Review of Pleasantville (1998) by Reilly J — 27 Mar 2011

We studied this in English in Year 10, half the class loved it, the other half thought it was the worst piece of shit they'd ever seen, but those are the same people who dissed Edward Scissorhands.

I personally think that this is one of the most underrated films ever made. It's about a twin brother, David (Tobey Maguire), and sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) who lead different lives. Whilst Jennifer spends time going out with boys, looking hot and being a vacuous bitch David spends his time escaping from this confusing and difficult world by watching an old 1950s sit-com called "Pleasantville" in which everything is... well... pleasant, it's perfect, nothing bad or unsavoury happens. The parents sleep in separate single beds, there are no toilets (no one pisses or shits), the high school basketball team always wins and everything is just routine.

One night, David and Jennifer have a fight over the TV remote and accidentally break it, all seems to be lost when all of a sudden a creepy old guy, who is also a Pleasantville fan, shows up and gives them a magical TV remote that transports them into the show, where they replace Bud and Mary-Sue and become the characters. This is where the fun starts, whilst Bud (David) fights to keep it all the same, to keep it perfect, Mary-Sue (Jennifer) tries to bring change to these people's lives because she's "like, stuck in Nerdville!" As these people begin to change they gradually fade to colour, but certain people react differently, some love the new changes whereas others decide to be conservative and fight the change.

This film handles its subject matter in the most original manner, I've never seen a film quite like this before. There are so many recognisable elements to it, you'll be reminded of things in your life, of all the wonderful things in life and all the people holding you, this film is about breaking free of all that.

The characters in this film are so well drawn and so well developed, Reese Witherspoon does an amazing job as Jennifer, to start with you just wanna jump through the screen and punch her in the face, but by the end you love her for the change she's made and the change she herself has undergone, Witherspoon captures these character arcs perfectly, I would go so far as to say that this is one of her best performances. Tobey Maguire was also great he captures the change David goes through superbly, everyone in the film captures change very well, because that's what the movie is about change, and what better way to show departure from traditional values to modernity? Why changing from black and white to colour of course!

The cinematography is beautiful, it goes hand in hand with the music scores to capture the full emotional experience of the characters. The scene in which Bill Johnson the soda fountain proprietor, paints a picture and realises what his art really means to him for the first time, is one of the most magical I've ever seen, it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, not a very good thing when you're in a class room sitting next to your mate who is saying "Oh my God! Could this get any gayer?" every five minutes.

I loved every minute of this film. It's funny, it's heartfelt, it's thought provoking, everything you could ever want, it really inspires you to think screw what other people say, there is no perfect life, there is no right way to live, this is my life, and this is how I'll live it!

I give this 5 stars! I've tried to extend the Definitive Five to a Definitive Ten many times, but when I decide what's in sixth place, there are always so many contenders, and this I must say is one of them.