The Majestic
Encyclopedia
The Majestic is a 2001 American drama film
, directed by Frank Darabont
and starring Jim Carrey
and Laurie Holden
. Written by Michael Sloane
, the film features a supporting cast of Martin Landau
, James Whitmore
, Bob Balaban
, Jeffrey DeMunn
, Hal Holbrook
, and Bruce Campbell
. Filmed in Ferndale, California
, it was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 21, 2001. Jim Carrey's performance in The Majestic was a departure from his previous work, which were mostly comedy film
s.
), an up-and-coming young screenwriter, is accused of being a Communist
because he attended an antiwar
meeting in college years before, a meeting he claims he only attended to impress a girl. In an instant, his new film is pushed back for a few months, the credit is given to someone else, his movie star girlfriend leaves him, and his contract with the studio is dropped.
His career in ruins, he gets drunk and accidentally drives his car off a bridge while trying to evade an opossum. When he wakes up, his memory is lost and he is in a small town called Lawson after being fished out by Stan Keller (James Whitmore
) who takes him to the local doctor named Doc Stanton (David Ogden Stiers
). The townsfolk believe him to be Luke Trimble, one of the town boys killed in World War II
9 years before, and embrace him as a symbol of hope. "Luke" is at first mildly hesitant to embrace this life but he eventually settles in to "his old life", and with his "father" Harry (Martin Landau
) and his "girlfriend" Adele Stanton (Laurie Holden
), starts to restore The Majestic theater, an old movie house that had been closed because of hard times.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.
, Congressional committee member Elvin Clyde (Bob Balaban
) is convinced that Appleton's disappearance is proof that he is a Communist. No one in Hollywood knows about the accident. Clyde sends two federal agents to search for him. Back in Lawson, not everyone believes that "Luke" is back. Bob Leffert (Karl Bury), a one-handed soldier who knew the real Luke and did not like him not only is convinced that Peter is not Luke, he also believes that this stranger is setting the town up for more heartbreak. Others question where Luke has been for so long, and what he has been doing in the interim.
A few days later, the town throws a welcome home party for "Luke" headed by Mayor Ernie Cole (Jeffrey DeMunn
). The town then asks him to play the piano which he used to do when he was a kid. But instead of playing one of the classics he was taught to play, he eventually falls into a roadhouse boogie tune. On his way home, he runs into Bob, who confronts him about the suspicions he has had about "Luke", and then punches him when Peter makes a remark about how the war must have changed him. Finally Peter, Harry, Adele and the rest of the townsfolk succeed in rebuilding The Majestic. In the events, Peter also convinces the town to finally display a memorial that President Franklin D. Roosevelt
had commissioned for after the war, but that the town did not have the heart to erect.
Peter regains his memory when the Majestic shows a movie he wrote called "Sand Pirates of the Sahara." At the same moment, Harry has a heart attack before the reel change. Moments later, Doc reveals that Harry's lungs have flooded and that he will die soon. At Harry's death bed, Peter lets him die believing that he is really his son.
Immediately after the funeral, he tells Adele that he is not Luke. The whole town discovers the truth when federal agents Ellerby (Daniel von Bargen
) and Saunders (Shawn Doyle
) confront him publicly after two boys discover his car washed up on the beach. When Sheriff Cecil Coleman (Brent Briscoe
) asks if he can help the federal agents with something, the agents present Peter with a summons to appear before Congress.
That night at the Majestic, Peter's agent advises him to "admit" and then denounce his past associations with the Communist Party, and presents him with a list of named "Communists" that he could read before the court to clear his name. Initially, Peter reluctantly agrees to this plan, but an argument with Adele and a letter he finds that was written as a sort of "goodbye letter" from the real Luke (voiced by Matt Damon
) trying to explain to Adele that he knows he is dying for a real cause inspire Peter to instead confront the committee.
