It tells a full story with three acts, it introduces characters we get to know and care about, and it has something it passionately wants to say.

Marks a surprising maturity, restraint and confidence to Carrey's acting. Even more than "The Truman Show," he plays it perfectly straight here, and his natural charisma carries the movie with just the right dose of Jimmy Stewart charm.

For those who appreciate movies that capture almost every emotion -- from laughter to tears, suspense to tranquillity -- The Majestic was made for you.

Channels the spirit of Frank Capra in this serio-sentimental fable about a man who loses his memory but finds his soul.

A real sentimental journey -- and luckily they've got both the right director (Darabont) and the right actor to squeeze our heartstrings.

Maybe this well-loved Luke is who his neighbors want him to be, a good fellow who, with his father, reopens the old movie house in town -- the Majestic -- thus allowing his neighbors to dream in the dark again.

A sweet, visually handsome sermon, but it's too dramatically bland to convert even the converted.

A pale imitation that challenges credulity and tries too hard to win our hearts with schmaltz.

If only I liked The Majestic half as much as I liked Carrey in it.

Darabont and Sloane stumble consistently and fall into the abyss.

That Carrey, who's a bit old for the part, always seems one facial muscle away from a smirk doesn't help matters.

Has sentimental goo oozing from its opening frame, and the gunk gets so thick so fast, it's a wonder the projector doesn't freeze before the molasses-strapped finale.

The story has to carry way too much weight, as war remorse battles McCarthyism. The Majestic's makers don't get what made Capra movies invigorating.

Might have been more successful if Darabont and his pal had attempted a Preston Sturges-like farce. Instead, it's played totally without any kind of edge - a fantasy that makes "The Lord of the Rings" look realistic by comparison.