DVD Review: [Flashback] A Pleasant Film

It’s likely that most of you haven’t heard of Pleasantville: not that you would. As a period commentary from 1998 about the rigid idealism of 1950’s America, it’s in a strange niche of being too old for things like Social Media or even the Internet, but too young to be considered a classic. Which, ironically, fits it really well.

Pre-Spiderman Toby McGuire stars as David, an introverted teen who uses reruns of the classic TV show Pleasantville to distract him from his problems at home. His sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) is a carefree, too cool for school punk girl who distances herself as far as possible from anything she considers too geeky, David included. When they’re given a magic remote control that transports them to the idyllic Pleasantville in their TV, David tries to get Jennifer to adapt to their lives as TV characters until he can fix their situation.

In Pleasantville, everything is ideal: firefighters rescue kittens from trees, school is easy, and holding hands is the most promiscuous activity one can engage in. But all this falls apart when Jennifer rebels, seduces and sleeps with a member of the basketball team. Soon, the entire town of Pleasantville is faced with a harsh, new, and not entirely unPleasant reality.

As things change, people and objects change from black and white into color, creating a fascinating visual medium for the thematic changes that occur. Soon, everyone experiences changes and awakenings in their lives, from the local cook, Bill (Jeff Daniels) who discovers his love for art, to David and Jennifer’s Pleasantville mother Betty (Joan Allen) who starts to realize that she isn’t happy with a loveless marriage and constant cooking. Pretty soon, the town becomes divided over the issue of change. Regular, ‘Pleasant’ people start to shun and segregate the ‘colored’ people from their town. It’s a fascinating piece of visual storytelling that develops almost everyone in their own way.

Pleasantville is artsy, and often shoots for higher concepts that go over most people’s heads or would bore them. But it is a beautiful bit of cinema for those who enjoy the symbolism, the visual style, and the stellar performances from every single actor. Though it may not be for everyone, it’s got something for anyone to love.