Pleasantville

August 14th, 2006General3 comments

Ironically, it sounds like the premise for a made-for-TV movie: Two jaded, present-day kids get sucked into a 1950s Leave It to Beaver-style sitcom and have to confront life in a squeaky-clean black and white world.

So how do you make it bigger — “plus it”?.. For the kids you cast Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire. Also activate William H. Macy, Joan Allen, and Jeff Daniels. Plus you make the power move of adding the late, much-beloved Don Knotts. Also inject an enormous amount of heart and humor, and frame the story around big ideas.

David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) are
trapped in the wholesome Fifties.

The movie is about how these kids change Pleasantville through their actions. And through their interactions they transform the fictional characters around them into real people.

David helps hide his TV mom’s (Joan Allen)
transformation to color.

And instead of taking the easy road and veering into cheap gags about tailfins on cars and pointy bras, the movie takes the high road and explores censorship, sexuality, the freedom to learn, and the idea of sentience. Actually, now that I think about it, there were a few pointy bra jokes in there. But that wasn’t all that Pleasantville contained.

What I really love about this movie is that it really reaches for more than it needed to. It’s ambitious. And although it’s not always successful, its individual parts are terrific enough on their own… And the sum total is outstanding.

And the Best Thing About This Movie: Don Knotts. The guy is, was, and forever will be timeless.