At the hearing headed up by Congressman Doyle (Hal Holbrook
) which is televised with the citizens of Lawson also watching, Peter makes an impassioned speech about American ideals, which wins the crowd over. Fearing a political backlash, the lawmakers let him go free. Peter then finds out that it was in fact the girl that he went to the college meeting with years before that named him to the committee (it is revealed that she had since become a producer for Studio One).
Peter then returns to Lawson, fearing an unwelcome reception. To Peter's surprise, he receives a hero's welcome from the town's citizens, who have come to respect Peter as an individual. In an epilogue
, Peter settles in Lawson, marries Adele, and they have a son.
on the torn screen while Emmett Smith (Gerry Black) watches in the theater holding his dog, reminiscing about France and World War I. The scene shown is Melisande desperately trying to hold onto James as he is being sent up to the front lines. The Big Parade is not named in the film, and is only referenced by Harry as "the first film ever shown in the theater."
A brief appearance of the golden idol
from Raiders of the Lost Ark
can be seen in Peter Appleton's in-film movie, Sand Pirates of the Sahara.
which were positive. Kenneth Turan
of Los Angeles Times
commented that it was a "derivative, self-satisfied fable that couldn't be more treacly and simple-minded if it tried". A notable exception to this trail was Roger Ebert
, who praised the film and its ideals:
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, directed by Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont is a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and producer who has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. He has directed the films The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all based on stories by Stephen King...
and starring Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
and Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden
Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The...
. Written by Michael Sloane
Michael Sloane
Michael Sloane in Los Angeles, California, is an American actor, writer and director. His writing credits include The Majestic and Two Paths.-External links:...
, the film features a supporting cast of Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
, James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
, Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
, Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn is an American theatre, film and television actor.-Life and career:DeMunn was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Violet and James DeMunn. Stepson of noted actress Betty Lutes DeMunn...
, Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
, and Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
. Filmed in Ferndale, California
Ferndale, California
Ferndale is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Known for its well-preserved Victorian buildings, the city's population was 1,371 at the 2010 census, down from 1,382 at the 2000 census...
, it was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 21, 2001. Jim Carrey's performance in The Majestic was a departure from his previous work, which were mostly comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
s.
Plot
During the early 1950s, Peter Appleton (Jim CarreyJim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
), an up-and-coming young screenwriter, is accused of being a Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
because he attended an antiwar
Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance...
meeting in college years before, a meeting he claims he only attended to impress a girl. In an instant, his new film is pushed back for a few months, the credit is given to someone else, his movie star girlfriend leaves him, and his contract with the studio is dropped.
His career in ruins, he gets drunk and accidentally drives his car off a bridge while trying to evade an opossum. When he wakes up, his memory is lost and he is in a small town called Lawson after being fished out by Stan Keller (James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
) who takes him to the local doctor named Doc Stanton (David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers is an American actor, director, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his roles in Disney movies, as well as his performances in the television series M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy...
). The townsfolk believe him to be Luke Trimble, one of the town boys killed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
9 years before, and embrace him as a symbol of hope. "Luke" is at first mildly hesitant to embrace this life but he eventually settles in to "his old life", and with his "father" Harry (Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
) and his "girlfriend" Adele Stanton (Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden
Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The...
), starts to restore The Majestic theater, an old movie house that had been closed because of hard times.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Congressional committee member Elvin Clyde (Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
) is convinced that Appleton's disappearance is proof that he is a Communist. No one in Hollywood knows about the accident. Clyde sends two federal agents to search for him. Back in Lawson, not everyone believes that "Luke" is back. Bob Leffert (Karl Bury), a one-handed soldier who knew the real Luke and did not like him not only is convinced that Peter is not Luke, he also believes that this stranger is setting the town up for more heartbreak. Others question where Luke has been for so long, and what he has been doing in the interim.
A few days later, the town throws a welcome home party for "Luke" headed by Mayor Ernie Cole (Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn is an American theatre, film and television actor.-Life and career:DeMunn was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Violet and James DeMunn. Stepson of noted actress Betty Lutes DeMunn...
