Pleasantville (1998)
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Two siblings find themselves transported into a black-and-white 1950s television world where their presence begins to introduce color and change.
The story
While their mother is away, twin siblings David and Jennifer fight over a television and break the remote. A mysterious repairman arrives and gives David a special remote. When they use it, the siblings are magically transported into the world of Pleasantville, a black-and-white 1950s sitcom. They are mistaken for the show's children by the residents. David tries to keep them from disrupting the idyllic, static world, but Jennifer's actions begin to introduce elements of the modern world, causing the black-and-white environment to start showing signs of color.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being transported into the black-and-white world of Pleasantville, David and Jennifer are mistaken for the children of the show's main characters. As Jennifer engages in modern behaviors like dating and experimenting with sex, the town begins to change, with parts of the environment and residents turning into color. David tries to maintain the status quo but eventually helps the locals embrace their own identities. This leads to a cultural shift in the town, sparking a conflict with the conservative leadership who attempt to ban 'colored' elements. A trial ensues where the truth of the town's stagnation is confronted. Ultimately, the entire town becomes colorized, and the siblings are able to return to their own time, while the residents of Pleasantville are left to live in a world that is no longer black and white.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Ross
- Writers
- Gary Ross · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tobey Maguire · David; Jeff Daniels · Bill; Joan Allen · Betty; William H. Macy · George; J. T. Walsh · not specified; Don Knotts · not specified; Reese Witherspoon · Jennifer
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy-drama
- Themes
- repression vs. enlightenment; tradition vs. change; social commentary
- Tone and mood
- satirical; whimsical
- Premise and plot tags
- time-travel; alternate-reality; meta-fiction
- Reception
- The film was a box-office failure but has since become a cult classic, receiving generally positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 98; Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Original Music · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to use a process of scanning and digitizing footage to remove or manipulate colors.; It was the final on-screen appearance of Don Knotts.; It was one of J. T. Walsh's final performances.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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