Independent Films, Film Profiles

The Majestic
by Frank Darabont

The Majestic is a 2001 American drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey and Martin Landau . Written by Michael Sloane, the film features a supporting cast of Laurie Holden, James Whitmore , Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn and Hal Holbrook. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 21, 2001.The film is set in the United States during the early 1950s. Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is an up-and-coming young screenwriter working on B-Movies who hopes to work his way onto the "A" list. Unfortunately, he is accused of being a Communist, like the real world accusations of the Hollywood blacklist. It turns out that in 1945, he had attended a meeting for a Communist organization in college known as the "Bread Instead of Bullets" club, a meeting which he reveals that he attended for a girl. In an instant, his new film (which he hopes will get him onto the "A" movies) is pushed back for a few months, the credit is given to someone else and his contract gets dropped.His career in ruins, he gets drunk at a seaside bar and has a car accident while trying to avoid hitting an opossum on a bridge. When he wakes up, his memory lost (probably because of what the DSM-IV terms as a Dissociative Fugue), he is in a small town called Lawson. The townsfolk believe him to be Luke Trimble, one of the town boys killed in World War II 9 1/2 years before, and embrace him as a symbol of hope. "Luke" is at first mildly hesitant to embrace this life but he eventually settles in to "his old life", and with his "father" Harry (Martin Landau) and his "girlfriend" Adele (Laurie Holden), starts to rebuild the "Majestic" theater, an old movie house that had been closed due to post-war hard times.Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Congressional committee member Elvin Clyde (Bob Balaban) is convinced that Appleton's disappearance is proof that he is an important Communist operative. No one in Hollywood knows about Appleton's accident, since he was alone and miles away. Clyde sends two federal agents to search for Appleton. Back in Lawson, not everyone believes that "Luke" is back. Bob Leffert (Karl Bury), a one-handed soldier who knew the real Luke and did not like him (claiming that Luke rubbed him the wrong way) not only is convinced that Peter is not Luke, he also believes that this stranger is setting the town up for more heartbreak.A few days later, the town throws a welcome home party for "Luke," and they ask him to play the piano, which he used to do when he was a kid. But instead of playing one of the classics he was taught to play, he eventually falls into a roadhouse boogie tune, much to the dismay of the town's music teacher. On his way home, he runs into Bob, who confronts him about the suspicions he has had about "Luke," even punching Peter in the face when he makes a comment about how the war must have changed him. Finally Peter, Harry, Adele and the rest of the townsfolk succeed in rebuilding The Majestic. In the events, Peter also convinces the town to finally build a memorial that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had commissioned for after the war, but that the town did not have the heart to put up.Unfortunately, from that point, things take a turn for the worse. Peter regains his memory when the Majestic shows a movie he wrote, Sand Pirates of the Sahara. At the same moment, Harry has a heart attack. At Harry's death bed, Peter lets him die believing that he is still Luke, and breaks down in tears when Harry passes away. Immediately after the funeral, he tells Adele that he is not Luke. Adele says that she had a feeling that he wasn't. To make matters worse, the whole town discovers the truth when federal agents Ellerby (Daniel von Bargen) and Saunders (Shawn Doyle) confront him publicly (after two boys discover his car washed up in the beach) and they present him with a summons to appear before Congress.That night at the Majestic, Peter's lawyer advises him to "admit" and then denounce his past associations with the Communist Party, and presents him with a list of named "Communists" that he could read before the court to clear his name. Initially, Peter reluctantly agrees to this plan, but an argument with Adele and his own respect for the real Luke inspire Peter to instead confront the committee.At the hearing, Peter makes an impassioned speech about American ideals, which wins the crowd over. Fearing a political backlash, the lawmakers let him go free.Peter then returns to Lawson, fearing an unwelcome reception but eager to again see Adele. To Peter's surprise, he receives a hero's welcome from the town's citizens, who have come to respect Peter as an individual, especially in light of his decision to stand up to Congress. In an epilogue, Peter settles in Lawson, marries Adele, and they have a son.