Preamble
Forget Kate and Leopold! If you're looking for a movie that touches your heart and soul (and might even make you shed a tear), go see The Majestic!

The Story
Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey), is a B screenwriter for a major studio during the period of time in America (1950's) where Congress is running roughshot over so called "Communists". Once suspected as a "commie", a person in Hollywood is blacklisted and may or may not be able to recover from it depending on who else they implicate into the situation.

As Peter is about to wrap up the writing of a screenplay, someone points the finger at him. As expected, the studio fires him, his girlfriend dumps him, and the FBI steals his manuscript, looking of course, for clues into his communist ways.

Peter takes a long drive down the coast of California. Through a freak set of circumstances, Peter and his car take a dive into the rushing waters of the ocean. When he wakes up, he is lying on a beach, covered in blood and most importantly, he has no knowledge of who he is.

In the small beach side town of Lawson, Peter is found and nurtured by the people who think that he is really their long, lost war hero/son, Luke Trimble. Luke's father (Martin Landau), quickly reintroduces him into his life. His life as Luke included helping his father run a movie theater called The Majestic and a gorgeous fiance named Adele (Laurie Holden).

Does Peter/Luke ever regain his memory?
Does the FBI ever find Peter?
Do Adele and Luke live happily ever after?

Now ya know I can't give anything else away - why would you be inclined to see the movie otherwise???

The Good
You know, this entire movie, with one small slip (wrong writing, wrong direction, wrong casting, bad release timing), could have been a complete and utter flop. But it wasn't and that's what is important. Hang with me as I go through the list of why this movie, in its entirety, deserved four stars.

Almost first time writer (we don't count any B stuff) Michael Sloane (I) follows the Frank Capra school of sentiment, choosing to develop characters (think ala It's A Wonderful Life) that we all come to know and love. It's a formula that with the right cast and director, is a sure payoff.

Director Frank Darabont was made to guide this picture. Just like his work in The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, Mr. Darabont weaves the essential pieces of character development and plot into an interesting story. It's one that keeps the viewer glued to the screen all the way through, until the very end.

I feel like I need to mention many of the actors that made this a fine view.

First, Jim Carrey. I think that he suffers from the Tom Hanks syndrome and once others catch on (specifically the snotty critics), he'll start winning a lot of awards.

When Tom Hanks started out, he was mostly in the comedy genre (think Volunteers, Splash, Bachelor Party). Once he was given serious, meaty roles (think Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13), he was finally recognized for the acting gawd that he is.

I first caught Mr. Carrey in the HBO movie, Doing Time On Maple Drive. He was absolutely fantastic in his role of the underachieving, oldest (and alcoholic) son. In The Majestic, Jim convinces us that on one hand, he can be a shallow, non rock the boat guy from Hollywood and on the other hand, a deep, sensitive guy who has guts and conviction. He had so much chemistry with every actor/actress on the screen. It was a bit scary!

As a side note - sure, Jim is hilarious. But we need to see him in more of these roles. And special note to the cranky critics: Mark my words, Jim's day will come.

I've never been overly impressed with Martin Landau but in this film....wow! As Luke's father, you ached and jumped for the joy over the amount of love he had for his son. When his eyes welled up with tears, mine were there. When he was so excited and filled with an overwhelming amount of love for his son, I was there with him. Sidenote: Martin looks like death warmed over. This kind of makes me sad. Yeah, he's 70 years old, but he looks older here :(.

Blond fiance, Laurie Holden, was a breath of fresh air. She didn't have to use the usual, Hollywood ways (think cleavage, collagen enhanced lips, or otherwise), to make an impression on the audience. Her acting felt natural and sincere. And the chemistry between her and Carrey was hot. Meg Ryan could learn a thing or two from her.

And to close out all of the "goods", may I just tell you how breathtaking the cinematography was? I'm a lover of the coast line and this movie just made me desire to live there even more. I shouldn't be surprised though by my love for how sweeping the scenery looked and felt. Why? Because David Tattersall (think Moll Flanders and Star Wars 2) was in charge.

What Stops Me From Making This Five Stars
Truly, there is no bad in this movie. There are however, some things that could have been improved upon.

First, I know that Mr. Darabont was probably trying to keep his movie to two hours but because of this, I felt like the end was a little rushed.

Second, some of the editing in the first part of the movie was a bit choppy. Without the performance of Jim Carrey, I might have been tempted to tune out.

Other than that, no major complaints.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older