Director Frank Darabonts two beloved films have touches of magic in them. Alas, his third, The Majestic, lacks the enchantment of his other works
In The Shawshank Redemption the magic comes from a perfect cast mixed with a stellar story lovingly adapted by Darabont from a Stephen King short story and a finely tuned direction job from the first-time director.
In The Green Mile Darabont again adapts Stephen King. Again, the cast is more than up to the task, even if some of the direction strays toward allusions of self-importance. In Mile magic also comes from super-natural elements within the story.
Darabont has no writing credit in The Majestic.
It shows. Darabonts past work may lean to the corny side, but at least theres honesty and real human emotions at work along with a sense of unpredictability. Or are those aspects from King and not Darabont? Whichever, theres little sign of honesty and not a hint of unpredictability in Majestic.
Unfortunately, its buried in corn, shameless manipulation and sentimentality for most of its two-and-a-half-hours. Darabont and the cast just try too hard to be earnest, no doubt thinking they are doing something important. Theres very little sense of fun; the film is stuck like muck in mawkishness.
Just listen to its star Jim Carrey going on in the commercials as if this movie will save the world.
Well, maybe not change the world, but something almost that big he goes on as if they have made a Frank Capra movie (Its A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington etc.) instead of a Frank Darabont movie. Darabonts a fine director. He should not try to be Capra, cause he isnt and never will be.
Not that its all a waste. Darabont is good enough that there are a few genuinely touching moments in Majestic, the story of mistaken identity, heroism, McCarthyism, familial love, romantic love, finding yourself and, my favorite part, the movies. Majestic tries to do a lot and succeeds at little other than being tedious and manipulative.
No doubt there are some who will buy into the whole shebang and love every sappy moment. The Majestic is that type of movie, you either go with the hokum and let yourself get carried away with the sentimental nostalgia and the positive message its trying to convey or you sit back and think Ive seen this all before and Ive seen it better.
Carrey, who looks good in period dress, stars as a up and coming Hollywood scriptwriter who is living his dream job, in his dream town with his dream girl until the nightmare of communism sweeps the country and hes blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Shortly after losing his job and his girl, he leaves his town to head up the coast. After an accident, the whole stale amnesia plot trick is used for most of the rest of the film. Its 1951 and the thoroughly picturesque town of Lawson is still reeling from the 61 men in lost in WWII.
One of the men was Luke Trimble, a hero much beloved by the small town. When Carrey is brought to town after being found on the beach everybody thinks he looks familiar. Luke was declared missing in action nine years ago. Martin Landau takes one look at Carrey and decides he must be his son Luke.
Most of the people agree, but there are those who dont. Of course, we know its not him so we wait for his memory to return.
No surprise it does, but not until the person who cant remember who he is falls in love (Laurie Holden plays Lukes old flame), helps Landau reopen his old theater The Majestic and brings the town together.
Isnt that sweet? It gets sweeter when he brings the whole country together in a way Im not going to reveal. The beginning and the end of the film feel like different movies than when Carrey is in Lawson. Id rather have seen more of how people in Hollywood dealt with the Red Scare than some silly story about amnesia and a sad little town.
Rated-PG for language