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3. The Majestic

I suspect this choice will raise the most eyebrows, as The Majestic - Carrey’s first true serious role - was a flop and received mostly mixed or negative critical reviews. To me, however, whatever infirmities one might point out to in the plot of the movie (they are more clichés than plot problems), none have to do with Carrey’s performance (which is, after all, what we are talking about here).

Indeed, this movie is significant to me as a Carrey fan because, as mentioned, it represents his first serious role, and I think he delivers. The story centers on a Hollywood writer who is shunned after he is suspected of having ties to communism. After losing his memory in a car accident, he begins a new life in a small community that mistakes him for a beloved lost World War II hero. The setup for heartbreak and disillusionment is clear, and the expected redemption does not fail to deliver. The whole set up sounds, admittedly, over the top.

But, despite these simple while overused plot devices, The Majestic has a lot to offer. For one, it is a Frank Darabont vehicle, and it basks in the usual visual aesthetics you have come to expect from his movies. And if one allows oneself to be immersed in the nostalgic feelings of the piece, a subtle narrative about postwar America and the loss and rebirth of hope emerge. In the middle of it, Carrey delivers a multifaceted performance as his character moves in and out of different stages of memory loss and composure, that feels as real as the story becomes.

One of his most underrated movies, I strongly recommend revisiting The Majestic as the turning point in Jim Carrey’s career. And perhaps I’m just a sucker for this kind of period piece, interpersonal relationship life epic drama with all its faux and expected tear-jerk crescendos.

2. The Truman Show

It was very difficult not to place what is likely my favorite Jim Carrey movie of all time in the number one spot. This Peter Weir drama/comedy about reality TV and its excesses, before reality TV took off into what it is today, tells the story of a boy purchased by a TV network to become a non-stop reality TV sensation inside a life-sized movie studio in California.

It may have helped that when I first saw the movie I had no idea what it was about, so I was astonished as the true reality of Truman’s life is slowly and subtly revealed, and then permanently hooked onto the film. It might have also helped that I was a self-centered teenager when I saw the movie, and truly believed that the Truman Show was about my life. But I’ve seen The Truman Show countless times since then and it holds up well even when you know what the story is about and when one no longer sees oneself reflected in the persona of the character.

Carrey is underpinned by strong atmospheric elements - Weir’s direction, Laura Linney’s and Ed Harris’s superb performances, a precise and novel soundtrack, and a singularly original and amusing story. But at the heart of it all, once more, lies Carrey’s delivery. He plays the innocent victim/goof of the plot exquisitely. He plays a grown man whose circumstances (i.e., being sheltered in the show) have made him boyish, even impish. But these circumstances have also led him to have emotional traumas, hidden and repressed memories, but, above all, unstoppable aspirations and curiosities.

Carrey is masterful and exquisite in conveying with his signature facial expressions the several layers of this character’s persona - a sweet, simpleton at first glance, but a much more observing and emotionally mature individual than one would expect. Like Carrey as an actor himself, Truman evolves before our very eyes into a stunning, heart-pounding denouement that says as much about the individual human life/condition as it does about our relationship with reality entertainment, drama, comedy, and life. Nor had Carrey ever looked more frightened while hopeful, afraid while expectant, than as Truman. Well, not until the next role on the list…

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