Pleasantville - 1998
Rating - 12
Run time - 119 mins
Written and directed by - Gary Ross
Starring - Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen
Pleasantville is a 1998 fantasy comedy-drama, written and directed by Gary Ross, who has directed films such as Big (1988), Seabiscuit (2003), and The Hunger Games (2012).
The film is centred around teenage siblings David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). They don’t get on well and fight over the TV after they both make plans to use it one night. They break the remote and after a visit from a mysterious TV repairman (Don Knotts), the two are accidentally transported into the world of Pleasantville - a 1950’s sitcom David is a big fan of. They have replaced the two teenage siblings at the forefront of the show - Bud and Mary Sue - and have to live their lives. David is adamant to keep things the same as they were before they arrived, but their actions start to change the fantastical world around them as the people of Pleasantville realise that there is more to life than the black and white lives they live.
Among the great cast featured in the film includes Joan Allen as Bud and Mary Sue’s mother Betty and William H. Macy as their father George, Jeff Daniels as Bill Johnson, the late Paul Walker as Chip and J.T. Walsh as Big Bob.
The film upon release was praised by critics, even though it didn’t make back its budget at the box office. It was revolutionary in the use of special effects at the time, with around 1,700 singular VFX shots used in the movie. The film’s score was written by composer Randy Newman, who is most famous for composing soundtracks for Disney, including the Toy Story series, Cars, A Bug's Life, and Monsters Inc. It was nominated three times at the 71st Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Dramatic Score.
The ensemble cast is amazing in their roles, especially Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels. The time and effort put into even the tiniest details of the film make it look way ahead of its time and definitely paid off. The cinematography is beautiful to watch, especially for me the scene where Bud and Margaret are driving through the cherry blossom trees. The script is well written and the story is original, dealing with the subjects of morality, sin, society and repression. While it may not dig that deep into these subjects, it isn't specifically a bad thing as it makes the film more light-hearted and upbeat. Near the end of the film, there are several plot holes in the story which are left unsolved, but due to the nature of the film, it doesn't pose a problem.
I found Pleasantville to be very similar in ways to the look and concept of Marvel Studios’ 2021 Disney+ series WandaVision, another story about a fictional sitcom with real people trapped in it and also features many scenes mixing B&W and colour.
Pleasantville is overall an amazing piece of cinema both visually and with regard to the story. It’s original, creative and fun while keeping the audience emotionally invested in the characters. They are several comedic parts which manage to level out the darker scenes featured in the movie. I personally really enjoyed it and I think it deserves more recognition for all of its accomplishments.
Score - 9/10
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