The Majestic



The Majestic is a 2001 film featuring Jim Carrey in one of his first serious roles.

It is 1951 and screenwriter Peter Appleton (Carrey) is about to get his big break when he's blacklisted as a Communist and subsequently fired from the studios. No-one wants to be associated with him, so naturally he heads to the bar and tells a bottle of beer all his problems. After driving his car off a bridge, Appleton miraculously survives, albeit without his memory. He wanders into the town of Lawson, California. In a bizarre coincidence, Peter is a dead ringer for Luke Trimble - one of the town's young men who never returned from the war. Convinced that he is his missing son, Harry Trimble takes Peter in and tries to pick their lives together back up where they left off. Peter tries to fit into his new identity, hoping to regain his memories. All the while the House of Unamerican Activities Committee is hunting him down...

Provides Examples Of:

 * Amnesiac Hero: Peter.
 * B Movie : Sand Pirates of the Sahara, Peter's new movie.
 * Complete with a cameo by the king of B-movies, Bruce Campbell.
 * Back From the Dead: Luke, sort of. Appleton, when he returns to the court.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: What the locals first think Appleton is.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Adele.
 * Eagle Land: Lawson, California seems to embody Type 1 for the most part, though it can also come across as a tad more progressive than the times. On the other hand, Los Angeles in general and the HUAC represent Type 2, showing the darker sides of the decade.
 * Easy Amnesia: It lasts exactly long enough.
 * Executive Meddling: Several scenes show Peter trying to deal with executives toying with his masterpiece script. Their banter and suggestions are painfully realistic in their absurdity.
 * Fan Boy: Harry Trimble loves films, to the extent that when he misses a reel change he won't stop apologizing.
 * Identical Stranger: The entire plot runs on this.
 * Never Found the Body: Why Harry believes Peter is Luke.
 * Only Sane Man: When the whole town is overjoyed at the return of Luke, Adele is pretty cynical.
 * Quest for Identity: Peter tries so hard to be Luke.
 * Red Scare: Peter is under investigation by the House of Unamerican Activities Committee.
 * Show Within a Show: Sand Pirates of the Sahara
 * The Fifties
 * Throwing Out the Script: Peter has a prepared statement for HUAC that was prepared by his lawyer and specifically tailored to get him off the Hollywood blacklist. However, when he starts to read it his throat goes dry and he realizes how wrong all of this is. He proceeds to chew out the committee and tell them what America is truly founded on.
 * Witch Hunt: HUAC and their Commie hunt.
 * You Can't Go Home Again: