The Majestic (2001)

In 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.

Director:

Frank Darabont

Writer:

Michael Sloane

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Martin Landau, Bob Balaban

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	Peter Appleton
Bob Balaban	...	Elvin Clyde
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Ernie Cole
Hal Holbrook	...	Congressman Doyle
Laurie Holden	...	Adele Stanton
Martin Landau	...	Harry Trimble
Brent Briscoe	...	Sheriff Cecil Coleman
Ron Rifkin	...	Kevin Bannerman
Gerry Black	...	Emmett Smith
David Ogden Stiers	...	Doc Stanton
James Whitmore	...	Stan Keller
Susan Willis	...	Irene Terwilliger
Catherine Dent	...	Mabel
Brian Howe	...	Carl Leffert / Head of the Studio
Karl Bury	...	Bob Leffert

Storyline

Peter Appleton is an ambitious young screenwriter working for HHS Studios during Hollywood's Golden Age, 1951 in particular. "Ashes to Ashes" is about to be released, and he's dating the attractive movie star, Sandra Sinclair. Just when everything seems to be going his way, it is discovered he (unwittingly) attended a Communist meeting during college when pulled there by his girlfriend at the time, and thus heavy suspicion settles over him and he'll have to stand before Congress. Afraid of what might happen if they don't, HHS cancels Appleton's contract and aborts the release date of the film. Appleton promptly begins to wallow in self-pity and spends nearly an entire night at a bar, then drives intoxicated through the streets of the California course until plummeting into a stormy river and getting knocked unconscious. Washing up on the beaches of a small town called Lawson. Although the people there are pleasant and likable, the town is depressed and lifeless due to having lost 62 ...

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | mccarthyism | hollywood blacklist | hollywood | film industry | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes your life comes into focus one frame at a time.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Neither the Majestic nor Mabel's Diner actually exist in Ferndale, where the movie was filmed. However, the newspaper office for the Lawson Beacon (across the street from the WWII memorial) is the actual newspaper office for the Ferndale Enterprise. The sheriff's office and city hall were facades built over opposite ends of the U.S. Bank building in town. The facade of The Majestic was built over a city parking lot. Only the facade and lobby were used for filming at that location. The indoor sets were built in buildings at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds.

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Goofs

When Leo Kubelsky tells Appleton that the "studio has suspended negotiations this morning," the shot shows Allen Garfield with a modern "in-ear" hearing aide.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Studio Executive: What about the kid?
Studio Executive: What kid?
Studio Executive: You know, the kid who rings the bell.
Studio Executive: What kid? What bell? What are you talking about?
Studio Executive: The kid. After the mine caves in. The kid. He runs up the hill. He rings the bell to alert the town.
Studio Executive: Is that in the script? What page are we on?
Studio Executive: What if we gave the kid - a disease.
Studio Executive: A disease?
Studio Executive: A *disease*. Braces on the legs, that sort of thing.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The Hollywood executives heard in the first scene are briefly heard over the Castle Rock logo. Postcards of Lawson fall down around the opening credits.

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Connections

References Yukon Manhunt (1951)

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Soundtracks

I Remember You
Written by Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger
Performed by Nat 'King' Cole
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under License from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

I liked it too although I'm not usually a Jim Carey fan

This DVD came in my last batch from Netflix, and I wondered why I had ever chosen it. Finally on a rainy Saturday, I put it on and was enchanted and moved. Jim Carey was great as were all the cast. The story seemed so very timely in light of recent national events. A land where dissenting voices are labeled unpatriotic and people of intellect and wide-ranging analysis are dismissed as elitist is positively frightening. "The Majestic" shows how we can get back to being our best selves and fulfill our promise as a nation that now seems so bleak to some of us. Caring about each other, our community, that is how we really come alive and make a difference. Building and striving for what is possible and making it safe to express and fulfill dreams gives me hope that we really can get back to where we belong if we'd only stop being so self-righteous, rude, and intolerant. I grew up in the party of Eisenhower but never felt that opposing ideas were unpatriotic. We need to be kinder to each other, recapture the courtesy of a lost era, be thoughtful and intellectually curious to be sure that we come up with the very best ideas and solutions we can in today's world. "The Majestic" is a wonderful reminder of what ordinary people can do when we come together and work to achieve something that uplifts a whole community. I heartily recommend it.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Awards Site - trailer, screenings [United States] Warner Bros. story, trailer, downloads [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bijou

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$72,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,904,339, 23 December 2001

Gross USA:

$27,807,266

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,317,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

152 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1