By George & Josh Bate
Questions of how, or even if, audiences should separate the artist and their art prove challenging to answer. Rosemary’s Baby, Braveheart, and Annie Hall are just some examples of films widely regarded as among the best of all time whose contemporary reception is marred by the wrongdoings of their filmmakers. Can one still watch and enjoy a movie like Baby Driver, for instance, starring multiple actors accused of sexual misconduct, while still acting in accordance with their moral compass? Some hold that it is possible to recognize the wrongdoing of a filmmaker, while also acknowledging that their film may have some value or be of great quality. By most conventional definitions, a film is the product of collaboration and, as such, rarely the unilateral vision of a sole person, meaning the good work of other, less problematic individuals on such projects still deserve acclaim. There’s no right or wrong answer to this question, given that a viewer should not be criticized if they are simply uncomfortable watching a movie made by or starring a filmmaker with values or past actions they find disagreeable. As such, Magazine Dreams may not be everyone’s cup of tea from the very beginning. But, for those willing to delineate the artist from their art and view Magazine Dreams independent from star Jonathan Majors’ accused behavior, a film of profound and thought-provoking sadness is ahead.
Originally making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 and now finally distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment two years later, Magazine Dreams hails from writer and director Elijah Bynum. The film stars Jonathan Majors as Killian Maddox, an aspiring bodybuilder whose unwavering commitment to his craft is coupled with a seemingly endless number of challenges in his social life and emotional well-being.
Magazine Dreams is a disturbing and deeply saddening character study of a man desperate for human connection and bodybuilder superstardom. Make no mistake, this is by no means an enjoyable movie. The word ‘bleak’ does not begin to describe the emotional depths Magazine Dreams and, in turn, its viewers plummet to during its 2+ hour runtime. Much like Todd Phillips’ Joker, Bynum’s film chronicles the gradual deterioration of a man in the context of chronic loneliness and a society that repeatedly fails him. Reduce it to its barebones and the film unfolds scene-after-scene with one bad thing after another occurring to Majors’ character until it nears its conclusion. To characterize Magazine Dreams as trauma porn, however, would be to overlook both the filmmaking craft on display and the effective messaging about violence, celebrity, and social isolation.
In a manner that will undoubtedly unsettle audiences, Magazine Dreams could be perceived as the origin story of any person who has turned to, or nearly turned to, violence or even mass violence following repeated and seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Mass shootings and acts of violence are regular occurrences in modern America, and often enter the headlines as quickly as they exit them. Bynum’s film applies an intricate psychological examination of how someone, even a genuinely well-intentioned person like Killian Maddox, could resort to the most destructive of actions. Much like the moral quandary of whether to watch Magazine Dreams in the first place due to Jonathan Majors’ involvement, this psychological examination presents a difficult ethical question to the audience: is it possible to understand and even empathize with someone who commits acts of violence or even mass violence? In other terms, what does it say about me that I sympathize and even empathize with a character who is seemingly heading down a path toward horrific violence? Writer/director Bynum and star Majors don’t flinch in the face of this difficult question, instead leaning into it and purposefully creating a palpable discomfort in their audience.
In tracking Killian Maddox’s extreme focus on bodybuilding, Magazine Dreams also comments on the allure of celebrity and the self-destruction that can follow if one becomes consumed by celebrity. Killian is a man with no girlfriend, no friends, little family, a dead-end job, and few, if any, prospects. He views success as a bodybuilder as the ultimate solution to the totality of his life’s problems, mirroring many who seek out celebrity and fame as the medicine that will alleviate all of their issues. Magazine Dreams flips this idea on its head by exposing it as a myth, one that brings great destruction along with it if one buys into it. Killian pushes his body beyond his limits, even dismissing doctors who warn him of the permanent damage his steroid use causes. The pursuit of stardom blinds Killian to the stark realities of his situation and makes it difficult to watch as Killian brings further and further destruction upon himself, both physically and mentally.
Most striking, however, is Magazine Dreams’ study of loneliness. At his core, Killian Maddox is a deeply lonely man, scarred by early trauma and burdened with emotional stuntedness ever since. He has no one to go to, no one to talk to, no one to lean on. Like Eminem’s song “Stan,” Killian regularly writes letters to his bodybuilder ideal Brad and builds a one-sided friendship the other party isn’t even privy to. The immense sadness that is elicited from seeing Killian’s loneliness and failed attempts to ameliorate this loneliness proves to be the film’s most emotionally effective element. We challenge even the most hardened of viewers to watch Magazine Dreams and not have their heart break while witnessing just how deeply, intrinsically lonely Killian is. Again, Bynum’s film does foster enjoyment or laughs, but, rather, is one that has you feel and stay with uncomfortable emotions, whether they be tied to violence, celebrity, or social isolation.
As a character study, Magazine Dreams heavily depends on its star, who delivers a career-best and Oscar-worthy performance. The initial discomfort of watching an actor marred by great controversy is quickly replaced by the discomfort of Killian Maddox’s journey, such is the strength of Jonathan Majors’ performance. Majors embodies Killian in every sense of the word, not only molding his body into the statuesque figure of the character but carrying with it Killian’s awkwardness, pain, and desperation with incredible nuance and emotion. Featuring in virtually every frame of the two hour film, Majors delivers a captivating, powerhouse performance that elevates the film’s exploration of violence, celebrity, loneliness, masculinity, and race to heights well beyond the script itself. Majors never over-dramatizes, instead powerfully reflecting Killian’s inner turmoil in the most subtle of ways. Without allegations and legal actions toward Majors, his turn in Magazine Dreams would have been a shoo-in for a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards and could very well have earned him an Oscar.
The movie concludes on a somewhat unexpected note, especially given how bleak the preceding two hours or so are. While the message of the ending is certainly commendable and even inspirational, the final scenes lack the proverbial dramatic punch that the rest of the film possesses and come across as a tad unearned.
Additionally, the psychologically taxing nature of Magazine Dreams leaves little room for audience emotion beyond misery, sadness, and empathy. This storytelling approach allows Bynum and Majors to explore all sorts of interesting themes, as previously discussed, but there is a certain tiredness that creeps in after the same emotions are elicited scene-after-scene-after-scene until the credits roll. To label Magazine Dreams as emotionally one-dimensional feels a bit harsh, although its admittedly powerful emotions tend to be fostered rather repetitively.
VERDICT. 8/10
From its disturbing narrative, bleak tone, heavy themes, and controversial leading man, Magazine Dreams is an exercise in discomfort that progresses from scene-to-scene with hardship-after-hardship for its main character. As some viewers will wrangle with the morals of separating art from its artist due to Jonathan Majors’ controversies, Elijah Bynum’s film also has viewers contemplate the direction of their moral compass as empathy builds for a character destined for mass violence. Concurrent with this audience dissonance is a thoughtful exploration of celebrity and the self-destruction that can result from buying into its allure. Most effective, however, is the film’s portrayal of chronic loneliness and the resultant sadness fostered. While extraordinarily effective in the uncomfortable emotions it elicits, the psychologically taxing nature of Magazine Dreams leaves little room for audience emotion beyond sadness and empathy and, in turn, is perhaps too tiring and simplistic. Additionally, an unexpected and somewhat unearned ending, while inspirational, lacks the proverbial dramatic punch of the proceeding film, which is marked by a powerhouse Oscar-worthy performance from Jonathan Majors that alone makes Bynum’s worth watching. Discomfort is palpable while watching Magazine Dreams, a sentiment that poetically and unintentionally matches the discomfort that comes from watching an actor marred by great controversy deliver one of the best acting performances in years.