). The town then asks him to play the piano which he used to do when he was a kid. But instead of playing one of the classics he was taught to play, he eventually falls into a roadhouse boogie tune. On his way home, he runs into Bob, who confronts him about the suspicions he has had about "Luke", and then punches him when Peter makes a remark about how the war must have changed him. Finally Peter, Harry, Adele and the rest of the townsfolk succeed in rebuilding The Majestic. In the events, Peter also convinces the town to finally display a memorial that President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
had commissioned for after the war, but that the town did not have the heart to erect.
Peter regains his memory when the Majestic shows a movie he wrote called "Sand Pirates of the Sahara." At the same moment, Harry has a heart attack before the reel change. Moments later, Doc reveals that Harry's lungs have flooded and that he will die soon. At Harry's death bed, Peter lets him die believing that he is really his son.
Immediately after the funeral, he tells Adele that he is not Luke. The whole town discovers the truth when federal agents Ellerby (Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
) and Saunders (Shawn Doyle
Shawn Doyle
Shawn Doyle is a Canadian actor.Doyle was born and raised in Wabush, Newfoundland, the son of actor Jerry Doyle. He moved to Toronto to study theatre at York University....
) confront him publicly after two boys discover his car washed up on the beach. When Sheriff Cecil Coleman (Brent Briscoe
Brent Briscoe
Brent Briscoe is an American actor and screenwriter.Briscoe was born in Moberly, Missouri. After finishing his education at the University of Missouri, Briscoe launched his career as a theater actor. He then segued into screenwriting and acting in feature films...
) asks if he can help the federal agents with something, the agents present Peter with a summons to appear before Congress.
That night at the Majestic, Peter's agent advises him to "admit" and then denounce his past associations with the Communist Party, and presents him with a list of named "Communists" that he could read before the court to clear his name. Initially, Peter reluctantly agrees to this plan, but an argument with Adele and a letter he finds that was written as a sort of "goodbye letter" from the real Luke (voiced by Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
) trying to explain to Adele that he knows he is dying for a real cause inspire Peter to instead confront the committee.
At the hearing headed up by Congressman Doyle (Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
) which is televised with the citizens of Lawson also watching, Peter makes an impassioned speech about American ideals, which wins the crowd over. Fearing a political backlash, the lawmakers let him go free. Peter then finds out that it was in fact the girl that he went to the college meeting with years before that named him to the committee (it is revealed that she had since become a producer for Studio One).
Peter then returns to Lawson, fearing an unwelcome reception. To Peter's surprise, he receives a hero's welcome from the town's citizens, who have come to respect Peter as an individual. In an epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
, Peter settles in Lawson, marries Adele, and they have a son.
Production notes
Luke's father Harry is shown projecting the 1925 silent film The Big ParadeThe Big Parade
The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
on the torn screen while Emmett Smith (Gerry Black) watches in the theater holding his dog, reminiscing about France and World War I. The scene shown is Melisande desperately trying to hold onto James as he is being sent up to the front lines. The Big Parade is not named in the film, and is only referenced by Harry as "the first film ever shown in the theater."
A brief appearance of the golden idol
Golden Idol
The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol, also known as Golden Idol, is a fictitious artifact that appeared in the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a 1981 adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. Its likeness was made famous by the popularity of the film...
from Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
can be seen in Peter Appleton's in-film movie, Sand Pirates of the Sahara.
Cast
- Jim CarreyJim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
- Peter Appleton - Laurie HoldenLaurie HoldenHeather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The...
- Adele Stanton - Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
- Harry Trimble - David Ogden StiersDavid Ogden StiersDavid Ogden Stiers is an American actor, director, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his roles in Disney movies, as well as his performances in the television series M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy...
