The Majestic

Plot

In 1951 Peter Appleton is a new screenwriter in Hollywood, who is suddenly blacklisted due to his involvement in communist activity when he was in college. Following being fired, and dumped by girlfriend he goes for a drunk late-night drive, and has a car accident which causes amnesia. He then is taken in by a small town who believe him to be a long thought dead town member Luke – who once ran the now defunct cinema ‘The Majestic’. Along with Luke’s dad Harry – ‘Luke’ tasks himself in rebuilding The Majestic and bringing the town back from their slump.

Direction

Darabont does an okay job behind the camera here. He has always excelled at period films (Shawshank, Green Mile), and directs his cast well with stellar performances. There are some quality camera work at times (like the long take at the start) – but with a heavy reliance on green screens at times, it takes away from what the film wants to accomplish. The scene on top of the lighthouse was almost laughably bad with the use of green screen. The 1951 setting is practically flawless with great costumes/makeup/hair etc and the town itself.

Cast/Characters

Jim Carrey does a great job playing against type in a more dramatic role, however there is still some of his comedic charm that he is known for.

The late Martin Landau is phenomenal as Harry – who believes Peter for his long lost son who presumably died in the war.

There are also a slew of Darabont’s frequent collaborators like James Whitmore (RIP), Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn. Holden in particular as the primary female cast member is a strong female lead.

There is a strong ‘tertiary’ cast as well including Bob Babalan, Hal Holbrook, David Ogden Stiers and some cameos such as Bruce Campbell and Matt Damon.

Screenplay/Setting/Themes

There are strengths and weaknesses here.

I loved the middle of the film in which ‘Luke’ reunites with the town, his father, and his lost love – Holden’s Adele. The rebuilding of The Majestic, as well as his relationships with the townspeople; Emmett, the elderly cinema employee who lost his watch, Irene his former music teacher and a former adversary who he helps with his love life.

There are some comedic moments in the screenplay too – such as the council meeting.

My big con for the film was the communist storyline – it is brought on so quickly in the first act – and causes the last half hour of the film to become a courtroom drama that felt completely out of place from the rest of the film. It also then becomes very American following. I felt this ruined what was done earlier in the film.

Overall

This was my first time watching, and I instantly recognised Darabont’s style, as well as other variables like cast, and being a period film, but there were faults.

With issues of pacing and an inconsistent screenplay, this was not one of his stronger films, and struggled with what it wanted to be. Carrey’s screen presence was strong, and this helped. I really enjoyed the ‘is he actually Luke’ question that lingers, and the revelation of yes or no was done well too. While not a ‘great’ film, it is still good.

3.5/5