Magazine Dreams

Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors, "The Harder They Fall," Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania") is a socially awkward man who lives with and cares for his 'Paw Paw' William Lattimore (Harrison Page) and aspires to be a champion bodybuilder like his idol Brad Vanderhorn (four time Mr. Universe Michael O'Hearn). But he faces rejection time and time again and his use of steroids results in a series of violent aggressions which will thwart his "Magazine Dreams."

Laura's Review: B

After winning the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, "Magazine Dreams" suffered a major setback when its star was accused of domestic violence (Majors was also fired by Marvel after making a splash as their new villain, Kang The Conqueror, then found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment in 2023). Now over two years later Briarcliff Entertainment has rescued the film and there is no denying the power of Major's performance, one which explores a damaged soul whose earnest naivete maintains our empathy even when his aggression erupts.

We're introduced to Killian as his state mandated counselor Trisha (Harriet Sansom Harris, "Licorice Pizza," "Jules") discusses his recent outburst during a hospital stay, once in which he threatened nurses with splitting apart their skulls and drinking their brains like soup, a threat will hear repeated in the film's last act. Trisha appears to have genuine concern for her client, wondering if he is capable of caring for his disabled grandfather, a Vietnam War vet. He assures her that he is fine, something he will continue to do as evidence stacks up to the contrary.

Killian is enamored with grocery store cashier Jessie (Haley Bennett, "The Girl on the Train," "Widow Cliquot"), but when he finally gets the nerve to ask her out, he retracts the invitation for her before fleeing out the door. He continually writes letters to his idol Vanderhorn, begging for a reply or phone call which never comes. He makes instructional bodybuilding videos for the Internet where cruel commenters suggest he has an 'Incel vibe' and suggest he should kill himself. He comes in sixth out of seven at a local bodybuilding competition. And when he calls George & Sons at his Paw Paw's behest to demand an additional coat of paint on the house, he's hung up on. He retaliates by speeding downtown and trashing their storefront.

Then things suddenly seem to go his way. He gets a phone call from Jessie, agreeing to the date. He hears from Vanderhorn, inviting him to a show. And yet both of these things will have disastrous consequences, as will his retaliation against George & Sons. Writer/director Elijah Bynum ("Hot Summer Nights") takes Killian's trajectory someplace we might have expected in film years ago while leaving us wondering why the litany of crimes we keep hearing from Trisha apparently never have any consequences as we never see Killian jailed. The narrative begins to feel padded as Bynum goes into his third act, Killian's interaction with a street walker (Taylour Paige, "Zola") adding little, his aggression escalation slipping in and out of fantasy.

Yet even when Bynum's choices falter, Majors' cannot be faulted, the actor exhibiting an incredible amount of depth and range. His Killian can be almost childlike in his shyness, his voice softer and more hesitant than his (incredibly pumped up) appearance would suggest. But he is also obsessive, scarily so as we witness on his date, his conviction that he will become a champion emblazoned across magazines bordering on psychotic, his fits of rage scary yet contained when it comes to physical harm. Maddox's myriad mood swings are beautifully complemented by Jason Hill's (Netflix's 'Mindhunter') score which varies from somber violin and piano to horns and soundtrack selections from opera arias to heavy metal.

Briarcliff Entertainment releases "Magazine Dreams" in theaters on 3/21/25.