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This movie from the Frank Darabont, director of Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile highlights the actor Jim Carrey in a more serious role - totally unlike his usual comedy. This film has a great message about standing up for what we believe in against any kind of oppression or tyranny even if it comes from our own government. This is told using a flavorful twist of identities, which of course is based primarily upon the old French Medieval legend- Return of Martin Guerre, and the growing concern of communism in the late 40's and early 50's. There are also some other historical aspects that need to be addressed. This movie came at the eve of 9-11, which led to a massive hysteria over, not Commies, but of Muslims. Interesting how the writer/director Darabont takes this lost character who takes another's identity and transforms him into a hero by simply adding that Carrey had amnesia. He now has a great message to give to the courts and to the "whole of mankind." At the time this movie came out, it seemed like the movie had little purpose and meaning. Watching it today, it has gained a new meaning and warning on our civilization(wasn't Darabont lucky). The originality, color, relationships, character development, angles, and plot development all draw to make this film highly enjoyable. This film receives 88.5 out of 100 points. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Read full review
Jim Carrey steps outside his usual 'rubber-faced' comedic role to actually bring us a down-home All American bit of feel-good movie. Although there are still many bits that will bring a chuckle or two, the overall gist of the movie portrays the heavy-handedness of the US Government in it's search for "Commies" in the J Edgar Hoover days when even attending a rally (in this case to impress a girl) could land one on the listing of undesirables and bring you to the attention of the FBI. Jim plays a movie writer who falls under this stigmata, loses his girlfriend, his movie gets canceled from production, and to top it all off, after an evening of drinking, he accidentally drives his car off a cliff, wakes up with amnesia, and gets mistaken for a MIA soldier in a small California town. His plight is made more serious because of a love interest who thinks her love has returned from the dead, a father who had lost hope and let the family theater, The Majestic, fall into disrepair, and an entire town who truly loved the boy who had left for war and never returned. With no memory of his life, one couldn't fault Jim for wanting to have this one... and while the FBI search for him goes on, he had to come to terms eventually when the restored Majestic inadvertently shows his own movie... opening the floodgates about the time that the FBI shows up. Heartwarming and honest, this movie truly will make anyone with a bit of soul pleased, from the 'true love found' to the patriotic speech given in the FBI hearing, to the true meaning of the word "community".Read full review
In this movie, Jim Carey became a serious actor. As a Hollywood screen-writer, Peter Appleton's patriotism is called into question over a meeting that he attended years ago with a past girlfriend. The meeting was deemed as subversive. He is suspended and his movie put on hold, and he is ordered to appear and testify at a Senate Hearing on un-American activities. He drinks too much and goes for a drive to clear his mind and has an accident. . . The next morning he wakes up on a beach with no memory of who he is or where he is from. He has no identification. A local man takes him to a doctor and soon everybody recognizes him as Luke Trimbol, a local hero, and Medal of Honor winner who went missing in the war more than ten years ago. Even his apparent father believes that he is the missing son. Eventually, the entire town and even the fiancee left behind when he went off to war, believe that he is in fact Luke Trimbol. With no memory, and everyone else so sure, it is easy to understand how he was convinced too. This small California town had given almost one hundred of its children to the war and the return of just one of them was ample reason for jubilation. Luke had grown up in the apartment above the movie theater, "The Majestik". After the crippling losses of the war, the entire town was in depression, and it's spirit just died. The Majestik fell into disrepair, and for years the town went on, but was deeply changed. Now, the happiness, or at least some of it, has returned. . . It is time to celebrate, to have a party, to live once more. Although he still couldn't remember anything, Luke was beginning to accept who he was, and who his father and girlfriend were, and he was trying hard to believe all he was hearing. His father decides it is time to try to reopen the theater, and he and Luke begin the process. Spurred on by this project, the entire town gets into the spirit of it, and eventually it reopens to the cheer of the entire town. Once again, there was joy and hope in their town; once again there was life and happiness. One day while polishing the window over a show bill, Luke's memory floods back when he recognizes the title of the movie as one that he had written. He now remembers that he is Peter Appleton, and not Luke Trimbol. He doesn't know what to do or where to turn. Suddenly the man who he thought was his father; the man who had embraced him as his returned son, and had loved him, has a heart attack and dies. Shortly following the funeral, he tries to tell his girlfriend the truth, but the FBI shows up and he is outed to the town. Nobody knows how to feel, and many are now suspicious of him. Forced to return to LA and testify in a Senate hearing on communism, he has been advised to deliver an apology admitting his error and that would be the end of it. However, the foreman of the hearing tried to make him look like a communist, and Peter refused to accept this. Instead he quoted the constitution to him and the right of free speech and assembly, and held up Luke Trimbol's Medal of Honor. He further chastised the entire panel and hearing as anti-American, and got up and left. They had inadvertently made a hero of him. Having never known such acceptance and joy anywhere else, he returns to the woman he has grown to love. He will roll the dice and see what happens. When he returns, he finds that the entire town has heard his testimony and what he has said about their town, and welcome him home as a native son.Read full review
It is a great movie that I have paid to rent several times and I just had to have my own copy. It is a feel good film and it has a wonderful story line. I also love the time period following WWII.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Peter Appleton is a script writer during the 1950's who is suspected to be a Communist among many Hollywood film people (which is not true). Along the way, he gets into a freak car accident and suffers amnesia, then ends up in a small California town. There he lives in a run down movie theatre where he learns the magic of experiencing a movie in it. Soon, the Communist hunters find him and call him to testify before a Senate hearing committee. This is a nice movie. A movie that will make you laugh. The story (a man with amnesia is seen as a long lost son in a small town) is not that special, but it has some nice things to avoid the bigger cliches. This movie is very well made, and in the end you will have a nice feeling about it. I recommend it to anyone. It is to be enjoyed.