What if television sitcom characters were aware of their existence? This playful, yet clever, premise is the driving force behind one of this year's best films -- Pleasantville.
Written and directed by Gary Ross, the movie pans into the lives of two siblings David and Jennifer (played by Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) who are seen fighting over (and breaking) their TV's remote control.
Dear God, Noooo!
Suddenly, a mysterious, all-powerful TV repairman (Don Knotts) offers them a better channel changer, and they magically get transported into Pleasantville -- a 1950s black and white sitcom that is so innocent, it makes The Andy Griffith Show seem like the Kenneth Starr report.
OK, so it's a contrived TV movie-of-the-week type premise, but that is part of the undeniable fascination of this generously clever, tongue-in-cheek film.
Upon realizing his situation, David is exhilarated by the idea of living in his favorite show -- he recognizes which episode he is living by what goes on around him. Jennifer, on the other hand, disdains "Nerdville" greatly, and creates a ripple effect by behaving in a less-than-conventional manner and influencing town citizens with the notion that their existence need not be so limited.
Some of the citizens affected by this ripple include: Mr. Johnson (Jeff Daniels), a mentally-slow malt shop owner with the soul of an artist; Betty and George Parker (Joan Allen and William H. Macy), a married couple with two single beds, a mind-numbing routine and absolutely no passion; and Big Bob (J.T. Walsh), the Chamber of Commerce president who resists any form of change or creative expression (reminiscent of John Lithgow's character in Footloose).
The change in the town is gradual and visually stunning. Objects and people begin to sprout color -- the black and white world of Pleasantville is slowly transformed into a colorful universe -- a clever special effects trick that is employed to symbolize the change that occurs in people when they feel alive.
Some of the citizens embrace the change while others struggle to keep their "color" inside. As David points out, however, you cannot stop something that is inside of you.
Certainly, the chaos that infiltrates the town of Pleasantville is hilarious, profound and surreal to watch. Thematically, however, the film is a bit overcrowded, containing so many ideas that it only grazes over many of them.
Despite that, the message of the film is refreshingly simple: the wider you expand your horizons, the more fantastic your view of the universe becomes.
Two modern American teenagers are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom. Bewildered by their new worl...More at Family Video
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