Review of Pleasantville (1998) by Cole P — 07 Jun 2011

Here's a refreshing, original, vibrant, funny, touching, and symbolic film that invigorates and reflects on society's view on life. Pleasantville takes the farcical premise of two polar opposite siblings (one a scantiliy-clad party girl and the other a hopeless TV nerd) getting warped into the 1950's television sitcom "Pleasantville". Although fictional and reminiscent of other shows like I Love Lucy or Leave It To Beaver, the Pleasantville show is actually an allegory for society's self-proclamated image on how one must live a proper life in the 1950's. Y'know what's funny? The entire movie is metaphorical, too.

As David and Jennifer immerse themselves into the black & white utopia, the latter of the siblings decides to flaunt her promiscuity onto the immaculate, novitiate people. The sudden exposure starts to produce rapid changes within the town (from the high school team losing its first game, teens advancing past "holding hands", and [most important] the emergence of color). Now on a plain level (like when I saw this as a nine year old for the first time), the color was simply an 'eye catcher' for all of the black and white people. Fast forward in time, the color is probably the most powerful symbol in the entire film--accentuating and representing the vivid emotions that the many characters start to experience. In this way, it is also satrical of the emergence of technicolor post-1950's...but the movie sets to create a new meaning here.

Also with a repressed vision for aestheticism is the town sodajerk, Mr. Johnson (played by Jeff Daniels). Johnson's discovery of color is accidental: in David being late to work, Johnson starts to discover excitement in "breaking routine".

Of course, the film would not be complete without the stereotypes of the two parents (played impeccably by Joan Allen and William H. Macy). Simply put, there are LOTS of transformations in this movie and symbolism to go with it; but I think the most unique and powerful was the mother Betty's transformation from an almost automotive, stereotypical housewife to an independent woman. Allen of course gives us a real performance, and offers a scene of utmost hilarity when her first-time masturbation leads to the fumigation of an outside tree.

Pleasantville is one of the most powerful movies of 1998 and a damn good one. It's richly layered story, believeable characters, ambient score, and literary symbolism adumbrate some later Oscar winners to come (like American Beauty even). It's an honest and truthful film; director Gary Ross felt compelled to deliver a message about society's wants, society's needs, society's daily lives (hell, even comparing and contrasting a 1950's lifestyle to a 1990's lifestyle). If you can get past the obnoxious remote-control farce, then the film becomes a very rewarding experience. Afterwards, even apples will mean something.