- Doc Stanton - James WhitmoreJames WhitmoreJames Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
- Stan Keller - Gerry Black - Emmett Smith
- Jeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunn is an American theatre, film and television actor.-Life and career:DeMunn was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Violet and James DeMunn. Stepson of noted actress Betty Lutes DeMunn...
- Mayor Ernie Cole - Brent BriscoeBrent BriscoeBrent Briscoe is an American actor and screenwriter.Briscoe was born in Moberly, Missouri. After finishing his education at the University of Missouri, Briscoe launched his career as a theater actor. He then segued into screenwriting and acting in feature films...
- Sheriff Cecil Coleman - Catherine DentCatherine DentCatherine Dent is an American actress who has starred in film and in television. Her first feature film was the 1994 movie Nobody's Fool....
- Mabel - Ron RifkinRon RifkinRon Rifkin is an American actor. He is best-known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias and as Saul Holden on the American family drama Brothers & Sisters.-Personal life:...
- Kevin Bannerman - Allen GarfieldAllen GarfieldAllen Garfield, born and sometimes credited as Allen Goorwitz , is an American film and television actor.-Biography:...
- Leo Kubelsky - Amanda DetmerAmanda DetmerAmanda Jeannette Detmer is an American actress who has appeared in various films and television shows.-Life and career:...
- Sandra Sinclair - Hal HolbrookHal HolbrookHarold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
- Congressman Doyle - Bob BalabanBob BalabanRobert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
- Elvin Clyde - Daniel von BargenDaniel von BargenDaniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
- Federal Agent Ellerby - Shawn DoyleShawn DoyleShawn Doyle is a Canadian actor.Doyle was born and raised in Wabush, Newfoundland, the son of actor Jerry Doyle. He moved to Toronto to study theatre at York University....
- Federal Agent Saunders - Csilla Horvath - Nurse Muriel
- Earl BoenEarl BoenEarl Boen is an American actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series...
- Newsreel Announcer (voice) - Bruce CampbellBruce CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
- Roland the Intrepid Explorer - Cliff CurtisCliff CurtisClifford Vivian Devon "Cliff" Curtis is a New Zealand actor who has had major roles in film, including The Piano, Whale Rider, and Blow, and most recently has appeared in NBC's television series Trauma. He is also co-owner of independent film production company Whenua Films...
- The Evil But Handsome Prince Khalid - Michael SloaneMichael SloaneMichael Sloane in Los Angeles, California, is an American actor, writer and director. His writing credits include The Majestic and Two Paths.-External links:...
- Kindly Old Professor Meredith - Matt DamonMatt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
- Luke Trimble (voice) - J. Edgar HooverJ. Edgar HooverJohn Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
- Himself (archive footage, uncredited) - Garry MarshallGarry MarshallGarry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
- Unnamed Studio Executive #1 (voice cameo) - Paul MazurskyPaul MazurskyPaul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
- Unnamed Studio Executive #2 (voice cameo) - Sydney PollackSydney PollackSydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
- Unnamed Studio Executive #3 (voice cameo) - Carl ReinerCarl ReinerCarl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during this career...
- Unnamed Studio Executive #4 (voice cameo) - Rob ReinerRob ReinerRobert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
- Unnamed Studio Executive #5 (voice cameo)
Reception
The film met with mixed reviews from many critics; it received a score of 42% based on the percentage of reviews tallied by rotten tomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
which were positive. Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
commented that it was a "derivative, self-satisfied fable that couldn't be more treacly and simple-minded if it tried". A notable exception to this trail was Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who praised the film and its ideals:
- "It flies the flag in honor of our World War II heroes, and evokes nostalgia for small-town movie palaces and the people who run them... Frank Darabont has deliberately tried to make the kind of movie CapraFrank CapraFrank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
made, about decent small-town folks standing up for traditional American values. In an age of Rambo patriotism, it is good to be reminded of Capra patriotism--to remember that America is not just about fighting and winning, but about defending our freedoms."