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Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh ... see more see more... , Reese Witherspoon , Don Knotts , Paul Walker , Marley Shelton , Jane Kaczmarek , Marissa Ribisi , Jenny Lewis , Giuseppe Andrews , Maggie Lawson , Marc Blucas

Gary Ross, Oscar nominated for his Dave and Big screenplays, made his directorial debut with this comedy. The cheerful '50s TV sitcom "Pleasantville" is revived in the '90s for a loyal cable audience.... read more read more... One devoted fan is shy suburban teen David Wagner (Tobey Maguire), who has an almost obsessive interest in the series. Living with his divorced mother (Jane Kaczmarek), David sometimes has disputes with his ultra-hip twin sister Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). She wants to watch MTV just when a Pleasantville marathon is about to begin. They struggle over the remote control, and it breaks. A strange TV repairman (Don Knotts) supplies their new remote, a potent high-tech device which zaps David and Jennifer inside Pleasantville, where their new sitcom parents are businessman George Parker (William H. Macy) and wife Betty (Joan Allen). As "Bud" and "Mary Sue," the teens take up residence in a black-and-white suburbia where sex does not exist and the temperature is always 72 degrees. Life is always pleasant, books have no words, bathrooms have no toilets, married couples sleep in twin beds, the high school basketball team always wins, and nobody ever questions "The Good Life." David revels in Pleasantville's Prozac-styled peacefulness. He fits right in, but Jennifer's 1990s attitude upsets the blandness balance, painting parts of Pleasantville in "living color." Repressed desires surface, cracks appear in the '50s lifestyles, and the Pleasantville populace finds their lives changing in strange, wonderful ways. It's liberating -- but there's also a darker side. This film breaks an all-time record with more than 1700 special effects shots. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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73% liked it

207,942 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

84 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Gary Ross

Release Date: October 23, 1998

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DVD Release Date: March 23, 1999

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Stats: 7,916 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,916)

  • fb733768972
    February 11, 2012
    fb733768972
    ?"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 ... read moreabsent, 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!
  • spielberg00
    December 28, 2011
    spielberg00
    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 ch... read morearacters 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
  • TomBowler
    October 7, 2011
    TomBowler
    Some good central performances with an interesting if slightly implausible concept. Full review later.
  • fb1216165431
    September 11, 2011
    fb1216165431
    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.... read more A revolution of colors. Endearing.
  • ajv2688
    August 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    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.
  • fernandorafael
    April 22, 2011
    fernandorafael
    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 f... read morean 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.
  • DreamExtractor
    March 7, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    A perfect reminder of the old days, with Leave it to Beaver, but shows us what would happen if they wrrent so sweet
  • wildaly14
    January 30, 2011
    wildaly14
    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 a... read morell we really have for ourselves.
  • garyX
    January 21, 2011
    garyX
    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. Som... read moreewhat 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.
  • paulkoh110
    January 5, 2011
    paulkoh110
    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.

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Critic Reviews

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The lighthearted fable Pleasantville takes some pointed swipes at the make-believe world of 1950s TV -- and none too soon. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

There's a terrific idea at the heart of Pleasantville, and it's a shame that its creator, Big screenwriter Gary Ross, can't figure where to take it. Full Review

Rick Groen
April 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Endearing it definitely is, so much so that it's easy to overlook the simplicity, and the sly confidence trick that gets played on us. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Ends up having more on its mind than it can successfully handle. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the year's best and most original films! Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

A movie of unique ideological derangement that simultaneously demands and defies precise decoding. Full Review

Steven Rosen
January 1, 2000
Steven Rosen, Denver Post

A showcase for wondrous special effects!

Kevin Maynard
January 1, 2000
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz

Lush, seductive!

Gene Siskel
January 1, 2000
Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

A most original film!

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

An immensely intelligent entertainment! Full Review

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    • George: So, what's going to happen now?
    • Betty: I don't know. Do you know what's going to happen now?
    • George: [laughs] I don't.
    • Mr. Johnson: I guess I don't either.
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Pleasantville Trivia

  • In Pleasantville, what was the first object to turn into color?  Answer »
  • Which movie has the quote..."we're supposed to be at home David...were supposed to be in colour!"?  Answer »
  • In what film do Toby Macguire and Reese Witherspoon turn a town from black and white to colour?  Answer »
  • What movie has the quote "i think you're the keenest girl in school!"?  Answer »
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