Barnes & Noble

Very much in the tradition of Frank Capra, The Majestic celebrates the virtues of America’s small towns and the innate goodness of the people who inhabit them. Unapologetically nostalgic, the film is another tour de force for screen funnyman Jim Carrey, who is deeply affecting as blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Peter Appleton. Appleton, suffering from amnesia after crashing his car along the California coast in 1951, wanders into a community and is immediately mistaken for Luke Trimble, a decorated soldier presumed lost in Europe during World War II. The passage of years and Peter’s amazing resemblance to Luke mislead just about everyone, including the boy’s father, Harry (played by Martin Landau), and his former girlfriend, the beautiful Adele Stanton (Laurie Holden). The local movie theater of the title serves as screenwriter Michael Sloane’s central metaphor: Shuttered since the war and in poor repair, the Majestic -- operated by Harry in happier days -- becomes the focal point of the reinvigorated community, once again filled with hope upon the unexpected return of its favorite son. Director Frank Darabont (The Green Mile), obviously influenced by such cinematic paeans to Americana as It’s a Wonderful Life, paints his characters with familiar Capra-esque strokes; there's the crusty old-timer, the benevolent doctor, the kindly cop, and the wisecracking waitress, among other timeworn archetypes. Carrey is extremely impressive, dominating scene after scene by underplaying his role and becoming a lightning rod for the emotions of other characters. It’s a marvelous performance in a generally outstanding movie that harks back to Hollywood’s Golden Age. The DVD edition includes the full-length Sand Pirates of the Sahara sequence -- the movie-within-the-movie that plays an important part in the plot -- as well as an assortment of deleted scenes. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Director Frank Darabont created this Frank Capra-inspired drama based on a screenplay by his friend and one-time schoolmate Michael Sloane. Jim Carrey stars as Pete Appleton, a screenwriter in the Hollywood of the 1950s. Pete's on top of the world with his first motion picture "Sand Pirates of the Sahara" just released to theaters and his romance with a beautiful starlet (Amanda Detmer) heating up. However, his triumph turns to dismay when he's called before the commie-hunting House Un-American Activities Committee and advised by a studio lawyer and his agent to play ball with the witch hunters. Depressed by the film industry's weak-kneed reaction to the hearings, Pete gets drunk and drives his car north along the California coast, where he crashes from a bridge and wakes up on shore the next morning suffering from amnesia. Wandering into the nearby small town of Lawson, Pete is mistaken for Luke Trimble, a lost hero of World War II who, like most of the area's young men, never returned from the war a decade earlier. "Luke" has soon reunited with both his father (Martin Landau) and his one-time girlfriend (Laurie Holden), and finds that his reappearance has given the citizens of Lawson an emotional boost that's sorely needed. When he refurbishes and reopens his family's decrepit movie theater, the Majestic, Luke revitalizes Lawson just as his memory of his true identity begins to reassert itself. Sloane's original script for The Majestic (2001) was entitled The Bijou. Karl Williams

San Francisco Chronicle

I think Americans are in the mood today for a sentimental movie about their values, and, frankly, it's wonderful to see people get teary-eyed over the First Amendment. Bob Graham

New York Observer

Carrey gets the best role of his own career -- and plays it with tenderness, valor, bravery and deeply moving conviction. I find him positively captivating. Rex Reed

Product Details

• UPC: 085392211920
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français
• Time: 2:32:00
• Sales Rank: 1,318

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