It simply tries too hard.
The Majestic (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:135
Fresh:56
Rotten:79
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Ponderous and overlong, The Majestic drowns in forced sentimentality and resembles a mish-mash of other, better films.
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In THE MAJESTIC, Jim Carrey stretches his talents and proves that he can be a credible serious actor with his portrayal of Peter Appleton, a Hollywood B-movie screenwriter who is black listed... In THE MAJESTIC, Jim Carrey stretches his talents and proves that he can be a credible serious actor with his portrayal of Peter Appleton, a Hollywood B-movie screenwriter who is black listed during the McCarthy era. A car accident costs him his memory, and in the small coastal town where he ends up, he is mistaken for a local hero, presumed dead almost ten years ago in the war. Unable to recall anything of his "past" in the town, Appleton not only embraces his new identity, but becomes a pillar of the community, restoring hope that the residents lost along with many of their young men in World War II. In the process, he discovers new inspiration, new purpose, and a new life. Director Frank Darabont, true to form, tells a leisurely tale of a man's renewed faith in himself and in others. The film is an homage to old-fashioned values and proud-to-be-an-American patriotism, studded with rock-solid performances not just by Carrey, but by film veterans Martin Landau, Hal Holbrook, and Ron Rifkin, among others. Listen as well for cameo voice overs by Garry Marshall, Matt Damon, and Carl and Rob Reiner. [More]
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau, Jeffrey DeMunn
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau, Jeffrey DeMunn, Bruce Campbell, Bob Balaban, Brent Briscoe, Karl Bury, Amanda Detmer, Allen Garfield, David Ogden Stiers, James Whitmore, Hal Holbrook, Ron Rifkin
Director: Frank Darabont
Director: Frank Darabont
Screenwriter: Michael Sloane
Producer: Jim Behnke, Frank Darabont
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for The Majestic
A sweet, visually handsome sermon, but it's too dramatically bland to convert even the converted.
It manages to go from cornball Capra wanna-be to overbaked courtroom grandstand without missing a beat, to say nothing of the ever-present ‘insert emotion here’ musical score.
Shame on you, Frank Darabont, for taking up my precious holiday time with glycerin tears and blue-screen sunsets.
Smugness -- the sense that the filmmakers are doing God's work -- permeates much of The Majestic.
It's like a hope thing, you know, it's... hope. It's... Look, there's a lot of dead boys, so there's heartbreaking photos in shop windows all over town, handsome young men in uniform, and bunting and flags.
We get stuck in this syrupy, sweet tale for a long time with little payoff.
One of those movies that makes you feel as if the national IQ was dropping while you're watching it.
The performances in The Majestic are generally as fresh-faced and old-fashioned as the tale itself.
The resolution to certain scenes and specific character arcs are forced and needlessly protracted.
The Majestic captures that Capra feeling for the better part of two-and-a-half-hours, yet still manages to come up short just when it could have sold us.
It is pornography or slasher cinema for the squeamish middle-class: every pre-fabricated epiphany is string-scored to elicit the easiest response.
The concept may be retro Frank Capra, but can inspire a youthful generation who had never known works of such red, white and blue optimism!
Latest News for The Majestic
February 22, 2007:
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December 21, 2005:
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This week's wide releases include a remake ("Fun With Dick and Jane") and a sequel to a remake ("Cheaper By the Dozen 2"). Will critics be laughing at these... More...
August 20, 2001:
After The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, Darabont welcomed the chance to direct a movie that doesn't involve 'conversations through bars,' he says. ![]()
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