Jonathan Majors hoped-for comeback indie, Magazine Dreams, appears to be Dead On Arrival.
Grade: C+ (** out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster
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The boxing drama may not even crack $900,000 in its debut in roughly 800 theaters.
Searchlight dropped the project following Majors’ various legal troubles amnd sexual allegation.
The Sundance entry was later picked up by distributor Tom Ortenberg via his Briarcliff Entertainment.
Written and directed by Elijah Bynum, Magazine Dreams centers on an aspiring bodybuilder named Killian Maddox (Majors), who struggles to find human connection in this new milieu of celebrity and violence.
Nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of superstardom, not even the doctors who warn him of the permanent damage he causes to himself with his stubborn quest.
Derivative to a fault, borrowing subplots from previous (and better) dark boxing melodramas, made by Scorsese and others, Magazine Dreams walks a fine line between exploration and exploitation of its central, largely unsympathetic character.
Though Majors gives a committed performance, it does not help that he plays a man that ultimately remains a cipher, despite the text’s indulgent running time of 124 minutes.
Credits:
Written, directed by Elijah Bynum
Cinematography Adam Arkapaw
Edited by Jon Otazua
Music by Jason Hill
Distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment
Release dates: Jan 20, 2023 (Sundance); March 21, 2025 (US)
Running time: 124 minutes
