Review of The Majestic (2001) by James P — 24 Jan 2010

The Majestic (2001) Directed by Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption/Green Mile). In this Capra-like drama set during the 1950's Hollywood blacklist. A young, ambitious Hollywood screenwriter loses his job and his identity, only to find new courage, love and the power of conviction in the heart of a small town's life.

Peter Appleton is a script writer during the 1950's who is suspected to be a Communist among many Hollywood film people (which is not true). Along the way, he gets into a freak car accident and suffers amnesia, then ends up in a small California town.

There he lives in a rundown movie theatre where he learns the magic of experiencing a movie in it. Soon, the Communist hunters find him and call him to testify before a Senate hearing committee. This is kind of sweet simplistic movie like Hollywood used to make in the great days of cinemascope color films.

Itâ??s that kind of big film. Great Colors Great Fantastic Cinematography and for me the main hook of the film was its relation to the old movie theater (the Majestic) where most of the movie takes place.

So you get a mystery about a somewhat lost Hollywood writer. You get an old theater removed to its classic state. You get the films glorious colors and a great plot and story. The story is sentimental but who cares-it gave me total escape into a fictional world which I seldom get.

This helps us recall the golden age of Hollywood and film. This could be Carreyâ??s finest role. We see a more toned down Carrey giving all many smiles in this very appealing fictional story. Carrey makes an excellent romantic and dramatic lead.

Carrey deserved an Oscar for his performance in the Majestic. The film is long at 146 minutes but it is a beautifully executed film. One of the most underrated films of the last 20 years. I would pay a lot of money to see this on the big screen.

I canâ??t believe I missed it in 2001. (I was not a great fan of the other kind of Jim Carrey movies) 5 Stars.