"There are no heroes or villains. Only victims."
--Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
Hollywood screenwriter Peter Appleton (JIM CARREY), a staff writer at HHS Studios in 1951, is an ambitious up-and-comer. His first produced screenplay, a 'B' movie swashbuckler entitled "Sand Pirates of the Sahara," has just opened on a double bill with John Huston's adventure, "The African Queen," at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.
Not only is Appleton enjoying professional success, he has a hot starlet girlfriend, Sandra Sinclair (AMANDA DETMER), the female lead in his big screen debut.
However, life is full of 'what if's...'
What if Appleton were suddenly targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee for suspected Communist leanings uncovered during his college years?
What if Appleton lost not only his job and his girl, but his identity as well in a serious car crash in which the young writer developed amnesia?
What if Appleton, unsure as to who he really is, stumbles into a charming little town on Northern California's coast and is mistaken for one of the town's long lost World War II heroes?
Two-time Golden Globe winner JIM CARREY ("Man on the Moon," "The Truman Show") toplines a stellar cast as Hollywood screenwriter Peter Appleton, the victimized writer who falls under the suspicions of the House Un-American Activities Committee during their ongoing investigation of Communist influences in Hollywood. Barred from his studio, Appleton loses his job and his identity only to find new courage, love and the power of conviction in the heart of a small town.
In addition to Carrey, director Darabont assembled a luminous supporting cast that includes Academy Award winner MARTIN LANDAU ("Ed Wood") as Harry Trimble, owner of the town's aged movie palace, The Majestic; Emmy nominee DAVID OGDEN STIERS ("Curse of the Jade Scorpion") as the town's physician, Doc Stanton; and two-time Academy Award nominee JAMES WHITMORE ("The Shawshank Redemption") as elderly pawnbroker, Stan Keller. Film newcomer LAURIE HOLDEN (TV's "The X-Files") has her first big screen starring role as Adele Stanton, the small-town girl who gets to fall in love all over again with her long lost war hero.
The film also co-stars such acclaimed actors as Tony Award winner RON RIFKIN ("The Sum of All Fears") as Appleton's studio lawyer, Kevin Bannerman; ALLEN GARFIELD ("The Candidate") as Appleton's agent, Leo Kubelsky; BOB BALABAN ("The Mexican") as Majority Counsel, Elvin Clyde; JEFFREY DeMUNN ("The Green Mile") as the town's Mayor, Ernie Cole; BRENT BRISCOE ("The Green Mile") as town Sheriff Cecil Coleman; AMANDA DETMER ("Saving Silverman") as Appleton's girlfriend, actress Sandra Sinclair; and HAL HOLBROOK ("The Firm") as Congressman Doyle.
Darabont has also populated his ensemble with some relatively unknown big screen performers, including BRIAN HOWE ("K-PAX") as Carl Leffert, Luke's boyhood friend; KARL BURY (TV's "The Practice") as Bob Leffert, the scarred WWII survivor; stage veterans SUSAN WILLIS ("What About Bob?") and GERRY BLACK (TV's "Hill Street Blues") as Irene Terwilliger and Emmett Smith, the longtime employees at The Majestic; and CATHERINE DENT ("Someone Like You") as Mabel, owner of the town's diner.
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