Magazine Dreams has finally been released. It was almost completely shelved after its star, Jonathan Majors was accused of domestic violence and put on trial. But after being acquitted, Roadside Pictures decided to release the film and I for one am glad they did because this may be the best performance of Jonathan Major’s career. It’s Oscar-worthy and I do not doubt that we will be talking about this performance during award season. While the film is not an easy movie to watch, it’s gut-wrenching and emotional, and the story is marked by an even better performance by Jonathan Majors. I remember two years ago when the movie was originally set to be released, critics were already giving it Oscar buzz, and I hope that despite any real-life controversy surrounding its star, there’s buzz surrounding his performance this year. Needless to say, I was intrigued by the film when it was going to be released in 2023, but sometimes Hollywood has a fickle memory especially when there’s real controversy surrounding the film. However, I hope other critics like myself can get past that and recognize the greatness within this film and why we need to be talking about Jonathan Majors’ performance.
The film center is around a troubled young man whose life’s ambition is to be a bodybuilder and Grace the covers of magazines, hence the name, Magazine Dreams. The character doesn’t have an easy life while also serving as a caregiver for his grandfather. We delve into his past with the tragic death of his parents, but he has one singular goal and that is to be the best bodybuilder in the world, to be Mr Olympian, and grace the covers of magazines. Immediately you feel for the character… It’s easy to sympathize with him even when he’s awkward and violent. Well, it is never explicitly explained whether the character is on the spectrum of Asperger’s or autism, you get a sense that he might be. But if the story does anything it sheds light on one’s mental health especially when dealing with the tragic death of a parent or both. Jonathan Majors is what drives this story. There’s a vulnerability to his character beyond anything we’ve ever seen in other characters he’s played. I very much enjoyed his character in Creed 3 and sympathized with the ex-boxer and best friend of Adonis Creed who in a strange twist of fate ends up going to prison and sees the life he could have had and Creed’s boxing career. While he may be the villain of that story, he doesn’t necessarily feel like a villain, just somebody who’s trying to survive. The same could be said of his character in Magazine Dreams even when he does some f@#ked up shit. I don’t make excuses for the character’s actions, but he’s also easily taken advantage of by judges and his bodybuilding hero. The film is a great movie even if you only watch it once because each scene is a chance to see all these tiny wonderful performances by Jonathan Majors as he shows a very vulnerable and broken character that you want to succeed, but know that he will not!
However, the film is not without its problems. Elijah Bynum, the writer and director has crafted a fabulous story but my biggest issue is the editing. Its about 20 minutes too long. This is a movie about a character self-destructing and making wrong choices while achieving his dreams, but it shouldn’t take 2 hours to get to the point where he will make the ultimate choice. While good films that deal with the self-destruction of a main character as always built upon little scenes that show that self-destruction. Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage is a good example, films shouldn’t have overkill when it comes to that story. We as an audience can only take so much. I use Leaving Las Vegas is a great example because it didn’t take 2 hours to see the complete self-destruction of the main character. But my criticism is not so much the story itself and delving into the character’s past because Elijah Bynum has written and directed a wonderful story. The real issue is editing and if you read my reviews I’ve complained about over and under-editing before. Setting a concise and straightforward pace that doesn’t make a movie feel too long especially when you’re dealing with emotional wreckage is the key to keeping the audience’s attention. I admit that I got to about 90 minutes and I was already ready for the movie to come to its final conclusion. However, the ending is amazing and delivers without fail, the idea that we are always one wrong choice from completely ruining our lives. Or in this case, one right choice that ends up saving us.
I won’t spoil the ending, but the journey that the audience will take is worth it when getting to the end. And Jonathan Majors does a fantastic job making us care and be sympathetic towards his character. He makes us connect with the character of Killian Maddox. Not every actor can truly do that. I’ve always believed that Jonathan Majors is a wonderful actor even if his performances are sometimes overshadowed by other cast members, but his performance in Magazine Dreams proves that when an actor can put their raw unfiltered emotions into a performance, something spectacular will come out of it. There’s a lot of movies where actors have won an Oscar for their performance, but we don’t always revisit that performance because it’s so emotionally gut-wrenching and this is certainly that kind of performance. It’s too early to tell whether Jonathan Majors will win any major awards for his performance or even be nominated, but he should because despite any flaws in his personal life, his art magnifies on the big screen and that’s what we should remember him for because nobody in real life is perfect, but actors can give a perfect performance. That’s what Jonathan Majors did in this emotionally charged film that makes his character easily sympathetic despite his flaws. YES, Magazine Dreams is worth watching if nothing else per Jonathan Majors’ brilliant, award-winning performance!
