Pleasantville (1998)
The Cast
Tobey Maguire .... David
Reese Witherspoon .... Jennifer
William H. Macy .... George Parker
Joan Allen .... Betty Parker
Jeff Daniels .... Mr. Johnson
J.T. Walsh .... Big Bob
Don Knotts .... TV Repairman
Marley Shelton .... Margaret
Jane Kaczmarek .... David's Mom
Jenny Lewis .... Christin
Jason Behr .... Mark's Lackey #2
Paul Walker .... Skip Martin
Marc Blucas .... Basketball Hero
Danny Strong .... Juke Box Boy
Written & directed by Gary Ross, Pleasantville is in some ways a far classier version of Stay Tuned, minus the John Ritter & creepy Jeffrey Jones of course. Hey, whatever happened to Pam Dawber by the way, anyone? Alright, anyways, besides a ridiculous amount of future sci-fi / fantasy / vampire TV actors being in this movie (Blucas, Behr, Strong) as well as that chick from The Wizard (or Rilo Kiley if you so prefer), there's a few big name actors scattered amongst the cast list for Pleasantville. Other than Maguire & Witherspoon, all of them are talented & have come to accept their place as strong character actors. Well, make Paul Walker an exception too, sorry.
Sadly, this movie may end up being completely lost on future generations of TV viewers. The film does such a fantastic job of satirizing the wholesome '50s sitcom template, that it's almost unfathomable that TV shows like that actually existed back in the day. Explain to kids these days about parents not sleeping together in the same bed. Well, that is if you can find a family that's still together & not split apart by divorce. Times have drastically changed, & there's certainly a growing number of people that wish the world still maintained that '50s sensibility, the morals, the simple lives. Certainly not the clothes.
David (Maguire) is your everyday nerdy high school student, excited about the weekend marathon of the old "Pleasantville" TV series that he's wasted his young life absorbing every detail of. His twin sister Jennifer (Witherspoon) is trying really hard to become the head slut at school. Their newly divorced mother (Kaczmarek) is planning to leave for the weekend, so both David & Jennifer have plans for the living room TV. David's got the "Pleasantville" marathon on tap, & Jennifer wants to "entertain" some guy from school while watching MTV. These kids really know how to go crazy.
The fighting between the two escalates from verbal assault to them having a tug-of-war with the remote control, which tragically is smashed on a wall. Since they own one of them new TVs that "won't work without a remote" (there's a plot hole that you might have to leap over), they're extremely distraught about their lame evening plans being dashed. Mr. Furley .. I mean a TV Repairman (Knotts) fortuitously shows up, & after quickly checkin' out David's "Pleasantville" knowledge, provides the twins with a remote control that will "put them in the show." Which it of course does, plunging David & Jennifer directly into the small world of "Pleasantville."
There's two ways this movie could've gone, & thankfully Ross didn't take the easy way out & take a lot of easy potshots at the ripe-for-satire 50s material. It's obvious that Ross truly loved the TV shows that inspired him to make this movie. From the perfect characterisations to the gorgeous town setting to the letter-perfect costumes, you truly feel like you're immersed in this perfect little world. The main supporting cast nails their roles with just the right amount of stupid-happy, for lack of a better word. Ignorance is bliss, & the townsfolk of "Pleasantville" are truly blessed with a lack of knowledge.
The digital effects look simply phenomenal, even seven years later. After Jennif... Mary-Sue pardon me, introduces Skip Martin (Walker) to sex, the town undergoes a gradual change. It's never fully explained what the impetus behind it is, but colour starts to appear throughout their humdrum black & white ritualistic lives. The way colours are introduced is different for each person, though I speculate that it pretty much boils down to the person having a personal revelation or awakening about themselves.
I could go on & on about this movie, from the gorgeous cinematography & excellent story, to the note-perfect acting of the cast. In particular, lifetime character actor J.T. Walsh shines in his final role. Though there's a lot to be said for Jeff Daniels child-like innocence & naivety, as well as William H. Macy's bewilderment about the whole situation. Even though the beginning of the movie is bleak & slightly depressing & annoying, you need that to counter-balance the generational differences of "Pleasantville." This is up there as one of my favourite movies.
5 outta 5