Jim Carrey did a fantastic and believable job in his dramatic role as screenwriter Peter Appleton in this touching patriotic movie. I love this movie and have watched it many times, often inviting friends to watch it. Invariably, they are also delighted and overwhelmed by Carrey's acting and that of the artfully performing supporting cast. I am disappointed that the reviews at the time of the movie came out were quite good but the box office earnings was poor. Perhaps the public did not believe that Jim Carrey could perform a movie role without being silly, comedic or vulgar. But he can, and he should have gotten much more recognition from Hollywood for his superb acting in this deserving cinematic effort without his usual tactics. I believe he did an Oscar performance. Jim, if you ever read this, please do more dramatic roles like this. Don't cheat the public from your talent and ability, which is to make us believe, make us enter into your world as we did in the world of Peter Appleton and Lawson, California.

Frank Darabont is one of the better filmmakers to ever grace the big screen, however his resume is fairly small. I'd like to think the reason is the whole "quality, not quantity' angle, but as we saw with his stint on AMC's 'The Walking Dead', that's not always the case, meaning the studio execs have tried to intrude on almost every single one of his projects. That being said, Frank Darabont has given us some of the best films ever made, one in particular usually makes the #1 spot on many "Best of All Time' lists.I'm of course talking about 'The Shawshank Redemption', which was based on a Stephen King short story. King and Darabont would go onto collaborate on a few other films in the future, including 'The Green Mile' and 'The Mist'. Time and time again, Darabont has shown us what true filmmaking is and can be. Darabont got his start writing 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors' and the 1988 version of 'The Blob'. Darabont then forged a good relationship with Steven Spielberg as he went on to write a bunch of the episodes of 'The Young Indiana Jones Chonicles'. He also re-worked the screenplays for 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Minority Report' for Spielberg. Then, of course, 'Shawshank' and 'The Green Mile' hit big on all levels, winning awards and praise from virtually everyone.While the horror film 'The Mist' is not included in this set, which is a shame, Darabont's less popular film 'The Majestic' is. I firmly believe that 'The Majestic' is one of the most underrated films ever made. It's a beautiful piece of filmmaking with a genuine story, great characters, and an amazing performance from Jim Carrey, who doesn't do his usual comedy schtick, but delivers a very endearing and emotional performance of someone who is lost on multiple levels with his life. There are already perfect reviews of both 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'The Green Mile' here, which you can click on their respective titles to view those reviews, but if you'd like to know my opinion on those, I believe they are both some of the best films ever made and continue to grow with each viewing.However, let's get back to 'The Majestic', which stars Jim Carrey, Martin Landau, Laurie Holden, and Bruce Campbell. Carrey plays a man named Lule Tremble, who is a writer for feature films in Hollywood in the 1950s, where every script is changed by old studio execs trying to make a quick buck. He heads out for a long drive after his script is changed to a virtually unrecognizable piece of fluff to clear his head, but ends up crashing his car along the coast. He wakes up with sever amnesia, where he can't remember a thing about who he is or his past life. It turns out that the town he crashed near had a guy who looked exactly the same as him and was feared dead in the war.Now everyone in town is trying to make this complete stranger remember his life in the town, when in fact he's never actually been. Soon enough, everyone in town try to put the pieces back together for Luke, including setting him up with his old flame and rebuilding an old movie theatre. The side story here, which I feel that bogged the film down a bit was that of the government trying to find Carrey's real character, who was a protester during a communist rally, which back in the 50s, was a serious crime. Jim Carrey delivers on of his first dramatic performances here as he struggles to try and fit in and make all the super sweet people of this small town happy, even though he is not the answer to their feared conclusions. It's not his fault, because he sincerely doesn't remember.This movie along with possible 'The Truman Show' were possibly the sole films where we realized that Carrey was more than just 'Ace Ventura', but rather an actor capable of much more. Darabont really nailed the time period of the 50s as well, giving us a very warm and almost fairy tale like ambiance with white picket fences and bold colorful period clothing. I think this film didn't do as well or hold the same value as the others is that most people didn't expect such a dramatic performance from Carrey nor such a dramatic film as a whole. I think people were expecting a straight out comedy, rather than an endearing film set in the 50s. Whatever the case might be, 'The Majestic' is a brilliant homage to the films of the 1950s with enough heart and soul for two films.

