. But I can compare it, as others have, to a modern take on Frank Capra movies. Jim's character experiences self-reflection as Jimmy Stewart did in "It's A Wonderful Life", and also the little-guy-against-the-estabilshment scenario from "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington." All of this set against the historical backdrop of the McCarthy hearings. But make no mistake -- this is not a movie that takes political sides or is full of typical Hollywood activism and rhetoric. It was a refreshing change.
I've heard such unflattering descriptions as "corny" and "sappy" and must disagree completely. Those descriptions are applied by people who cannot relate to the basic concepts of friends, family, community, honor, and freedom as portrayed in this movie. These concepts remind some folks of their own weaknesses and regrets, and they react with contempt and disdain at their presentation. If you are one of them, this movie is not for you. I plan on buying this one.
Rating:
Summary: Another Jim Carrey masterpeice
Review: This movie is awesome... like every thing with Jim Carrey in it!
This movie is just so fun to watch!
Rating:
Summary: A clean and decent movie for a change
Review: Most professional reviewers panned this movie - which is a sure sign that it's decent and clean and your grandmother and kids can watch it. If you like action, blood, cleavage, nudity and sexual situations and inuendos and that epitome of intelligent artistic expression in screen dialogue, the F- word, - then this movie is definitely NOT for you. It is a sweet story of boy and girl next door love and patriotism. I've heard it described as overly cliche, if that's the case then bring on more! I don't care for Jim Carrey's wild/crazy personna and avoid those films, but I love him in The Majestic and The Truman Show. Like Robin Williams, he shows that his talents run the whole spectrum and I can't wait to see more of his serious side. However he is a comic genious and it would be a shame if he totally abandoned something he is so good at.
Rating:
Summary: Not your usual movie
Review: I loved this movie!!! It is just one of those feel good movies. It also isn't stereotypical of american pop culture today. Most movies today are about how much blood can be used. This movie shows that morals do exist somewhere out there.
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