In 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.
Peter Appleton is an ambitious young screenwriter working for HHS Studios during Hollywood's Golden Age--1951 in particular. "Ashes to Ashes" is about to be released, and he's dating its attractive star, Sandra Sinclair. Just when everything seems to be going his way, it is discovered that he (unwittingly) attended a Communist meeting during college when dragged there by his girlfriend at the time; thus, heavy suspicion settles over him and he must stand before Congress. Afraid of what might happen if they don't, HHS cancels Appleton's contract and aborts the film's release. Appleton promptly plunges into self-pity and spends nearly a whole night at a bar, then drives intoxicated through the streets of California until he plummets into a stormy river and is knocked unconscious. He washes up on the beaches of a small town called Lawson. The citizens are pleasant and likable, but the town is depressed and lifeless after losing 62 of its sons in World War II. One of them, Luke Trimble, was Missing in Action, and miraculously, Peter bears a striking resemblance to the black-and-white photos: close enough to fool even Luke's father Harry. And the alcohol and blow to the head have brought on amnesia, so Peter decides that he must be who they think he is. Besides, it's not a bad life: Luke's beautiful girlfriend, lawyer Adele Stanton, is all over him; the town has sudden sprung back to life with excitement, and he and his "father" rebuild a movie palace Harry used to run, The Majestic. Unfortunately, Peter's memory returns in time for G-men to track him down.—Bloggers!
Jim Carrey plays Peter Appleton, an egoistic studio scriptwriter in post-WWII Hollywood. Appleton's career is just getting off the ground when his name comes to the attention of a Congressional committee investigating the Communist affiliations of prominent Americans. Finding himself blacklisted by his studio, Appleton drinks too much, then goes for a long drive. He awakens on a deserted beach near a small town, but besides not knowing where he is, he doesn't know who he is or where he's supposed to be. The residents of Lawton, the small town, are calling him "Luke Trimble," because Appleton bears an uncanny resemblance to their much-beloved hometown boy. In the weeks that follow, the townspeople "remind" Appleton why Luke was so well-liked, and finds himself living up to a new set of values he never possessed prior to his accident--and liking himself the better for it.—- written by: R. Merriman <[email protected]>
The Back Story: The loss of so many young men in WWII by one town is reminiscent of the real-life tragic story of Bedford, Virginia. After many years, how would the townsfolk of a tightly-knit community react if one of their lost Johnnies came marching home?—El T
In this Capra-esque drama set during the 1950s Blacklist, ambitious young screenwriter Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) loses his job and his identity, only to find new courage, love, and the power of conviction in the heart of a small town's life.—<[email protected]>
In 1951, in the midst of the Second Red Scare, Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is an up-and-coming young screenwriter in Hollywood. He learns from studio lawyer Leo Kubelsky (Allen Garfield) and his own attorney Kevin Bannerman (Ron Rifkin) that he has been accused of being a communist, because he attended an antiwar meeting in his college years, a meeting he claims he only attended to impress a girl.
In an instant, Peter's new film Ashes to Ashes is pushed back for a few months, the credit is given to someone else, his movie star girlfriend Sandra Sinclair (Amanda Detmer) leaves him, and his contract with the studio is dropped. Peter gets drunk and goes for a drive up the coast, where he accidentally drives his car off a bridge to avoid an opossum.
He comes to on an ocean beach experiencing amnesia. Peter is found by Stan Keller (James Whitmore) who helps him to the nearby town of Lawson, California, and the local doctor, Doc Stanton (David Ogden Stiers), tends to his wounds. As the town welcomes him, Harry Trimble (Martin Landau) arrives and believes Peter to be his son Luke, who went MIA during World War II nine years ago. Due to his amnesia, Peter accepts himself being treated as Luke by the rest of the town, led by Mayor Ernie Cole (Jeffrey DeMunn), as Sheriff Cecil Coleman (Brent Briscoe) tells Doc to "tell her slowly." Peter warms up to the town, including getting to know Harry and also Luke's girlfriend Adele (Laurie Holden), who is the Doc's daughter.
Peter adjusts to the new life and helps to renovate The Majestic, a movie theater that had become derelict due to hard times. Bob Leffert (Karl Bury), a veteran of the war who knew Luke, does not believe Peter is Luke, and fears Peter may be setting the town up for heartbreak, given they had lost sixty other young men during the war. Despite this, Peter helps to restore the theater, invigorate the town, and encourages Mayor Cole to display a memorial, commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the war, that the town did not previously have the heart to display.
Meanwhile, Peter's disappearance leads Congressional committee member Elvin Clyde (Bob Balaban) to believe Peter is a communist, and he sends two federal agents Ellerby and Saunders to California to search for him where they follow a lead on his car showing up on a beach.Peter recovers from his amnesia when The Majestic shows his first movie Sand Pirates of the Sahara, and his screenwriting credit jolts him. Harry suffers from a fatal heart attack before the reel change. After examining him, Doc reports that Harry's time is short. Peter cannot come to admit the truth, allowing Harry to die believing he is Luke.
After the funeral, Peter admits the truth to Adele, who had already suspected it and supports his decision to tell the rest of town. Before he can do so, federal agents Ellery (Daniel Von Bargen) and Saunders (Shawn Doyle), as well as Leo and some police officers, arrive. When Sheriff Coleman asks if they need any help with anything, the federal agents reveal Peter's true identity to the whole town and give him a summons to appear before a congressional committee in Los Angeles. During their meeting, Leo advises Peter to agree to reveal a list of other named "communists" in order to clear his own name. Later that night, the Majestic's usher Emmett admits that he knew Peter wasn't Luke after hearing Peter play a roadhouse boogie at the town festival, since Luke was more inclined to classical music.
The next day, Peter has an argument with Adele over this decision, and she gives him a letter she had gotten from the real Luke, as he boards the train. On the train, Peter reads the letter which contains Luke stating his awareness that he might die in the war for a real cause, as well as a pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution and Luke's Medal of Honor.
Peter changes his mind at the session, which is watched by all of Lawson on television, and confronts Congressman Doyle during the session. Peter gives an impassioned speech about American ideals, which sways the crowd, especially when he holds up Luke's Medal of Honor, and forces the lawmakers to let him go free. As Peter discusses the result with Kevin, he learns that the girl he met in college was the one that had named him to the committee.Peter attempts to return to his former career but finds he cannot deal with the ridiculousness of the studio executives' ideas, and leaves Hollywood.
After sending Adele a telegram, Peter instead returns to Lawson, fearing an unwelcome reception. Instead, he receives a hero's welcome from the town's citizens who have come to respect him as an individual. Peter then resumes ownership and management of The Majestic, marries Adele, and they have a son together.
