Magazine Dreams (2025)

★ 6.8 2h 3m 82 votes IMDb

Aspiring bodybuilder Killian Maddox struggles to find human connection in an exploration 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 quest.

Magazine Dreams

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Cast

Jonathan Majors
Jonathan Majors as Killian Maddox Age 36 · Dallas, Texas, USA Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989) is an American actor. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Majors rose to prominence for starring in the drama films The Last Black Man in San Franc...
Haley Bennett
Haley Bennett as Jessie Age 38 · Fort Myers, Florida, USA Haley Loraine Keeling (born January 7, 1988), known professionally as Haley Bennett, is an American actress. She made her film debut in the romantic comedy Music and Lyrics (2007) and has since appear...
Taylour Paige
Taylour Paige as Pink Coat Age 35 · Santa Monica, California, USA Taylour Dominique Paige-Angulo (born October 5, 1990) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Ahsha Hayes in the VH1 sports drama series Hit the Floor, and has gained reco...
Harrison Page
Harrison Page as William Latimore Age 84 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Harrison Page (born August 27, 1941) is an American television and film actor who has appeared in many popular shows, including Cold Case, JAG, ER, Ally McBeal,...
Harriet Sansom Harris
Harriet Sansom Harris as Patricia Waldron Age 71 · Fort Worth, Texas, USA Born in Texas, Harriet Sansom Harris got involved in acting as a youngster. At seventeen, Harris was accepted at New York's famed Juilliard School. Upon graduation, Harris joined The Acting Company, a...
Mike O'Hearn
Mike O'Hearn as Brad Vanderhorn Age 57 · Seattle, Washington, USA If you want to meet a real-life super hero, Michael O'Hearn is the closest human alive that fits that description.. A Four-time Mr. Universe, O'Hearn has graced the covers of over 470 magazines worldw...

Audience Reviews

Brent Marchant 7/10 Mar 26, 2025
Toxic masculinity is a topic that has garnered increased attention in recent years, addressed in various outlets from TV talk shows to social media to myriad print resources. And now, in the latest offering from writer-director Elijah Bynum, the subject has made its way to the big screen (although it almost didn’t – see below). This character study of amateur bodybuilder Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) follows the life of this highly disciplined competitor who’s little known in the field but is determined to one day win major titles and fulfill his dreams of gracing magazine covers devoted to the sport. However, try as he might, Killian never seems to fully realize his aspirations, a tremendous source of personal frustration, particularly when his chiseled physique is (at least in his mind) unduly criticized. He’s obsessed with trying to figure out what he’s doing wrong, not only in sculpting his physical prowess, but also in his interpersonal dealings. It’s an exasperating exercise that often subsequently leads to angry outbursts, exaggerated responses to his circumstances and fits of emotional self-flagellation. To compensate, he earnestly engages in internet searches about ways to get others to like him and to find the means to be remembered, efforts that feed his many personal demons and contribute to an ever-downward spiral of his health, self-esteem and grasp on reality, all of which bring out the toxic masculinity festering within him. His unsettling lack of fulfillment, combined with his considerable pent-up physical strength, makes for quite a volatile mix, raising serious questions about whether he can ultimately contain it. While the film tries to cover a little too much ground at times and features some script elements that come across as wholly implausible, the picture nevertheless offers valuable insights into the nature and source of where this behavior comes from, as well as the hope for redemption, no matter how seemingly remote. The narrative also pays homage to other pictures that chillingly profile the lives of troubled loners like Killian, very much in the same vein as the works of writer-director Paul Schrader, most notably “Taxi Driver” (1976) and “First Reformed” (2017). To be honest, though, I was quite stunned to see this offering actually make its way into release. Having been originally scheduled for opening during the 2023 awards season, “Magazine Dreams” was dropped from its distributor’s schedule when troubling allegations about Majors’ offscreen abusive behavior began to surface, incidents that would eventually land him in court. In short order, one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars suddenly became one of the movie industry’s biggest pariahs. And, with that, it seemed that this picture – a hot contender for awards consideration at the time – would forever vanish into the ether, relegated to the ranks of films that would never again see the light of day. However, this offering has since managed to secure a new distributor, and it is now playing theatrically (and rather widely at that). It’s arguably regrettable that Majors’ fortunes have faltered as they have, because he turns in a phenomenal performance here in what would have almost assuredly earned him awards season accolades. This release thus provides a potent cautionary tale about the perils and consequences of toxic masculinity. Indeed, it’s understandable how moviegoers might want to shun this release in light of the controversies surrounding its protagonist. At the same time, though, if we as a society ever hope to understand what drives this kind of behavior, we’d be wise to take a good, hard look at it so that we can see how it arises, find ways to dispel it and keep it from inflicting any further harm on those it victimizes – and those who fall prey to it in the first place.

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