The Majestic

Name: The Majestic
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: December 21, 2001
Duration: 152 min
Rating: 27
Cast: Jim Carrey, Martin Landau

2001

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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The Majestic

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 21, 2001 | PG

Starring: Jim Carrey, Martin Landau

Summary: Set against the backdrop of the 1950's Hollywood blacklist, a young, ambitious screenwriter (Carrey) loses his job and his identity, only to find new courage, love and the power of conviction in the heart of a small town's life. (Warner Brothers)

Director: Frank Darabont

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: PG

Runtime: 152 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

It tells a full story with three acts, it introduces characters we get to know and care about, and it has something it passionately wants to say. Read full review

Bob Graham

Channels the spirit of Frank Capra in this serio-sentimental fable about a man who loses his memory but finds his soul. Read full review

Jay Carr

A sweet, visually handsome sermon, but it's too dramatically bland to convert even the converted.

A.O. Scott

The most indolent waste of screen time since Andy Warhol's marathon shot of the Empire State Building. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

Winds up suffocating you with its aura of bogus, store-bought nostalgia.

J. Hoberman

A mishmash of life-insurance commercials and Ronald Reagan campaign spots, this sexless orgy of self-congratulation is designed to make you feel good about Hollywood, America, and Jim Carrey -- not to mention the nation's motion picture exhibitors, who are praised at one point as the antithesis of Soviet Communism. Read full review

Charles Taylor

One of those movies that makes you feel as if the national IQ was dropping while you're watching it. It's the return of all the homiletic clichés about an America that never existed. Read full review

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User Reviews

hamidnaderi

Oct 9, 2016

despite of some cliches,i loved it.this movie show that a simple accident(a little animal on your way)can change and even more can mean your life,if you forgot your past and some cheap goals like being a writer of a B movie.by floating in river we can experience a new life and new goals...

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JalexD.

Apr 21, 2008

The people who put this movie down don't appreciate Jim Carrey as a great serious actor and/or aren't open-minded enough to appreciate the characters and setting. This is a great film. A classic. I would recommend it to anyone.

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FierceEdward

Jun 19, 2020

This was a fine film that only professional critics Roger Ebert and Rex Reed 'got'. Pay attention to those bookend scenes of Peter Applegate and the unseen studio 'suits' folks - what happens in between is a meditation on the movies and movie theaters (at their best) as a source of personalThis was a fine film that only professional critics Roger Ebert and Rex Reed 'got'. Pay attention to those bookend scenes of Peter Applegate and the unseen studio 'suits' folks - what happens in between is a meditation on the movies and movie theaters (at their best) as a source of personal inspiration and role-models and a place for building community values. 'Even has a few subtle things to say about real saints and heroes maybe being a little too good to be happy life companions for the rest of us.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PoorK.

Mar 6, 2007

This movie definitely falls in the 'Feel Good' category - and as such is a delight to watch multiple times. Sure, it is predictable. But how many movies you watch leave you guessing till the end? And do you always want to? Sometimes it's the journey which is more important. This movie definitely falls in the 'Feel Good' category - and as such is a delight to watch multiple times. Sure, it is predictable. But how many movies you watch leave you guessing till the end? And do you always want to? Sometimes it's the journey which is more important. Jim Carrey's performance is likely to change the minds of those who have decided they dislike him for his outrageous physical comedy and excesses. In this movie, he shows he can also play toned-down understated roles too.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Thegodfatherson

Jun 15, 2013

Jim Carrey is one of those comedian/actors who's had more than his share of potential overlooked movies. Whether it's his first commercial failure, the underrated The Cable Guy, or his excellent turn as Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman's Man On the Moon, it seems like most of Carrey's bestJim Carrey is one of those comedian/actors who's had more than his share of potential overlooked movies. Whether it's his first commercial failure, the underrated The Cable Guy, or his excellent turn as Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman's Man On the Moon, it seems like most of Carrey's best movies (with the exception maybe of The Truman Show) are his least appreciated. But, let's face it Man on the Moon received lots of critical praise and even some award nominations when it came out, and Cable Guy certainly has its cult of defenders. But perhaps his best-least-appreciated movie is is Frank Darabont's 2001 homage to Frank Capra, The Majestic. Carrey stars as Peter Appleton, a Hollywood screenwriter who is blacklisted during the 1950s communist witch hunt. After an accident gives him a wicked case of amnesia, Peter winds up in the small town of Lawson, where he is mistaken for another man Luke Trimble, a local hero who was believed to have been killed in WWII. And Peter, not knowing any better, assumes he must be Luke, too. Together with his "father" (Martin Landau), Peter/Luke begins restoring The Majestic movie theater that had been closed down for years. won't get into what happens from there, because it would ruin several of the movie's surprises. But I will say that The Majestic has gotten a bad rap. Maybe audiences were expecting something else from director Darabont, who was coming off The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Maybe the movie lacked a certain cynicism that many people require to distance themselves from having a sincere emotional response to a movie. Maybe it wasn't funny enough (it's not a comedy) or "edgy" enough for Carrey's two audiences. Whatever the reason, the movie never really found an audience. I rather like it, though and I'm not a person who automatically responds to something being called "Capra-esque." Here, I think the description works (clearly, that's what Darabont was going for). But the movie's got more on its mind; it's a tribute to old Hollywood, and a minor history lesson about a pretty scary time in America. Despite his penchant for overselling a moment (a trait especially apparent in his comedies), Carrey makes a likable everyman he's not afraid to be totally sincere and throw his heart into the role. The failure of The Majestic meant that Darabont who is awesome, by the way wouldn't make another movie until 2007. When he did, he went back to adapting Stephen King (The Majestic remains his only non-King-affiliated film) and made damn sure the movie had plenty of cynicism. That movie was The Mist, which was equally overlooked and, in many ways, kind of the anti-Majestic. Audiences rejected that, too. I guess both films were missing the one thing audiences really want: Morgan Freeman narration.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Sosmooth1982

Jan 4, 2023

Good movie, not a comedy. This is more of a serious role for Jim Carey. In my opinion he did an awesome job. A man involved in a car accident gets amnesia.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sooper_walrus

Aug 29, 2017

The Majestic is a heart-warming little story with an underlying, big-picture message. Jim Carrey's performance is fantastic as always, but the movie can't help but feel predictable and a little cliche. I also feel that it struggles with having a central identity, constantly switching betweenThe Majestic is a heart-warming little story with an underlying, big-picture message. Jim Carrey's performance is fantastic as always, but the movie can't help but feel predictable and a little cliche. I also feel that it struggles with having a central identity, constantly switching between being a drama, comedy, and romance. It's a nice film, but it doesn't break any ground, and to be honest I wouldn't watch it again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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