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Pleasantville (DVD, 1999)
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This film deals with a town called apropriately "Pleasantville," a sleepy little town where everthing is froze in time. Imagine a place where Leave it to Beaver is not a just a show, but actually exists, complete with its black and white details. Don knotts (Barney Fife, Andy Taylor's Deputy) is the television repair man in the film, which also stars Dumb and Dumber's Lloyd, as well as the hero of Spiderman(Toby Macguire) and Sweet Home Alabama (Reece Witherspoon) This film uses great special effects, has a terrific storyline, and is highly entertaining as well. Highly reccomend you catch this one iof you have not seen it. Give it 5 stars *****
This is one those movies that, even though I own dozens if not hundreds of DVDs, I can honestly say is one of my favorites. It came out a few years ago before Toby Maguire and Reese Witherspoon's careers became what they are today, and is set in the black and white era of tv yesteryear. I just love so many scenes in this movie. I love it when Toby is driving to Lover's Lane and it's mostly black and white but you can begin to see the blossoms in the trees in color. I love it when Jeff Daniels is in black and white but is looking at an art book Bud brings him and the book is in color. But my absolute favorite scene of all is when Joan Allen is upset because she's turned to color and Bud (Toby Maguire) applies make up to turn her back to black and white again. I hadn't seen this movie for several years and was thinking about it and decided to look to see if there was a copy for sale on Ebay. I found it, got it for a great price, and couldn't be happier.Read full review
On a basic level, this movie is simple. Two 1990s teens get zapped back into a 1950s television show like "Father Knows Best" and then they begin to teach the boring citizens of the show what is happening in the 1990s. As the townspeople grow in knowledge, they turn from black and white into color. And being in color is a bad thing. It's almost like an admission of sin. But on an allegorical level, so much more is going on in "Pleasantville." Bud/David (Tobey Maguire) is a geek in 1990s high school but becomes a champion of change in Pleasantville. His twin sister, Mary Sue/Jen (Reese Witherspoon) is a wannabe cool girl in the 1990s and actually realizes her goal in Pleasantville. And it is she who begins the revolution in Pleasantville when she seduces the high school basketball hero Skip Henderson with one problem: the undefeated team can no longer make a basket. But now these devoted boys are awakening to sex and they and their girlfriends are turning into color too. Mary Sue also teaches her mother Betty Parker (Joan Allen) about self intimacy. When Betty turns to color and the tree outside their house starts to blaze in fire, the local fire department doesn't know what to do. And Betty is so embarrased to be in color; it is like the scarlet letter. She is so embarrased that her son Bud applies black and white makeup to hide her condition. Poor George Parker (Bill Macy) almost loses his wife because he cannot change and insists on the boring rituals that he is used to. There is even a scene in this movie mimicking Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve. Simple Bud is introduced to a colorful apple from a tree while on a date with a pretty girl from school who picks it from the tree and gives it to Bud to eat. As you can see, this movie is really quite complicated. But my own interpretation of it is that as we grow we become more vibrant and able to function in the world. We escape the daily boring rituals that we would otherwise be subject to. Although other people may not like these changes in us, we are better off because we are growing and changing. This movie was nominated for 3 Academy Awards but won none: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Musical Score. The blossoming of parts of the screen when changes occur was certainly an artistic achievement for its time and is amazing to watch. When I saw this happening I thought of "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams--another allegorical movie that was overlooked for awards but is actually quite good. Oh, and I must tell you. When David is zapped back to the present we learn that having knowledge doesn't solve all of our problems. His actual mother, who is divorced and a single parent is starved for love and has had a disappointing weekend with a date. Armed with knowledge from Pleasantville, David is able to console her. You MUST see this movie to be able to comprehend all of the levels of symbolism that it contains.Read full review
Bought "Pleasantville" after watching it several times on TV movie channels with my kids, ages 16 and 11. Wanted to have it on hand for "anytime" viewing. This movie appeals to kids because 1) they love stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon and the late, great Don Knotts; 2) the story involves kids obsessed with TV, and 3) it's a wonderful fantasy. But don't be fooled -- there's much more to "Pleasantville." It raises thoughtful issues about conformity, tolerance, diversity and self discovery. It was assigned viewing for my son's high school English class last fall. An undercurrent of sexual issues runs through the movie, so I would consider ages 12 and up to be the primary audience.
I loved this movie when it came out. Don Knots was on tv when I was a kid on the Andy Griffith Show. I bought this dvd to share with a younger girlfriend who had never seen it. She loved it!
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