Pleasantville 1998
I think this was probably a really good movie when it was made. Unfortunately they gave away almost all of the important parts of the movie in the previews that they’ve been showing for the months leading up to its release. Movies like this shouldn’t allow anything past the first few minutes to be shown in the previews. But I guess it did its job: I thought it looked interesting and I paid my money to see it. Whether I felt betrayed or not has nothing to do with the studio’s bottom line. (Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show, I thought, did a good job of keeping the true story of the movie secret in its previews).
This is a great concept for a movie: a brother and sister (twins) on different ends of the social spectrum at school get sent back into a 1950’s sitcom where everything is perfect and the parents sleep in separate beds, oblivious to sex.
There are some very good actors in this movie, which was surprising. Don Knotts plays an important small part which was a nice touch. Jeff Daniels has a good part as a soda jerk who wants to be a painter but is trapped in black and white. William H. Macy (the car salesman from Fargo) is excellent as an Ozzie who is suddenly betrayed by the 90’s mentality that the kids bring onto the town. Joan Allen does a great job as his wife who sees that there is more to life than cooking for her family. The kids are both played well, the guy who was a college student in Ice Storm and the girl who I didn’t recognize.
My girlfriend said after the movie that it wasn’t exactly a subtle movie and I do fault the movie for that. Though the movie goes deeper than just introducing rock and roll and sex to the 50’s, the ultimate meaning of the movie is still about the same. The utopia portrayed by 50’s television certainly made little sense and would never hold up in the real world, either then or now. So the target was maybe a little too easy. Nonetheless, the movie has some funny moments and, though it is fairly predictable, has enough of a plot to keep it interesting throughout.
Can’t give it any better than a pleasant B-
2017 update: After buying my first few DVD’s back in 2000, there was an offer with Warner Brothers where you could get Pleasantville for only the cost of shipping plus some proofs of purchase. I’m sure there were other choices, but I don’t remember what they were. I rewatched this movie after converting my DVD’s to digital, completely forgetting that I only gave this movie a B-. It is funny reading the review now and seeing that I didn’t know who Reese Witherspoon was. I think the B- was probably correct. The movie is quite clumsy even though the idea seems pretty good. The music is quite good, even the score by Randy Newman. But the characters are poorly drawn and the adults just aren’t realistic. It is likable enough, but probably hasn’t aged well.
Written: 08 Nov 1998
Owned on: DVD