Jim Carrey is a phenomenal actor. It doesn’t seem to matter whether he’s doing a goofy or a serious role—he takes it to the limit and doesn’t back off. I think one of his best performances is in “The Majestic,” a PG-rated film set in 1951.
Peter Appleton is a screenplay writer. He’s been creating B movies for most of his career and has just finished the script for a film he believes will get him on the A list at last. But just as the film is getting ready for production, Peter is blacklisted—Congress wants him to admit to having Communist ties. Losing his job and his future in one fell swoop, Peter goes to a bar, where he has a little too much to drink and ends up driving off a bridge and into the river. He’s washed up on the shores of a small town called Lawson, where everyone is amazed at his resemblance to Luke Trimble, a young man who went off to war and never came back. In fact, some believe he is Luke, but he can’t refute their claims – he got a pretty bad head injury and can’t remember who he is.
The man who believes himself to be Luke’s father, Harry Trimble, is played by Martin Landau, who delivers one of the best performances of his life as he welcomes home the son he thought was dead. Luke’s fiancé Adele is also shocked to see him, but commits to helping him try to jog his memory. Together the town comes together to welcome him and make him feel at home, but he just doesn’t remember any of it.
For a time, we as the viewers are kept in suspense, wondering if perhaps Peter really is Luke. If Luke lost his memory during the war and returned not knowing who he was, isn’t it possible he could have become a movie writer in Hollywood?
As Peter’s memory returns and he knows he must go testify before Congress, he’s unsure what to do. He doesn’t want to go to jail. If he reads a statement in which he promises to turn his back on his Communist ways, he’ll be able to return to work. But he knows full well he’s not a Communist, and he finally gets up the nerve to protest his treatment in a powerful scene.
I cried several times during this movie. The love Harry shows Peter when he believes him to be Luke. The way Peter returns that love, even after his memory returns and he knows he’s not Harry’s son, appreciating the care and concern Harry has for him. The patriotism I felt as I saw Peter standing up for his Constitutional rights – I got goosebumps. This film is deeply impacting on an emotional level, and it’s one I’ll recommend over and over again.
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