"The Majestic" borrows Capra-esque themes (ordinary Joe gains strength from small-town goodness to battle a corrupt government) as it celebrates the magic of movies themselves.
Writer Michael Sloane's inventive McCarthy era fable (of an amnesiac screenwriter who's mistaken for the long lost war hero son of a small town) touches on meaningful themes of identity, loss, the high cost of war and the principles on which this country was founded.
The central theme of the film, as Carrey's character helps the town rebuild its dilapidated movie house, is that the movies are our temple of wonder and refuge from the harsh realities of life.
It's a movie that's unashamedly in love with the movies, and with human themes that have fallen out of favor in our cynical times.
Frank Darabont's large cast avoids the cutesie-pie acting style that makes Capra's films seem dated today. Carrey's cynical wink to the audience is replaced here by open-hearted earnestness; Martin Landau is wonderful as the lost hero's father; and Lori Holden combines dream girl perfection with honest acting skill as the girl he left behind.
Writer Michael Sloane's inventive McCarthy era fable (of an amnesiac screenwriter who's mistaken for the long lost war hero son of a small town) touches on meaningful themes of identity, loss, the high cost of war and the principles on which this country was founded.
The central theme of the film, as Carrey's character helps the town rebuild its dilapidated movie house, is that the movies are our temple of wonder and refuge from the harsh realities of life.
It's a movie that's unashamedly in love with the movies, and with human themes that have fallen out of favor in our cynical times.
Frank Darabont's large cast avoids the cutesie-pie acting style that makes Capra's films seem dated today. Carrey's cynical wink to the audience is replaced here by open-hearted earnestness; Martin Landau is wonderful as the lost hero's father; and Lori Holden combines dream girl perfection with honest acting skill as the girl he left behind.