Pleasantville (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• KJ P

  
  ?"Pleasantville" is everything you can ask for from a movie, and more. As a nerdy kids black and white television show becomes his life, he and his sister are sucked into the universe of 1958. In a perfect world, where change is unheard of, sex is incomprehensible, and… More
  ?"Pleasantville" is everything you can ask for from a movie, and more. As a nerdy kids black and white television show becomes his life, he and his sister are sucked into the universe of 1958. In a perfect world, where change is unheard of, sex is incomprehensible, and colour is absent, Bud (Tobey Maguire) and his sister (Reese Witherspoon) learn that change can be the most beautiful thing. In this very odd world, many questions will be dying to be answered, and while most of them are, it is the true beauty that keeps you guessing when the film concludes. Everything about this film represents perfection. Paying a homage to classic paintings and classic television acting, this film is one of the best of the 90's. The emotions are endlessly engaging, the witty comedy is hilarious, the story is magnificent, and the cast is fantastic. "Pleasantville" is not one to be missed!

• Alexander D

  
  Above all other things, this film is imaginatively artistic. The film intertwines black-and-white with color photography, creating more than just a dazzling visuality. On top of that, screenwriter Gary Ross manages to tie this artistic aspect in with the film's own plot: the… More
  Above all other things, this film is imaginatively artistic. The film intertwines black-and-white with color photography, creating more than just a dazzling visuality. On top of that, screenwriter Gary Ross manages to tie this artistic aspect in with the film's own plot: the characters actually see each other in grayscale, and there is even a humorously literal discrimination of coloreds (meaning people who appear in colors other than black, white, or gray), which adds even more spice to the concept. Remember the scene from SCHINDLER'S LIST that emphasized a little girl's red coat, the only color in the entire film? Imagine if that one scene were extended into a feature-length, much more satirical film. The result would easily be PLEASANTVILLE. Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-AB

• Thomas B

  
  Some good central performances with an interesting if slightly implausible concept. Full review later.

• Jan Marc M

  
  A brother and a sister are mysteriously ensnared in a 1950's television program Pleasantville rendered in black and white. Pleasantville is a pleasant delight that laterally communicates how the general radical community initially responds to changes with resistance and acrimony.… More
  A brother and a sister are mysteriously ensnared in a 1950's television program Pleasantville rendered in black and white. Pleasantville is a pleasant delight that laterally communicates how the general radical community initially responds to changes with resistance and acrimony. A revolution of colors. Endearing.

• AJ V

  
  I understand already, things weren't that different in the 50s, things can't be perfect and pleasant even if they are on the surface, and blah blah blah... This movie seems to need to repeat this over and over. I didn't care for that.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Satire, drama, symbolism and social critique converge beautifully in the dreamlike Pleasantville. Gary Ross takes a jab at the conservative American society, as well as segregation, and succeeds. Twins David and Jennifer get sucked into Pleasantville, a 50's TV show… More
  Satire, drama, symbolism and social critique converge beautifully in the dreamlike Pleasantville. Gary Ross takes a jab at the conservative American society, as well as segregation, and succeeds. Twins David and Jennifer get sucked into Pleasantville, a 50's TV show David's a fan of. Ironically, as soon as they leave the 90's and enter this fictitious world, the film starts to feel real. Pleasantville achieves perfection in every technical aspect. Visual effects, cinematography, art direction and score are all excellent. An equally impressive cast graces us with extraordinary performances.

• Brad W

  
  A perfect reminder of the old days, with Leave it to Beaver, but shows us what would happen if they wrrent so sweet

• Wildaly M

  
  The film is much more than just two teens who are sucked into a 50s television show, and the great cast makes sure of this. It shows us the wonders of our imperfect little world that is not always as pleasant as some of us would like it to be but it is, at least, truly real and all we… More
  The film is much more than just two teens who are sucked into a 50s television show, and the great cast makes sure of this. It shows us the wonders of our imperfect little world that is not always as pleasant as some of us would like it to be but it is, at least, truly real and all we really have for ourselves.

• xGary X

  
  A pair of teens are transported into the world of a black and white 50s sitcom where their presence has some profound effects. On the surface, Pleasantville is just another fluffy, wish fulfillment fantasy, but lurking beneath is some pretty smart and funny social commentary. Somewhat… More
  A pair of teens are transported into the world of a black and white 50s sitcom where their presence has some profound effects. On the surface, Pleasantville is just another fluffy, wish fulfillment fantasy, but lurking beneath is some pretty smart and funny social commentary. Somewhat in the vein of Tim Burton's work, it examines the "suburban dream" of middle America, still clung to by many right-wing conservatives nicely represented by J. T. Walsh as "Big Bob" and his fascistic Chamber Of Commerce. He is the one to rally the middle class, white males of the community to try and preserve the status quo once the emancipated inhabitants of Pleasantville become the enemy, branded as "coloreds" in this 50s "utopia" that is completely devoid of black faces. The rest of the cast are equally good, especially Joan Allen as the homemaker tasting freedom for the first time, William H. Macy as her confused and exasperated husband, and although Tobey Maguire is clearly only capable of the one character, Peter Parker is perfectly at home here. I found the ending a little contrived and anticlimactic, obviously trying to ape Frank Capra, but it's clever, witty and although only occasionally laugh out loud funny, deserving of 2 hours of anybody's time.