OK this isn't exactly the most original idea ever and the whole thing feels a bit like an extended 'Twilight Zone' episode (one of the more sensible ones), but this truly is a beautiful film with the kind of performances that are guaranteed to make you smile. A simple tale set in the 50's, a young man is accused of being a Communist and his life is turned upside down. One night he gets slightly drunk and drives his car off a bridge accidentally and ends up almost drowning. He gets washed up on the shores of a small town where he is believed to be a WWII soldier killed years before.This is complete and utter American pie through n through and I mean that in the best way possible. Generally things like this can be quite sickening with all the Stars n Stripes patriotism and this does have that, truth be told this actually has more treacly gooey hanky moments than you can shake a stick at. There is also the element of the all American Communist witch hunts which is the whole plot beneath the surface. Its only kinda touched on really but its played out in a typically heroic way for the main character in the end. You think he will submit to the government, a government of so called democracy, but he fights for truth and justice and the American way. Yes the finale is a bit too vomit inducing for us non Americans. What works for me is the pure visual spectacle of the film with the typically quaint white building built US town set amongst the glorious Californian woodlands on the pacific coast. In short this film looks stunning, its made to look extremely whimsical of course but it works. The era makes this work even better as the sight of old classic US cars cruising around, small diners, the smart fashions, jazz/big band music etc...give the film a very homely taste that I think anyone (more so adults probably) can enjoy.The cast is another reason to like this film, how can you not enjoy seeing Martin Landau in a brilliantly moving role. I loved 'Ed Wood' and this yet another portrayal of angst and heartbreak but even stronger than before. Gerry Black also gives us a lovely performance for the old caretaker of the Majestic, his gravelly raspy voice draws you in whilst his cheeky grin is heartwarming. James Whitmore has a small role but he sure fits in well, performance is perfect as is his costume and character design, looks good with the pipe. To be honest all the main roles are played well by a host of solid actors, many I have seen before and merely know by face, reliable character actors.Then we have Mr Carrey, to be honest a brave move as before this he was known only for his comedies. This doesn't mean he was the right choice of course, in my opinion he can't quite handle the kind of serious emotion involved here (at least at this period in his career) and you can see it. A case of being type cast for over the top crazy ass characters or idiots, due to this you keep half expecting him to do something or say something daft. Carrey never really looks too comfortable in this film surrounded by proper quality character actors, he was yet to break away from his over acting lunacy.A charming nostalgic film that manages to homage the golden age of small town 50's America and the classic (and much missed) age of big regal looking cinemas, but is also a stirring tribute to the fallen of WWII. It is extremely clichéd and cheesy, love it or hate it I doubt there will be any middle ground here. It really does pull all the obligatory heart strings to get you choked up, every old trick in the mushy book, but damn it...it works!7/10

Okay, yes, this film was predictable at times. But that doesn't change the fact that film is pretty much a masterpiece, and by far Jim Carrey's best performance.Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is a Hollywood screenwriter who is accused of being a communist by the HUAC because of a club he attended in college as a "horny young man" to impress a chick. He is put on the blacklist and loses his job at the studio. He decides to go for a drive, but gets in an accident and ends up in the small town of Lawson, California, where he is mistaken for a long-lost war hero. During this ordeal, he eventually learns what it means to protect our freedoms as an American, and how you need to enjoy life every step of the way. Carrey proves in this film that he REALLY CAN act, and Martin Landau and Laurie Holden are great too. A great film you will love for its message, even if it does get a tad predictable at times.3.5/4