• paul o

  
  With beautiful effects that display pleasantville, I found this film as a underrated movie of the 90's. Having a unique but strong story, this is definitely a beautiful dramedy about tv life in the 50's.

• Dan S

  
  An occasionally very funny look at a made-up 1950's sit-com and how a 90's brother and sister pair get literally sucked into the makeup of the show and thus begin to change the landscape of not only the city itself, but the values that dwell within. As said, this movie is… More
  An occasionally very funny look at a made-up 1950's sit-com and how a 90's brother and sister pair get literally sucked into the makeup of the show and thus begin to change the landscape of not only the city itself, but the values that dwell within. As said, this movie is very funny to start out with, and there are a couple of outstanding performances (William H. Macy, Joan Allen, and Jeff Daniels), but this thing begins a downward spiral during the last 1/4. It does a very good job establishing its agenda and message, being not to fear change and to embrace diversity, however it pushes it too far in the end, feeling too much like a liberal Hollywood production that pleads with you to be in awe of it. It is probably worth watching just for the gorgeous visuals that are on display, but the end of the movie in particular left me wanting more.

• Lewis C

  
  "Fire! FIRE! ....Cat?" Cool movie. If you've ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to live inside one of those 50's family TV shows, Pleasantville has your answer. Absolutely absurd. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play a pair of teenage… More
  "Fire! FIRE! ....Cat?" Cool movie. If you've ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to live inside one of those 50's family TV shows, Pleasantville has your answer. Absolutely absurd. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play a pair of teenage siblings who end up inside the idyllic show of Pleasantville, in a town where there is no trouble, everything is predictable, innocent (separate beds for married couples) and the overall mood is (you guessed it) nothing short of blandly pleasant. They turn the black and white town upside down with sex and distinctly non-routine, non-Pleasantville ideas about life, and suddenly, color starts to seep into the world. Everyone doesn't like it, and Pleasantville starts to become a lot less pleasant. And the two teens end up go through some changes, themselves, of course. The movie starts off fairly light-hearted, but goes in a much more serious direction as the story moves along. It was a good enough flick to keep me I interested even after the novelty started to wear off, but I do think it was a little longer than it needed to be. Overall, though, I thought it was pretty decent. There's a nice supporting cast of Joan Allen, William H. Macy, and others, and fans of Maguire and Witherspoon will be pleased with their performances. This may not be the best movie I've seen, but it's certainly a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

• Spencer S

  
  Imaginative, fun, pleasant even. Great cast, and splendiforous commonality.

• Jennifer D

  
  Very cute idea. Loved the use of color.

• Wahida K

  
  Some Movies are just too nice to only rate instead of reviewing like many people before. Word Said/Wrote which I dont want to repeat.

• Film C

  
  I quite enjoyed this film, mainly because its different and i like different!! I'ts realy funny in places especially Reese Witherspoon!! Its about 2 teenagers who are like normal siblings always disagreeing and arguing and one night they break the remote and it gets replaced but… More
  I quite enjoyed this film, mainly because its different and i like different!! I'ts realy funny in places especially Reese Witherspoon!! Its about 2 teenagers who are like normal siblings always disagreeing and arguing and one night they break the remote and it gets replaced but they then get transported to 1950's 'Pleasantville' where its black and white and its a weird place, the movie is funny and has a great hidden meaning! Its a nice afternooon weekend movie!!

• Candy R

  
  Interesting movie about siblings being transported into a make believe time.

• Chris W

  
  This, I feel, was definitely one of the best films of 1998, and definitely is up for consideration as one of the best films of the 1990's. This is a really hard movie to dislike or worse. It's a charming, funny, and whimsical fantasy, and also an intelligent and thought… More
  This, I feel, was definitely one of the best films of 1998, and definitely is up for consideration as one of the best films of the 1990's. This is a really hard movie to dislike or worse. It's a charming, funny, and whimsical fantasy, and also an intelligent and thought provoking dramedy with great amounts of symbolism and ties to Civil Rights and McCarthyism. All aspects are handled well and in a very creative and ingenious way. The set design, art direction, and camerawork are brilliant, the acting (all around) is flawless, as are the writing/direction. This film really nails the esence of 1950's tv and culture. To sum it all up, This is the sort of satire not restricted to a certain audience, ie, it's accessible for the mainstream and not just the intellectual film-going audience (no, I'm not implying that the mainstream public aren't ignorant, I'm just saying they have differet tastes). Go out and see this film if you haven't already, it's amazing.

• Red L

  
  The idea of this movie is brilliant. A couple of kids from the 90's get thrown into the world of a 50's B&W sitcom where everything is just peachy. Peachy yes, but not very real. The firemen have never rescued anything other than a cat in a tree. The basketball team… More
  The idea of this movie is brilliant. A couple of kids from the 90's get thrown into the world of a 50's B&W sitcom where everything is just peachy. Peachy yes, but not very real. The firemen have never rescued anything other than a cat in a tree. The basketball team has never lost. David and Jennifer manage to introduce Pleasantville to feelings which changes everything.

• Tim S

  
  I loved every second of the movie when it is in Pleasantville. I thought it was more original than people give it credit for. But every scene that is in the 90's is fucking cliche and really takes away from an otherwise strong film. Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels are amazing, but I… More
  I loved every second of the movie when it is in Pleasantville. I thought it was more original than people give it credit for. But every scene that is in the 90's is fucking cliche and really takes away from an otherwise strong film. Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels are amazing, but I don't get the fascination with Tobey McGuire. He plays the same role every time.

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